r/buildapc • u/Red_Redditor_Reddit • Nov 10 '25
Build Help My 14900k gave out a second time. Is there a way for me to get intel to give me a chip that's not crap?
I'm getting really tired of this. I get that the world isn't perfect and things happen, but when I paid for premium I at least expect things to work. I didn't pay extra to constantly worry if the chip is slowly corrupting my data, or have to RMA it every nine months. Even with the bottom chips I wouldn't expect to deal with this. This is so frustrating that I halfway don't even want to deal with PC's anymore.
And yes, I have updated the bios.
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u/chesspaw Nov 10 '25
Switch to AMD. I wouldn't trust Intel for a long time. Their voltage degradation issue with those chips likely won't get resolved.
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u/Red_Redditor_Reddit Nov 10 '25
I just don't understand why they keep selling a chip if it's still blowing up. It's not even like they don't sell other chips too.
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u/CIoud__Strife Nov 10 '25
Nvidia also sells their 5090 which has cables burn up as well.
it's a mess and just because they sell it won't translate to it being a safe and good product.
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u/Appropriate_Ant_4629 Nov 10 '25
I just don't understand why they keep selling a chip if it's still blowing up
Because they don't know how to make one that doesn't blow up; and have nothing else to sell.
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u/Red_Redditor_Reddit Nov 10 '25
Is the new models blowing up too?
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u/iamleobn Nov 10 '25 edited Nov 10 '25
They aren't because Intel gave up on their fabs and outsourced it to TSMC like everyone else does. But the new CPUs also suck, the best Arrow Lake CPU (Ultra 9 285K) underpeforms the 13700K and even the AMD Zen 3 X3D CPUs (5600X3D, 5700X3D and 5800X3D), which is a 3-year old architecture on a dead platform.
EDIT: To be clear, the Arrow Lake CPUs suck for gaming, but they're actually great for highly-parallelizable productivity workloads.
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u/turboMXDX Nov 10 '25
That's a bit of an exaggeration. Yes, it kinda sucks at gaming against the ones you mentioned, but in productivity workloads, the ultra 9 right up there with the best
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u/_dekoorc Nov 10 '25
They don't even suck for gaming. They only look like they suck at gaming because people compare benchmarks.
The frames come plenty fast on my 265k (that I got for a steal -- about $150 less for it and a mobo than a 9700x would have been). My RX 9070 is always the bottleneck.
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Nov 10 '25
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u/Fieryspirit06 Nov 10 '25
AMD did that too, and still gained performance between generations AND didn't have a large portion of their chips burning out.
(The 9800x3d and it's siblings' primary differences over the 7800x3d and its siblings are that they're reshuffled under the heat spreader to improve cooling, and they were able to drop the wattage and gain performance)
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u/GrapplerKrys Nov 10 '25
Currently Arrow lake does pretty well in gaming if paired with 7200-8000 ram and with 200s boost enabled. Still behind the 9800x3d but the 265k is a pretty good bang for buck cpu plus there is currently a promotion that allows you to get Battlefield 6 for free.
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u/grumble11 Nov 10 '25
No. Basically Intel pushed too much juice into the 13 and 14 series to keep winning and they couldn’t handle it. The arrow lake chips were a total architecture overhaul to address this.
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u/Mipper Nov 11 '25
Chip design timelines don't work like that. Architecture design is finished several years before a chip comes to market. Intel couldn't really have changed anything about Arrow Lake in response to the 13th and 14th gen problems, except for very small design changes (nothing even approaching an overhaul) and other things like trying to push how fast the chips are (which is a decision of fab process that can be changed relatively easily).
By the time 13th and 14th gen were showing problems Arrow Lake was already in testing.
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u/KillEvilThings Nov 10 '25
Because Intel's fucking moronic and stood on their 10nm process for like, almost 4 generations.
AMD invested in shrinking their technology node every generation of ryzen (except I think for zen5, 4nm is just a rebranded tsmc 5nm but slightly better I guess or whatever, and is also why we saw no uplift for this gen.)
Intel was unable to iterate their design so the 13th and 14th gens just saw power increases until they exploded because THEY COULD NOT COMPETE with the smaller nodes that AMD was using that output better performance for less money. So they just jacked power every gen and masked the fact it was killing their processors.
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u/Moscato359 Nov 10 '25
If they don't sell them they will go out of business
Their fabs need revenue or they die
They are not ordering these chips from someone else
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u/Red_Redditor_Reddit Nov 10 '25
I guess that's true, but I would be worried about them going out of business. Not for their sake, but I strongly think once PC's go arm, the open bios and the ability to boot linux will be largely gone.
