Why it matters: Intel has recently started providing what are expected to be the final solutions for the stability problems that have been affecting its 13th- and 14th-generation processors for several months. However, users still need to RMA their chips for Intel to perform a thorough analysis. If a home test could be introduced, it might save some users from this hassle.
Intel informed Tom’s Hardware that it is looking into the possibility of developing a tool to assist users in detecting software errors that have affected 13th- and 14th-generation Raptor Lake CPUs throughout the year. The company has taken steps to address the issue through patches and a generous return policy, yet diagnostic software could still provide benefits.
Owners of processors with TDPs exceeding 65W should implement Intel’s microcode updates without regard to their current status. Check with your motherboard manufacturer to obtain the updates, distributed through new BIOS versions. Intel also suggests using the company’s default power settings.
Unfortunately, CPUs that have already begun failing due to the errors, identified by Intel as stemming from multiple issues in the microcode and IA core, require replacement because the damage is irreversible. Intel and other hardware manufacturers have extended the warranties for packaged processors and PCs featuring Raptor Lake chips, but the RMA system is somewhat of a lottery.
Crashes can occur due to various reasons, and Intel needs to verify if the processors it receives are impacted by the issues the patches aim to address. Meanwhile, customers are left without a functional processor for a period.
A tool for home use that assists users in determining whether another factor is causing their CPUs to crash might help some customers avoid unnecessary RMAs. Intel has not confirmed if it will release such a test, but it could provide additional relief and potentially reduce the number of defective products.
Intel has confirmed that these microcode issues do not affect its latest CPU generations, Lunar Lake and Arrow Lake. Hopefully, the company can resolve this problem, restore consumer confidence, and start overcoming its recent challenges.
In other developments at Intel, poor performance in the company’s foundry division led to the reorganization of the sector into an independent division to resist multiple takeover attempts. Intel also turned down a proposal from Arm to purchase its chip division, and sources indicate that Qualcomm also expressed interest in acquiring part of Chipzilla.
