Intel is testing a patch for problems with Raptor Lake desktop processors that have existed for more than a year. The manufacturer now believes it has found the cause.

Intel believes it has found the cause of crashes in Core i9 processors designed for the desktop on the Raptor Lake or Raptor Lake Refresh architecture. According to the CPU manufacturer, the error lies in the microcode for the chips. This would lead to increased voltages, causing affected CPUs to operate outside the safety margin. This in turn leads to a physical performance degradation of the processors.

Intel is working on a microcode patch to fix the problem. The patch will not be released to the general public until August. In addition, the microcode update does not solve existing problems: CPUs that are already affected will continue to be defective. The new code can prevent further chips from deteriorating. Intel has already announced that it will replace affected CPUs.

Lack of clarity on laptops

Raptor Lake processors in laptops show the same behavior under certain conditions. However, Intel claims that there is nothing wrong with the laptop chips, despite well-founded claims to the contrary. In any case, Intel only seems to have desktop processors in mind as a solution.

Customers of corresponding processors must roll out the update via a BIOS patch that must be provided by the motherboard manufacturers. It remains to be seen when exactly the update will reach the general public.