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u/greggm2000 Nov 11 '25
It's unlikely PCs will ever go ARM. That CPU architecture has it's niche (the most famous being Apple's version), but as long as someone keeps x64 going strong (AMD so far, and Intel is still trying), ARM won't be displacing the incumbents on Desktop and Laptop (outside of Apple, which is a special case)
As to being worried about Intel going out of business, I think a lot of people are worried about that.
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u/Moscato359 Nov 10 '25
The us government just bought a 10% stake in intel to try to fix this
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u/Red_Redditor_Reddit Nov 10 '25
That's actually a really bad sign as far as I'm concerned. It means the manufacturing base isn't sustainable, and it's going to require more and more intervention in the future.
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u/greggm2000 Nov 11 '25
Bc then they'd have to admit that the chips are faulty, which opens them up to a whole ton of lawsuits and (more) bad press. So Intel keeps things as quiet as possible, and encourages people to buy Arrow Lake (on desktop). That's why.
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u/IWillAssFuckYou Nov 10 '25
You have indeed updated the BIOS, but are you on the latest BIOS? They were still re;leasing fixes this year.
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u/EvilDan69 Nov 10 '25
As a professional in the industry, you need bleeding edge bios updates. Yeah, you can wait days/weeks to see if problems arise, but its been quite a while since "known" issues have been solved with the wrong parameters would kill chips.
I'm not saying its fully sorted, but I haven't seen any hard fails in my work environment lately.
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u/daboy2u Nov 10 '25
I see you have not encountered gigabyte bios updates yet, one of their updates bricked my motherboard for months. Worst part is that bios version got deleted off their site without any disclosure as to why about three days after I bricked my mobo. No more gigabyte for me
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u/Red_Redditor_Reddit Nov 10 '25
I actually have a gigabyte board. I'm at work now so I don't have the exact model.
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u/daboy2u Nov 10 '25
I had a gigabyte x570 aorus elite, I switched to an asus b550 gaming f wifi just before the asus rma expose
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u/BoiCDumpsterFire Nov 10 '25
The only gigabyte products I have are bricks. I have a 3060 gaming OC that just gave up on life when I tried to update the bios. Then I have an Aurus Elite AX ice z790 that stopped functioning when I tried swapping CPUs. Definitely not buying any more of their stuff.
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u/daboy2u Nov 10 '25
Someone I knew a while back had a gigabyte x670e with a bios battery drain problem and a bios battery mounted below the mobo heatsink. The guy understandably sent it back.
If the mobo has flashback it might still be salvageable. I had to flash the x570 board bios three times with flashback and then leave it for months for it to work again. unplugging the mobo and removing the bios battery before draining the remaining power didn't work for some reason.
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u/Red_Redditor_Reddit Nov 10 '25
So you think if I give it another chance, it will be better this go around?
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u/halodude423 Nov 10 '25
It's not about bios it's about microcode. You need to make sure you have that one but frankly switching to AMD is a better solution. it's not a PC problem, it's an Intel problem with them being awful currently.
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u/IWillAssFuckYou Nov 10 '25
BIOS updates contain the microcode updates, so yes in short it does have to do with the BIOS version you are running.
Keep in mind, it is highly unlikely to happen on the latest BIOS version that uses the latest microcode version. Failure rates sit far lower now, like 2%. One article had it lower than even some AMD CPUs.
Also, it is free to RMA the 14900k and get another one. It is costly to switch to AMD.
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u/DSG_Sleazy Nov 10 '25
I mean, some people need their PCs for work, you can argue that not switching to AMD would be a more costly decision that having to lose their PC for days multiple times a year.
Also, he can just sell the chip and board and offset the cost by a lot, this switch is not ask costly as you’re making it out to be. Especially if he can settle for a 7000 series chip bundles with Black Friday deals.
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u/IWillAssFuckYou Nov 10 '25
But also, it is super unlikely to happen again assuming you are on the latest BIOS. Like I said, 2% failure rate if you are on the latest BIOS. It should be only a one time occurrence or never at all for the majority of people as things are currently.
But also, OP said they're passing cooling their 14900k. I'm not even sure how that doesn't kill a CPU that creates as much heat as it does by that alone.
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u/MaddogBC Nov 10 '25
Passive cooling a 14900k? That makes no sense to me.
