Intel has released what appears to be a final statement regarding the gaming instability affecting some users of unlocked Intel 13th and 14th Generation processors. The statement makes clear Intel believes motherboard manufacturers are to blame for the issue, but it doesn't directly say that. Instead, it advises motherboard companies and end users to adhere to specific power values if they want their CPUs to operate within spec.
As a brief refresher, over the past few weeks, it was reported that some users of Intel's unlocked K-series processors have been experiencing instability in certain games, leading to finger-pointing about who or what is to blame. Intel eventually implied motherboard manufacturers were allowing settings that made the chips run too hot and at higher frequencies for too long, so a new BIOS update for Intel motherboards was released with the addition of "Baseline" settings. This resolved the issue by ensuring the chips ran within lower frequency and thermal parameters, lowering performance. Now Intel has released a new statement on the situation, saying to wait, not to use Baseline settings, and to use Intel Default Settings instead.
The full statement was posted by Hardwareluxx in Germany, and it will likely add more fuel to the fire as Intel says motherboard manufacturers' baseline settings profiles are not the same as the "default" settings recommended by Intel. The statement says, in part:
Intel is not recommending motherboard manufacturers to use 'baseline' power delivery settings on boards capable of higher values...Intel's recommended 'Intel Default Settings' are a combination of thermal and power delivery features along with a selection of possible power delivery profiles based on motherboard capabilities. Intel recommends customers to implement the highest power delivery profile compatible with each individual motherboard design as noted in the table.
The table is posted above, and as you can see, it appears meant for motherboard manufacturers but also applies to end users. We assume motherboard manufacturers will soon add this "default" profile to their BIOSes, and users should use that—not the baseline setting—to ensure proper operation.
This should be the end of the drama in this situation, but it also seems like a giant headache for Intel and its customers. There have been 13th Generation K-series CPUs running in the wild for over a year, so we're not sure why this issue has only appeared recently. However, it seems to have put Intel into a pickle, as it wants motherboard manufacturers to allow its CPUs to run as fast as possible without becoming unstable. We're sure Intel is loath to tell people to crank things down a bit. Regardless, adjusting power settings seems to resolve the issue—although we imagine nobody involved in this debacle is happy.
