Intel issues new fix for 13th/14th gen Raptor Lake instability issue
Intel issues new “Vmin Shift Instability” fix for Intel 13th/14th gen Raptor Lake CPUs
Over six months after uncovering the “root cause” of its Raptor Lake instability issues, Intel has issued a new microcode fix for its “Vmin Shift Instability” issue. Microcode update 0x12F will replace version 0x12B, which “further improved system conditions.”
Simply put, it is very messed up that Intel needs to issue yet another fix for this problem. This new fix comes over seven months after the release of their prior fix. While this new fix appears to address issues that impact very specific use cases, the fact remains that Intel needed to issue a new fix for Raptor Lake instability. We were led to believe that Intel’s Raptor Lake stability issues were behind us in September. Now, that appears to be untrue.
This update was released thanks to an investigation into a “limited number of reports regarding systems continuously running for multiple days with low-activity and lightly-threaded workloads.” As such, people who shut down their systems after use have nothing to worry about. That said, we can’t guarantee that Intel will need to issue yet another update to address this issue at some point.
As part of its effort to continually improve its products, Intel is releasing a new microcode update (0x12F) supplementing the 0x12B microcode update released in September 2024. This new microcode further improves system conditions that can potentially contribute to Vmin Shift Instability on Intel Core 13th and 14th Gen desktop-powered systems. Intel is releasing this 0x12F update based on Intel’s investigation of a limited number of reports regarding systems continuously running for multiple days with low-activity and lightly-threaded workloads.​
The release of the 0x12F microcode does not alter the root cause determination for the Intel Core 13th and 14th Gen desktop processor Vmin Shift Instability issue: https://community.intel.com/t5/Processors/Intel-Core-13th-and-14th-Gen-Desktop-Instability-Root-Cause/m-p/1633442​
Based on microcode testing and validation, Intel has identified no measurable performance impact with the 0x12F microcode update*.​
Intel continues to recommend users with Intel Core 13th and 14th Gen desktop processors ensure they have the latest BIOS updates installed and utilize the Intel Default Settings profile in their BIOS to mitigate Vmin Shift Instability risk with their systems.
Intel recommends that Raptor Lake users update their motherboard’s newest BIOS version. We expect all 600-series and 700-series motherboards to soon receive BIOS updates with Intel’s new 0x12F microcode.
Intel has stated that this new BIOS update does not impact the performance of Intel’s Raptor Lake CPUs.
You can join the discussion on Intel’s new “Vmin Shift Instability” BIOS update on the OC3D Forums.