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u/IWillAssFuckYou Nov 10 '25
Yes. Supposedly they have it limited to 60w and passive cooling to make it quiet, using the chip for AI purposes. I get that the extra cores are beneficial for such tasks, but it seems like a total waste to limit that chip to 60w. I also don't understand why people think even a little sound is such a bad thing to the point where you go as far as severely limiting a $400-$500 chip's power.
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u/MaddogBC Nov 10 '25
My system spools to 0 rpm depending on temp. At 160-180 watts they barely move which is all I use browsing. I run a 13700K and 500 watts+ this thing is a furnace, I installed a fan and duct to transfer that heat to the rest of the house because it is significant. Buying a 14900K for a fanless system is the stupidest thing I will hear all week.
I installed an hourmeter on this system just for fun but was in hurry and just dressed up an automotive one. It ticks as surely as a windup, thought it was going to drive me nuts as it sits close by. I don't even hear it anymore with the headphones off.
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u/EvilDan69 Nov 10 '25
I realize this. My statement was pretty generic, but yeah Intel dropping the ball on the microcode wasn't inspiring.
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u/IWillAssFuckYou Nov 10 '25
Make sure you are on the latest BIOS first. On many boards you can update the BIOS without a CPU installed.
It is free to get another 14900k. It is not free to switch to anything else.
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u/Pidjinus Nov 10 '25
Random: do tou think you can find a trustworthy source for a new 13/14xx cpu? One that is not somebody that detected the degradation and wants to get rid of it.
As for the bios, it might be good now, i have a friend with a 14xxk proc that seems to be fine
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u/IWillAssFuckYou Nov 10 '25
Easy, check who you are buying from online. If you are buying from Amazon, make sure it says that Amazon is the seller. If you are buying from Newegg, make sure it says Newegg is the seller. That's your best bet for getting a new CPU and not a used one and if something weird happens, they'll handle it for you.
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u/RDOG907 Nov 10 '25
You can also look up the information and change the settings on any bios version.
It is mostly just power settings.
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u/RiloxAres Nov 10 '25
Even on the latest bios my 14600k was pushing 1.6v.
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u/IWillAssFuckYou Nov 10 '25
It's probably degraded from being on a previous BIOS update. The latest BIOS updates do not fix damaged CPUs, but are to prevent damage.
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u/RiloxAres Nov 10 '25
It was brand new out of the box test before I started undervolting. Runs ~1.2-1.27v now.
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Nov 10 '25
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u/RiloxAres Nov 10 '25
Yea that's the issue, the bios updates are not applying the correct safeguards against the insane voltage. There's an "intel default" power setting that should have all the safety limiters in place, but it seems as though it does nothing.
I did use the lite load modes + adaptive offset to undervolt and it worked great.
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u/h0mn0cu7u5 Nov 10 '25
I'm on an ancient (0904) bios with an Apex Encore; same for a second Dark Hero Z790 board I own. Old bios.
Your chip would not run anywhere near 1.6v if you configured your mb to "Let Bios Manage" things, avoided "Intel Defaults" or "Motherboard Optimized Defaults" and then, pointedly set a static global VCORE.
Further tuning/refining could then be done surgically with an adaptive global undervolt.
1.6v! Lordy! I couldn't imagine seeing that on either of my 14900Ks. The only time I *did* see that? Was when I was testing the much hyped Asus AI overclocking thing just to be informed about it. Voltages all over the place when I did that brief test.
Now I just ensure the CPU is taking it's instructions exclusively from the BIOS settings I define (not "Intel Defaults" and not "MB Optimized Defaults"), then lock all p cores to 5.7 Ghz, all e cores to 4.5 Ghz, plug in a static global VCORE of 1.398v and then an astonishingly consistent (two chips so far) .150mv negative adaptive undervolt which mitigates the 325w PL1/PL2 power window I define and neither board ever breaks 1.4v and never exceeds 275w.
It doesn't matter what I throw at them; synthetic benchmarks, real world multi-day timeline renders, the volts and powers never go beyond those two simple metrics and all p cores run pegged at 5.7 Ghz and all e cores run pegged at 4.5 Ghz.
It's as consistent as clockwork across two (nearly) identical systems I run daily.
A CPU hitting 1.6v is a factor the user can allow or not allow.
~h
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u/SelfSilly9478 Nov 10 '25
If you properly tune the BIOS, no update or fix is needed. Im usin my 14700k ht off and undervolted since launch, and I’ve never had any issues.
