Intel is facing escalating issues with instability in its 13th-gen and 14th-gen CPUs, leading to an unexpected surge in returns. According to a report by French outlet Les Numeriques, an anonymous European retailer has noted that returns for 13th-gen and 14th-gen CPUs are occurring at four times the rate of 12th-gen CPUs.
The return rates have increased significantly in recent months. Initially, returns for all three generations were nearly identical in the first six months post-release. However, 13th-gen CPUs are now being returned four times as frequently as 12th-gen, while 14th-gen CPUs see a return rate three times higher. This trend suggests that Intel’s CPUs may degrade over time due to instability issues.
Les Numeriques estimates the return rate at around 5%, compared to the usual 1% for most CPUs. Some processors are serviced directly by Intel, and a report from Level1Techs indicates that between 10% to 50% of processors could be affected. The retailer also reports that some CPUs are damaged beyond repair.
Intel attributes the instability to elevated voltage requests within the microcode of the processors, but a manufacturing error is also implicated. Leaked internal communications hint at additional contributing factors. Intel plans to release a microcode update in mid-August to address the voltage issue, but it may not resolve all affected CPUs. Processors permanently damaged by the instability or impacted by the manufacturing error may remain problematic despite the update.
While Intel has acknowledged the growing instability problem, it remains unclear whether the forthcoming microcode update will fully rectify the widespread issues.