Intel Confirms Core Ultra 200 Arrow and Lunar Lake CPUs Not Affected by “Vmin Shift Instability Issue”

Intel has provided a crucial update on its investigation into the Core series instability, specifically addressing the “Vmin Shift Instability” issue. With the launch of the Core Ultra 200 series, starting with the mobile Lunar Lake, just days away, Intel has confirmed that these new series will not be impacted by this instability.

Future Product Update

Intel has assured that its next-generation processors, codenamed Arrow Lake and Lunar Lake, are not affected by the Vmin Shift Instability issue. This is due to the new architectures powering both product families. Intel is committed to ensuring that future product families are also protected against this issue.

Alder & Raptor Lake Mobile Series Not Affected

Intel has also confirmed that the entire 12th Gen Core “Alder Lake” series, including both mobile and desktop variants, are not affected by this specific issue. Additionally, the 13th and 14th Gen Core series within the i5 and i3 tiers, specifically the non-K variants, are also unaffected.

Furthermore, Intel clarified that no mobile series within the Raptor Lake family are affected, including the mobile HX-series, which are essentially repurposed desktop chips for high-end laptops. This confirmation is significant following media reports that suggested otherwise.

Unaffected Products List

Following the recent warranty extension announcement for affected Intel Core 13th and 14th Gen desktop processors, Intel confirms these currently available processors are not affected by the Vmin Shift Instability issue:

12th Gen Intel Core desktop and mobile processors
Intel Core 13th and 14th Gen i5 (non-K) & i3 desktop processors
Intel Core 13th and 14th Gen mobile processors – including HX-series processors
Intel Xeon processors – including server and workstation processors
Intel Core Ultra (Series 1) processors

Intel recommends that all users of 13th and 14th Gen Core models, regardless of whether their SKU is affected, should install the new BIOS and use Intel Default Settings, which were launched a few weeks ago through major motherboard vendors, if possible.

Intel promises another update by the end of next month, coinciding with the expected introduction of Arrow Lake by October 17. By then, there should be complete information following this months-long investigation.