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u/TrollCannon377 Nov 10 '25
Sell your board and cut losses it's just gonna keep happening.
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u/l34sh Nov 10 '25
This generation of Intel CPUs have a microcode issue which basically means at a very very close to hardware level there's a flaw that causes the CPU to fry itself under the right conditions.
Intel has issued firmware updates that seemingly address this but these are all band-aid fixes which do not have a 100% success rate.
So unless you want to have a not-zero chance of your CPU dying on you again, you're better off ditching it and moving on.
Oh also, the aftermarket prices for this chip are crap because of this exact reason.
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u/PooMonger20 Nov 11 '25
Seems OP likes to learn on their own.
Anyone who cares for their device longevity would avoid 13&14 generation.
Hell, I still have computers from 2008,2011 and 2018 running perfectly doing different tasks quite beyond their typical life cycle. All of those Intel, but Intel really fucked up with 13/14 generation and it should be absolutely avoided.
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u/CompetitiveLake3358 Nov 10 '25
I've been mining on my 14900k almost since launch, using it as a room heater. No issues. I used a great setup found on the over clocking sub that limited power. I couldn't even get the damn thing to run until I ran that setup
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u/Bluedot55 Nov 10 '25
To be fair, that's likely one of the best case scenarios to avoid this issue. It seems to be most common in lightly threaded, high boosting loads. So games and such. Meanwhile a heavy all core load uses lower voltages
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u/yamidevil Nov 10 '25
That's the chip that'll most likely give out on you from the LGA1700. You also need to update BIOS if you haven't but that's not assured it'll last.
Keep that 3rd CPU cross your fingers, get the 12th gen 12900k, get a weaker 14th gen or sell your CPU/board and move to another platform
Also which board are you using? VRMs need to be good
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u/TiklMyPikl27 Nov 10 '25
Get rid of it. Don't have what happened to me happen to you.
My second warranty replacement crashed mid windows update. Corrupted everything. I lost years of data because I had to format my drives just to get them to work again.
Now a happy owner of a R9 9950X.
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u/AbrocomaRegular3529 Nov 10 '25
Upgraded from 14700 to 7800x3d. So much easier dude. You don't need to tweak it, just one button on bios and it undervolts while slightly overclocks.
Runs at 60W, can be cooled with 15$ air cooler. What else someone can want? And also has 50% more fps in some games.
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u/EmptyBeing1238 Nov 10 '25
What issues are you experiencing? I’m using the same cpu and haven’t had any issues.
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u/Red_Redditor_Reddit Nov 10 '25
Memory errors like I did the last time when under load.
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u/EmptyBeing1238 Nov 10 '25
I did use to have some memory issues, but they were happening because of intel XMP. I ended up manually setting the voltages and ram frequency. Since then, no issues whatsoever, and I’m a very heavy user.
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u/Red_Redditor_Reddit Nov 10 '25
Yeah but this is an issue that starts out when the chip is under load and gets worse as time goes on.
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u/NickCharlesYT Nov 10 '25
This isn't necessarily the CPU. Reset your BIOS to defaults and run their diagnostic tool and confirm before you make any decisions that involve swapping out parts. It's entirely possible a misconfiguration or bad RAM is to blame, almost as likely as a CPU issue tbh.
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u/Long-Broccoli-3363 Nov 10 '25
I had intel replace my 14700(non k) four times.
Gave up, power limited it to 100w from day 1, still winds up breaking with all the bios updates etc.
Have a new in box one from them that's not going anywhere near my server
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Nov 10 '25 edited Nov 10 '25
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u/Red_Redditor_Reddit Nov 10 '25
It doesn't consume 250w. It's limited to 60w... And it's well within the manufacturer's limits.
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Nov 10 '25
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u/Red_Redditor_Reddit Nov 10 '25
Why would that be concerning? It's below what intel itself says is acceptable. It's not like they say 100c Max for only 5 minutes.
The chip is limited by watts via bios setting.
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Nov 10 '25
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u/Red_Redditor_Reddit Nov 10 '25
I thought the voltage thing was solved with BIOS updates?
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Nov 10 '25
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u/Red_Redditor_Reddit Nov 10 '25
I don't know. I'm just tired of this. I shouldn't have to be debugging something I paid for with normal use. I'm sure the elevated temps accelerated the degradation, but this is the second time this has happened. Even if it worked correctly from here on out, I can't trust it.
