It was in February of the same year that the first information appeared about the instability of games equipped with Intel processors. The problem appears to be related to Core-K series models.
What has been done is to eliminate the TDP limit of 235 watts on the Core i9 and i7 processors. A maximum consumption limit of 4096 watts has been set, which allows the processor to reach the highest possible frequency. The problem is that this generates instability in Intel’s 13th and 14th generation chips.
Solution to Intel processor instability
The leaked document is titled “Enhanced Thermal Velocity Augmentation (eTVB) May Incorrectly Calculate Frequency Limits.” This describes the problem of frequency limit calculations, allowing the processor to operate at a high frequency when temperatures are high.
This issue has been known for some time and causes unstable performance, possibly even damaging processors. You should know that the document is marked as NDA. Thanks to this document we can better understand the problem.
The eTVB solution was developed specifically for Raptor Lake-S chips which optimizes processor performance with automatic overclocking beyond the maximum turbo frequency. Adjusts according to available thermal capacity and power consumption.
When the temperature is within the optimal range and the power supply allows, eTVB allows the clock frequency to be increased. Through this, a short-term and computationally intensive performance improvement is achieved. This feature benefits games and applications requiring high frequencies.
With this new technology, it is guaranteed that users will be able to achieve maximum performance. This requires combining the CPU with powerful cooling solutions.
What solution do they propose?
The leaked document talks about stability issues due to the new technology introduced from the 13th generation chips. It is pointed out that there is an incorrect calculation of the frequency limit by eTVB technology. This allows it to operate at higher frequencies than expected, especially when the temperature is high.
In this state, instability is generated and could potentially damage the processor. Intel points out that this has generated a lot of concern among users and professionals working on complex tasks. The document provides information on issues and risks. Although the document is on NDA, active work is underway to identify and address the causes of the instability.
The internal document addresses the complexity of managing advanced CPU technologies such as eTVB. Intel says dynamically increasing performance based on thermal conditions is a double-edged sword. They claim this provides great performance benefits, but also introduces great risks if not precisely controlled.
Additionally, all customers are “requested to update BIOS to microcode 0x125 or later by 07/19/2024.” The company says it “includes an eTVB solution” preventing Cores from entering a high-performance state even when threshold temperatures are exceeded.
In reality, other than disabling this feature, we don’t see a solution to the problem. They only recognize that it exists and that it is very dangerous for the integrity of the processor.
We imagine that the company has improved this new technology for the next 15th generation of Core processors. The new Arrow Lake-S are expected to hit the market after summer. The new Core Ultra 200 will be the first desktop to add NPUs to support Microsoft’s Copilot+.
