Intel has confirmed that the damage to their 13th and 14th gen CPUs is permanent

Intel has confirmed that the damage to their 13th and 14th gen CPUs is permanent

Intel provided a statement earlier this week on the instability problems with 14th-gen and 13th-gen CPUs. New details have emerged, clarifying that any damage done to high-end CPUs is permanent.

Intel’s previous announcement identified ‘elevated operating voltage’ as a key cause for these Core i9 processors (and lower-tier chips) crashing. Intel assured that a fix in the form of a microcode update is expected around mid-August.

However, this update is preventative, not corrective. It will prevent future instability in Raptor Lake and Raptor Lake Refresh processors but won’t reverse any damage already done. Affected CPUs will continue to crash.

The Verge, after questioning Intel, reported that the degradation of an affected Intel CPU is irreversible. Intel spokesperson Thomas Hannaford did not deny this when asked.

The Verge also inquired whether the fix would be effective for chips already in service but not yet showing symptoms. Hannaford responded, “Intel is confident that the microcode patch will be an effective preventative solution for processors already in service, though validation continues to ensure that scenarios of instability reported to Intel regarding its Core 13th/14th Gen desktop processors are addressed.” He added that Intel is investigating options to easily identify affected or at-risk processors on end-user systems.

Hannaford also mentioned, “It is possible the patch will provide some instability improvements to currently impacted processors; however, customers experiencing instability on their 13th or 14th Generation de