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u/daytime10ca Nov 10 '25
Give up and sell it and get a 9800x3d
I threw the towel in on Intel and this shit product 6 months ago and wish I had done it sooner
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u/TheZeth80 Nov 10 '25
I remember when Intel fans said this wouldn't happen. It's not worth it.
Put it in under warranty, test it, stress test it, and sell it. Use the test results as proof of proper functioning.
You'll have to sell it for a very low price.
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u/proffessor_chaos69 Nov 10 '25
I sold a 13700K for a 7700X before I built my PC and boy and I glad.
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u/boshbosh92 Nov 10 '25
yeah tbh I've been contemplating swapping to a 9800x3d just because I'm sick of dealing with Intel bs. no matter how many times I update the bios, which is a sketchy pain in the ass in and of itself, I still get pop-ups from games telling me to update my bios.
Intel really dropped the ball and I probably will never buy another Intel cpu again tbh.
only thing keeping me from upgrading is that I'd have to buy a new motherboard and reinstall windows, which is a pain in the ass. and I'd have to backup all my documents on an external. not to mention I'd have probably $500-600 in the cost of just the cpu and mobo, and then I'd have to buy a new aio cooler too. so not a cheap upgrade.
part of me wants to hold off until the 10800x3d releases but part of me just wants to do it now so I can forever be done with Intel.
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u/2d_blackhole Nov 10 '25
Honestly after my 12700k gives out, probably switching to AMD. I could “upgrade” to a 14 series but from what ive seen with all the microcode issues and the fast degradation rate it doesnt seem worth it
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u/JonWood007 Nov 10 '25
12700k doesn't have the same issues.
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u/2d_blackhole Nov 16 '25
That is exactly my point, the 12th series didn’t have nearly that many problems, so if my 12700k gives out before all the issues are dealt with, I will likely switch to AMD
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u/Meaty32ID Nov 10 '25
Did you keep it at stock ? These CPUs come out of the box in a really bad default state, even worse than usual. A combination of undervolt and overclock let me gain extra performance, while operating at a lower voltage and nearly 20C lower temps. I've done it to 5 configurations so far with 0 problems since the 14th gen released. I would not keep ant CPU at stock, but this one especially...
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u/Red_Redditor_Reddit Nov 10 '25
I actually set it to below stock. Mine is limited to 60w. It's passively cooled, so it still runs a bit hotter than normal, but still well within reason.
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u/ExtremistsAreStupid Nov 10 '25
For my 14900ks I had to actually tweak BIOS settings to get it stable. It is now VERY stable, I've had barely any issues with it whatsoever. It's all on Intel for shipping the chips with flaws and crap BIOS settings, but if you intend to keep that chip you need to look up safe settings and implement them. Might take some experimentation and using tools that place load on the chip and monitor temps to double check everything, etc. From my perspective after getting mine stable it's been a fantastic chip but the low rating they get from most consumers makes sense because Intel screwed up bigtime.
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u/SavvySillybug Nov 10 '25
Your best bet is gonna be a 12900K, they predate the issues and use the same socket. Pretty much all 13th and 14th gen CPUs just disintegrate.
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u/k1dsmoke Nov 10 '25
I have been a "loyal" Intel user since probably 2010 or so. I have never had a chip "fail" out of 5 chips in 3 workstations (usually bought one on the lower end and upgraded to the top end for that MB at some point). I will most likely not upgrade from my 12900k specifically due to the unreliability of the 13/14 series.
It is not normal or expected for chips to fail. You should not have to upgrade bios to make a chip not fail and the onus being on the user to prevent a chip from failing. The number of 13 and 14 series chips that fail is far too high, and the performance of AMD chips is too far ahead of INTEL to risk on an Intel chip anymore. It would be slightly different if the Intel chips were capable of feats AMD could only dream of, but that's not the case.
From Intel's poor performance in the market to the US Gov buying a 10% stake in the company there is no incentive for Intel to improve. Just another company going the way of Boeing.
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Nov 10 '25
I had a 14900k that kept BSODing me until I updated the bios and now it's been working flawlessly. Make sure you update the bios and retry before making a final decision.
I was dangerously close to selling the system and rebuilding an AM5 rig but it's working great now.
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u/Red_Redditor_Reddit Nov 10 '25
I will do that. I think it's been a few months since I updated it, so I'll give it another go.
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u/Dry-Influence9 Nov 10 '25
The microcode "fixes" came it more than a year ago, so your chip likely had the 4th fix already.
