Intel issues new guidelines to motherboard partners for i9s crashing
Intel has issued new guidance for its motherboard partners regarding the ongoing issues surrounding the crashing of Intel Core i9 13th and 14th generation processors.
As reported by Tom’s hardware, Intel’s new guidelines have been enforced to combat the stability issues of its high-end chipsets. Crucially, the chipset manufacturer has emphasized that it is not blaming its partners.
Team Blue has introduced a new set of recommended settings, including enabling CEP, eTVB, TVB, TVB Voltage Optimizations and C-states, while disabling ICCMAX Unlimited Bit. However, other BIOS settings such as ICCMAX, ICCMAX_App and Power Limits vary by manufacturer.
The biggest problem some Raptor Lake Intel Core i9 CPUs face is crashing while gaming and even refusing to boot into Windows, and Intel’s suggested BIOS solution above could help stabilize it on this front. Previously, Intel had said it’s your motherboard’s fault and not the hardware, which is a different story than what’s being offered here now.
It should be said that Intel is still investigating the root cause of the problems and that these new BIOS settings are more of a band-aid solution than a full-blown surgical procedure. A patch or full special update has yet to be offered, and if a comprehensive solution is found, it will have to be implemented on a manufacturer-by-manufacturer basis.
The most curious thing about the proposed new BIOS settings is that the power limits are variable. This implies that Intel does not believe that the power consumption of its high-end chipsets is responsible for the instability problems. Additionally, this list of fixes could result in reduced performance beyond the pinnacle of what the chips can do, which could be disappointing, especially since you’re paying a premium to stay on the cutting edge.
The problems don’t seem to be over yet
As noted above, Intel and its partners have made suggestions for BIOS updates that could work around the instability, but it is not a comprehensive solution. We are aware of these issues occurring in recent months, with some outlets claiming this has been happening since the introduction of the Intel Core i9-13900K in 2022.
If you are using the 13900K or the 14900K and are having problems, we recommend that you try these new settings. However, should it get to a point where the system refuses to boot, you may need to RMA the chip to completely resolve the problem, which can cause a major headache.