The voltage bug impacting Intel’s 13th and 14th generation Core desktop processors does not affect other CPUs in Intel’s lineup, the company said today.Intel’s statement comes a month after a game developer claimed the chip bug also appeared in 13th and 14th Generation Core laptop processors, causing random computer crashes. In a forum post, Intel pushed back, saying its investigation confirms that “Intel Core 13th and 14th Gen mobile processors – including HX-series processors” are not affected by the bug. According to Intel, other chip lines are also unaffected, including 12th Gen Core desktop and mobile processors, the recently released “Meteor Lake” Core Ultra (Series 1) processors, and lower-spec Core i3 and i5 13th and 14th Gen Core desktop processors. In addition, Intel confirms the chip bug won’t impact upcoming processors from its desktop-based Arrow Lake and laptop-based Lunar Lake chip lines. Still, trust in Intel’s chips has taken a hit. Consumers and game developers have seen the CPU bug in 13th and 14th Gen Core desktop chips for several months. But Intel only started addressing the problem in July, when it finally traced it to a software bug that caused affected Intel chips to run at higher voltage levels and crash.
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Although Intel has been rolling out a patch through motherboard vendors, the fix is merely a preventative measure; if a chip has experienced the voltage bug, then the problem can cause permanent damage to the processor itself, requiring a replacement. In response, Intel has extended the warranties for the desktop chips. But it refrained from issuing a product recall. Instead, it’s pledged to send replacement CPU units to affected customers, but only if they request one through the company’s customer support channels. We tested the patch and found it does seem to reduce the PC’s operating temperatures at the expense of only a slight and hard-to-notice performance hit. In Friday’s post, Intel also hinted it’s preparing follow-up action, noting that it plans on “publishing another update by the end of September.”
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About Michael Kan
Senior Reporter
I’ve been with PCMag since October 2017, covering a wide range of topics, including consumer electronics, cybersecurity, social media, networking, and gaming. Prior to working at PCMag, I was a foreign correspondent in Beijing for over five years, covering the tech scene in Asia.
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