Intel Raptor Lake CPUs: High Failure Rate Prompts VFX Studio to Switch to AMD

Intel’s 13th- and 14th-generation CPUs have been under scrutiny lately due to stability issues. Now, a supervisor at ModelFarm, an Unreal Engine studio, has revealed alarming statistics: a 50% failure rate for systems powered by Core i9-13900K and 14900K processors. As if that weren’t enough, the studio plans to replace these troubled Intel chips with AMD’s upcoming Zen 5 Ryzen 9 9950X processors.

The Troubling Stats

Dylan Browne, the Unreal Engine Supervisor at ModelFarm, shared the grim news on Twitter:

“For those curious at work, our failure rate for our 13900K and 14900K machines is about 50% so far. Any new machine builds will use the 9950X for reliability. #intel” – Dylan Browne (@DylserX) July 23, 2024

Browne further explained that some chips exhibited instability right away, while others took longer to show issues. The 50% failure rate occurred within a year, even when using Asus ROG motherboards and lowering power limits.

The Root Cause

RAD, the company behind the Bink video codec and Oodle data compression technology, previously pointed out that the problem lies in overly optimistic BIOS settings combined with high clock speeds and power usage of Intel’s processors. Notably, there are no bugs in Oodle or Unreal causing the crashes.

Impact on Users

Owners of 13th/14th-gen CPUs have faced problems while playing demanding games, especially those powered by Unreal Engine 5. Compiling shaders and running CPU-intensive tasks like Cinebench and Handbrake also trigger errors.

Intel’s Response

Intel initially recommended reducing overclock and voltage settings. However, the company recently identified the root cause: a faulty microcode algorithm that mistakenly overvolts the processors. To address this, Intel will release a microcode mitigation patch in mid-August via BIOS updates and Windows updates. Unfortunately, this won’t reverse damage for already affected CPUs.

AMD’s Opportunity

AMD, Intel’s competitor, is likely celebrating this turn of events. Browne’s firm is switching to Team Red, praising the Ryzen 9 9950X’s single-threaded performance and core equality.

In conclusion, Intel faces a challenging situation, while AMD capitalizes on its rival’s misfortune.