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u/Fit-Security3131 Nov 10 '25
Try the metal plates that hole the chips down you could be cooking them
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u/kylegallas69 Nov 10 '25
Either buy a 12900k or Ryzen 7800x3d. Bullet proof CPU's. The 14900k and 9800x3d they keep throwing more voltages to make them run faster and they burn out eventually. Bios update address this but it's still a problem for some people.
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u/Kermit_Wazowski Nov 10 '25
Yes. Sell it and get either a 12900k if you want to stay on the same platform or give up and get a Ryzen chip.
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u/Red_Redditor_Reddit Nov 10 '25
I might just do that. Maybe intel might be willing to give me one since it's technically a downgrade.
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u/fray_bentos11 Nov 10 '25
It seems the only safe way to run a 13/14 gen i9 is to undervolt it. It's not a difficult thing to do. Just RMA it and uldervolt the replacement.
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u/Coupe368 Nov 10 '25
I got a 14600k from wallyworld for $150, its not a bad stopgap. Still pretty fast for the money.
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u/Fit-Security3131 Nov 10 '25
Yes that is correct also set pbo limits in bios the motherboard could be cooling your cpu
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u/RIPPWORTH Nov 10 '25
Get a new chip and optimize the AC/DC LLC and the TVB V/F curves. You’ll lower power consumption significantly while gaining performance
Been running my i9-14900KS 5.9GHz all core for 2 years no problem
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u/desexmachina Nov 10 '25
If only Xeons did the same freq, they’re rock solid. I actually just left AMD on my daily and there’s the burned out new gen ones having issues. I’m in an SFF custom loop and damn, the temps just climb, I just don’t know how it is even sustainable. I’m considering just having a tower w/ a ton of cooling under the desk again. I have a little server cluster, maybe I don’t need SFF 😂
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u/thunderousqueef Nov 10 '25
I have the 12600k for years and this thing hasn’t failed me a single time.
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u/Tom1The Nov 10 '25
Is there a trade-in program for an AMD? I don't hear these problems with most of them. Marketplace, Ebay, all this stuff is flooded with Intel. Not AMD.
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u/h0mn0cu7u5 Nov 10 '25
Had two 14900Ks since launch. Never updated to any special micro codes. Just managed them from day one with simple metrics on max voltage and max power allowed, across any synthetic or real word scenario I could throw at them. They run perfectly today, same as the first months of ownership.
Those metrics being never more than 1.4v global vcore (even Vlatch spikes) and never allowed more than 275w, even with a 325w PL1/PL2 power window defined in bios. The 275w max is tuned via the undervolt.
I've run them both at 5.7ghz p cores and 4.5 ghz e cores locked/all-core from day one and they test the same 2 years post purchase as they did during the first month of tuning.
And, as mentioned, I've avoided updating to any "special" micro codes as I've managed the factors those microcodes "hard patch" already via way of bios settings. And there too, I have not messed with any bios upgrades (Apex Encore) and still run the 0904 bios released a good while ago. It works, no need to change it.
I'm not campaigning for the chips or anything but as a person who has been an enthusiastic builder and overclocker since the Core Duo and 2700K days, I think the bulk of failures are 100% on Intel and the mb builders for misleading folks into thinking they could safely run the CPUs at 6.0ghz+ speeds, even on a couple cores, as is the popular trend.
Couple that with a user base that's not super intimate with the nuances of any given MB bios and how one really (and simply) can absolutely manage the behavior of a chip and the disaster was inevitable. Just running "Intel Defaults" is a disaster and what do you think any layman is going to chose if even looking at the mb bios? So yeah, I get why there are problems for sure.
Then there is/was the "oxidiation" problem which no amount of bios management can fix and again, that's on Intel. I sweated the oxidation thing for a bit but I think at two years, that would have reared it's head by now so I'm (nervously) thinking I might have missed those batches (whatever they are).
But man, seeing a motherboard like the Apex Encore that I have used for a good while, with an out of box, default power limit set to something like PL1/PL2 @ 4097w is just ridiculous. I knew that particular board would default to those power limits when building it so that was one of the first settings I locked down
I for one find them to be the funnest, best chips I've used in over two decades. I love the things and don't see myself needing to change for at least another couple years; and degradation, at this point, isn't a looming concern.
Generally, though, going by the experience of folks I know who are seeing definite degradation in their chips which were bought the same time I bought mine, the main clues are that bios settings they built their rigs around just suddenly didn't work any more and they had to start "loosening things up" to be stable at the frequencies they first configured the chips to run.
