I'm having some weird stability issues with my Intel i9-13900KS and motherboard combo that I just got. The motherboard has the latest BIOS and microcode updates, and it posts into the BIOS without a problem. I can change settings, and even ran a memory test that passed. When I set the board to Intel defaults, I was able to boot into Windows on an SSD that already had the OS installed, but I can't seem to install Windows fresh—it always throws some error during the process. I also tried using a PE copy of Windows to check for BIOS information with RWEverything, but it wouldn't load the menus at all, which worries me about the motherboard possibly being an issue too. I have a DDR4 motherboard on the way to see if the CPU will behave better with it. So my question is, can this chip be saved? Or is there a way to throttle it for stability? And if so, where can I find a guide for the necessary steps? Would really appreciate any suggestions!
2 Answers
Yeah, it sounds like you've got some CPU degradation happening. I recently helped someone with a similar setup (the 14900KS) that passed stress tests but crashed on 3DMark or during Windows installation. We figured it was degraded when underclocking the cores seemed to stabilize it. You might want to consider doing that, but also look into tweaking your settings further with the right tools. Just be careful!
It sounds like your CPU might be degraded, honestly. I’d recommend looking into an RMA, but keep in mind that buying used 13th and 14th gen Intel CPUs can be risky. You never know how the previous owner utilized them, and some degradation might not show until it gets severe. If yours is from a pre-built system, RMA might be out of the question unless Intel is lenient on that. Just be cautious with those early models!
That's true, I can't RMA since mine's second-hand from a pre-built too. Hoping Intel lets some of those slip through without a receipt, though!
Was that the trick that made it stable? Did you use Intel's tuning software to adjust the multipliers?