Intel says elevated voltage causing "instability" in Core CPUs, fix in August

Intel has identified elevated voltages as the root cause of CPU crashing issues and plans to release a microcode update by mid-August to address the problem. The company's response follows reports of PCs crashing during gaming and workloads since December 2022. The microcode update will not repair impacted processors but aims to prevent future issues by correcting the erroneous CPU microcode causing instability. Intel advises affected customers to seek support and will continue to replace impacted processors. The update will be distributed through BIOS updates and Windows updates. While the patch is expected to prevent issues on unaffected processors, it remains unclear if CPUs exposed to excessive voltage may suffer invisible degradation. Intel assures that the microcode patch does not currently impact performance but ongoing testing will provide more information. The company plans to share additional details about the bug and its validation process in the future. Intel also addressed a rumored issue with via oxidation in its 7nm node, confirming it was resolved in 2023 and not related to the instability problem.