Hey everyone! I'm in the market for a new CPU for my server setup (running Unraid), and I'm a bit confused about the ongoing talk regarding oxidation and microcode issues that seemed to affect earlier generations. Right now, I'm using an Intel i5-12100, but it's starting to hit its limits. I've heard that both the i5-13500 and i5-14500, which are Alder Lake (12th gen) based CPUs, aren't affected by these oxidation problems. I'm also considering the i5-14600K, which is priced about 25% lower than the other two options, but I want to make sure that the oxidation issue is a thing of the past before making a decision. Additionally, would opting for a K chip be a bad move for a server? Thanks in advance for your thoughts!
3 Answers
Nah, the oxidation problem is not something you have to worry about with the 14th generation CPUs. They're in a good place now.
The oxidation issue has been resolved. There were earlier problems with overvolting that might have accelerated degradation but that’s mostly sorted now. The i5 processors generally had fewer issues compared to the i7s and i9s, so just avoid buying used. What specifically are you hoping to achieve with more CPU power? I’m not deeply knowledgeable about Unraid, but my old backup server used an i3-2100 and never had any performance hiccups. Could be worth weighing your actual use cases!
The oxidation issue was tied to a specific production run. Most of the microcode concerns stemmed from overvolting certain CPU parts. As far as I know, most issues have been fixed with BIOS updates, and you rarely hear about new CPUs having degradation problems anymore. Just make sure to keep your BIOS up to date, and you should be fine!
Awesome, thanks for the clarification!
I'm juggling a lot of tasks alongside data storage, and my current CPU is struggling a bit when I try to do too much at once. I'd prefer not to have to rely on scheduling too much.