A few weeks back, I shared some unexpected information about how Intel’s older and error-prone 13th and 14th Gen Raptor Lake processors are still being used.
still selling in numbers
Now it appears that Intel is continuing to work towards fully resolving all the issues these chips have experienced since their release. The outcomes are
new microcode update
It has been more than six months since the previous update was rolled out in September.
To state that this tale has been dragging on for quite some time is a massive understatement. Way back in September, we complained that, ”
one might have thought all the Intel stability issue malarkey was behind us
What with the previous patches released in June and August of last year, which were intended to address the issues but have come and gone.
However, as of May 2025, Intel is still releasing patches for the widely reported issue.
instability problems that affected 13th and 14th Gen Raptor Lake processors
The updated microcode patch known as 0x12F, which should not be mistaken for the preceding updates 0x125, 0x129, and 0x12B, “enhances various system states that might lead to Vmin Shift Instability in Intel Core 13th and 14th Generation desktop computers.”
Intel emphasizes that the introduction of this new microcode doesn’t indicate any alteration in their assessment of what’s actually causing the issues. According to them, “the issuance of the 0x12F microcode doesn’t modify the identified root cause concerning the instability with the voltage minimum shift in Intel Core 13th and 14th Generation desktop processors.”
You can read
Intel’s detailed explanation here
However, the brief explanation is that various elements led to the chips operating at higher voltages and power levels than necessary. It remains unclear precisely what modifications Intel implemented in their recent update.
It’s frankly pretty remarkable that Intel is still releasing patches for this bug, well over year after the problem first emerged. On the one hand, it’s reassuring that Intel is still putting resources into older products, but on the other, you really might have thought it would have fixed the problem with earlier patches.
Indeed, the ongoing efforts from Intel suggest that a complete solution for Raptor Lake’s issues might never be found.
It’s nearly as astonishing that Intel continues to work on these processors, but perhaps even more surprising is their extensive internal testing conducted at a resolution of 1,280 by 1,024 pixels.
In the
release information for this most recent update
Intel provides updates regarding the resolution for its Cinebench R23.200, Speedometer 3, WebXPRT4 (v3.73), and Crossmark tests. As far as I recall, the previous version of this resolution was utilized back in 2004. During that period, a 19-inch flat panel display represented cutting-edge technology, with numerous PC gamers possibly employing settings like 1,280 by 1,024 pixels on a CRT monitor.
But imagine Intel, still at the forefront in 2025, conducting tests at a resolution of 1,280 by 1,024. Quite intriguing, isn’t it?
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