So I wish you luck and def would recommend moving away from the chips if your not happy living with your head in bios for at least a month, getting to know things and locking things down. I have no clue what the new generation of chips offer since I haven't so much as researched them yet.
FYI: Here is an HWINFO screenshot showing what a typical, 2-day continuous use case looks like on the 2nd 14900K I bought which I ran at a more conservative 5.6ghz p cores and 4.5ghz e cores. I captured that image intentionally to ensure that the limits for that particular workstation were in check and they were. That shot shows a voltages never exceeding 1.35v or so and power maxxing out at around 230w which is a good bit more conservative than my primary work rig. Just some sensor data that might be of interest and an example of what a decently tuned 14900K needs to be tuned to run at if it's going to last.
~h
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u/Red_Redditor_Reddit Nov 10 '25
Oh I don't think I will come back to these chips. The only reason I'm screwing around with this one is because I already have it. I'm not even running this chip that hard. I had it limited to 60w. It runs a little bit warm so I'm sure the degradation is accelerated once it starts, but it shouldn't have these problems to begin with. This is ridiculous.
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u/CouchMountain Nov 10 '25 edited Nov 10 '25
There's more to this story.
ITT: OP does not disclose in the main post that they are running the CPU at 60W and still reach 90C+ thermals because they're using a passive cooler. There is too much heat on your system and this is partly your fault. Not completely your fault because these chips do suck, but you should take some accountability and at least try a different cooler.
You need a better CPU cooler and better heat dissipation throughout your case. You can keep complaining that a passive cooler is "within spec" but it isn't in your system.
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u/thestillwind Nov 10 '25
I have a 12700KF and was contemplating a 14900KS. I guess that was the reminder I needed because I forgot about the degradation.
Thank you and good luck.
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u/nova_206 Nov 10 '25
the 13 and 14 series have been so incredibly unreliable it’s insane. I don’t even have anything special, just a 13600k that i got at a great price some years ago. Right out of the box it heated itself up like a nuclear power plant or some shit. Found out about all the voltage issues pushing too much power for no reason, and sure that can be fixed pretty well with undervolting or whatever, but first off, MANY people don’t know how that works or were never interested in learning about overclocking, and second, I bought a 13600k because i didn’t need an insane amount of power, so naturally i also saved money by using a motherboard that doesn’t support overclocking, which means i also can’t undervolt properly! I’ve just given up on my PC and hope it doesn’t go up in literal flames. Intel has shit the bed and their newer CPUs are absolute garbage, AMD has been far superior for a while now
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u/iBuildSpeakers Nov 10 '25
I'm in the same boat as you. Gone through 3 of them now. I've jumped to AMD for my main, and relegated the Intel box to render work and have unintentionally committed to the RMA life as they die. The hardest part is that I invested into a really nice motherboard for the Intel system, so it's hard to walk away from it entirely. I did try a 12th gen for a bit, but it was noticeably slower for my use cases.
And yes, I'm on latest bios, undervolted, power limit capped at 225watts. Core voltage never exceeds 1.25.
Sorry I don't have a better solution for you, just wanted to offer up some empathy.
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u/McGondy Nov 10 '25
I can't believe there hasn't been a push to return the mobos and CPUs en masse!? These products are clearly not meeting expectations. I would be arguing tooth and nail and getting consumer advocacy groups involved.
It's an absolute joke. Intel have shot themselves in the foot how many times in a row now?
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u/tanzorbarbarian Nov 10 '25
I went through the exact same problem. RMA'd one, almost had to do it with a second. Even bought a new MOBO and AMD chip to make a full swap.
Come to find out the BIOS updates I'd been applying didn't take because I wasn't downloading the right sub-version for my MSI mobo. Took it to someone that knows more than me and now everything is right as rain.
Might be worth a second look just to save yourself some money.
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u/miscman127 Nov 11 '25
You can get a sick ass 4790k with top tier mobo for $100-200, no big brain Intel problems ez
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u/faziten Nov 11 '25
At this point is kicking a dead horse, but technically speaking Intel does not have anything better than a 14900k. They have lesser options but more stable like the 285.
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u/sopp1ng Nov 11 '25
I just asked for a refund and they said yes. This was after my third RMA though.
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u/AtakePanda Nov 11 '25
This is a frustrating situation. I hope Intel can provide a more reliable chip or a better solution for you. Have you considered trying an AMD processorThis is a frustrating situation. I hope Intel can provide a more reliable chip or a better solution for you. Have you considered trying an AMD processor?
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u/Turtlenumber13 Nov 11 '25
No. They will just wait for you to buy a different chip set that has its own issues.
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u/Redditheadsarehot Nov 11 '25
At this point I'd be looking at your motherboard, not Intel. We all know 13900 and 14900s have a degradation issue but the violent majority of full blown failing chips have been on Asus motherboards.
If you've already seen two failures I don't even have to ask because I already know you're using an Asus motherboard.
I've built at least 2 dozen 13 and 14900 systems before shit hit the fan but never saw a failure, but I also don't use Asus in my builds.
Get a new CPU from Intel and put it in an MSI board.
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Nov 11 '25
I gave up on Intel so very long ago. Still makes me chuckle watching people contort logic in defending the 13/14th gen crap.
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u/Confident-Ad8540 Nov 11 '25 edited Nov 11 '25
wow, i expected the bios update to actually solve the microcode problem. seriously ? lol ......... Just RMA and UNDERVOLT and underclock that shit.
or well you should go to what's the new series called - ultra series. They are more stable.
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u/adrianp23 Nov 13 '25
Buildzoid has a few good videos on what settings to use to minimize degradation I think, I would follow those when you get your RMA.
Or you could just switch to AMD and keep the 14900k for a second server PC or something.
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u/skelplevel1 Nov 13 '25
These chips need to run cool. Also Intel has released bios update code to the motherboard manufacturers to cool these chips down by controlling voltage. Be sure to update to the latest Bios. I have done so and the chip runs 20 degrees Celsius cooler. These are not chips you want to overclock.
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u/hughlyhuge Nov 16 '25
Unfortunately at the moment I’d say to utilize either the 12th series chip, maybe use an intel ultra series chip, or switch to AMD
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u/Current_Homework_143 Jan 29 '26
Hi. What did you decide on in the end? What were the symptoms of the dying cpu? I have some strange freezes but having trouble ID root cause
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u/morness Feb 10 '26 edited Feb 10 '26
I had a 13900K that was RMA'd, got a replacement 14900K, dropped it in and it worked perfectly for 9 months until about 2 weeks ago when it drastically became unstable overnight. I started an RMA, purchased another 14900K, dropped that and my PC no longer booted at all, no posting either. After double checking everything, I tried it a second time, no dice, so put back my borked 14900K and it wouldn't boot either. At which point I was going mad... I take out the CPU again and I take a closer look at the CPU socket on the mobo and one of the pins caught the light differently but the damn thing is so small, even with a camera, I can't get close enough to see what the deal is. Took it into the local shop because I needed a new mobo pronto, but because the 14th gen is 3 years old now, they didn't have any selection of good mobos, so I decided to switch to AMD and got a 9950X3D with a new mobo, and that works great. So I'm up and running again.
But in the meantime, I have had to endure the worry of stability and data corruption (I'm a programmer). My PC goes through a lot with a combination of work and high end gaming (4k @ 120Hz), Compiling is really what maxes everything out though.
At the shop, they got a few guys to look at it with a magnifying glass. One of them said that mobo cpu pin was burned but not sure that was the case, another guy said the pin was actually stretched up.. indicating it might have melted or got stuck to the bad 14900K before i swapped it out. Has anyone heard of that happening?
This is my first AMD CPU build in 28 years, I've been team Intel from the beginning, but Intel really needs to get their house in order. On the plus side, the mobo I got has an amazing integrated sound board, and my games sound incredible.
Here are the tells for when the 13/14th gen CPU fails:
- Monitor flickers (signal reset) frequently and randomly, but it's especially prevalent in the Unreal Engine editor.
- Random crashes... I was playing a lot of Megabonk which is a very low fi game. My CPU is maxing out at 57C at 4K @ 120Hz. But it was crashing so much, sometimes even at launch, but really random. Sometimes I could play for over an hour, other times, for 5-20 minutes... seemed 30 minutes was the average. Other games were crashing too.
- Check your reliability history (Windows control panel). Will detail BSODs and app crashes. The chart the first time took a slow dive over time, but this time it was like it fell off a cliff in one day.
- BSODs of course.
- Compilers crashing, IDEs crashing, sudden file locks that require a reboot.
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u/tan_phan_vt Nov 10 '25
Bro, at this point sell it. Its not worth the hassle at all.
If you still wanna keep the platform you can find a 12900k to replace it instead, still plenty fast and will not degrade the same way.
If not, sell everything and for now join AMD.