In a bold move, Alderon Games, an indie game developer based in Australia, has publicly accused Intel of selling “defective” 13th and 14th-generation Raptor Lake CPUs.
This accusation has significant implications for Intel and the broader tech community, as it highlights persistent stability issues with Intel’s high-end processors. The developer has announced a complete switch to AMD processors due to these ongoing problems.
High-End Processor Instability: A Developer’s Nightmare
Alderon Games, known for its multiplayer dinosaur survival game “Path of Titans,” has experienced severe instability with Intel’s latest CPUs. According to Matthew Cassells, the studio’s founder, Intel’s 13th and 14th generation processors have been plagued with crashes, instability, and memory corruption. Despite numerous updates and patches, the issues remain unresolved.
Cassells detailed these frustrations in a write-up titled “Intel is selling defective 13-14th Gen CPUs.” He stated, “My team at Alderon Games has been encountering significant problems with Intel CPU stability, particularly with the 13th and 14th generation processors. Despite all released microcode, BIOS, and firmware updates, the problem remains unresolved.”
Persistent Issues with Raptor Lake CPUs
The instability issues with Intel’s Raptor Lake processors first came to light in February and have been linked to the initial batch of 13th Gen CPUs launched in late 2022. The most affected models include the Core i9-13900K and Core i9-14900K, though there are reports of problems with the Core i7-13700K and Core i7-14700K as well.
One common symptom of these stability issues is the “out of video memory” error message that frequently appears in games like Fortnite. Cassells reported that Alderon Games has received thousands of crash reports from players using 13th and 14th-gen Core chips. Additionally, the studio’s development team has experienced “frequent instability” on their Raptor Lake-powered PCs, and their servers running on these Intel CPUs have faced “constant crashes.”
Intel’s Response and Ongoing Investigation
Intel has attempted to address these issues through new microcode distributed via motherboard BIOS updates and has advised motherboard manufacturers to avoid enabling extreme power modes by default. For instance, some MSI motherboards set a power limit of 4,096 watts and 512 amps, which can lead to instability and crashes due to unrestricted automatic frequency boosting.
Despite these efforts, the stability issues persist, and Intel has not been entirely transparent about the root cause. The company stated, “Intel and its partners are continuing to investigate user reports regarding instability issues on Intel Core 13th and 14th generation (K/KF/KS) desktop processors. We appreciate the Intel community’s patience on the matter and will share more details on the investigation as soon as possible.”
Switching to AMD: A Strategic Shift
Frustrated by the persistent issues, Alderon Games has decided to switch all its servers to AMD processors. According to Cassells, AMD processors “experience 100 times fewer crashes compared to Intel CPUs that were found to be defective.” This shift is significant, as it underscores the studio’s lack of confidence in Intel’s ability to resolve the stability issues.
Cassells also recommends players, whether hosting their own servers or just playing games, to avoid Raptor Lake processors. The studio has even implemented an in-game notification to inform users about the issues with 13th and 14th-gen Intel chips.
A Broader Problem?
Cassells claims that the problems with Intel’s CPUs go beyond mere glitches. He stated, “Over the last 3–4 months, we have observed that CPUs initially working well deteriorate over time, eventually failing. The failure rate we have observed from our own testing is nearly 100%, indicating it’s only a matter of time before affected CPUs fail.”
This claim is particularly alarming, suggesting that the issues with Raptor Lake CPUs could be more widespread and severe than initially thought. Cassells cited an instance where a previously functional Intel Core i9-13900K CPU, used in a gaming PC with a lower-end motherboard, ceased to function shortly after being handed to an acquaintance.
Conclusion
Alderon Games’ public accusation against Intel highlights serious concerns about the stability and reliability of the company’s 13th and 14th-generation Raptor Lake CPUs. The studio’s decision to switch to AMD processors underscores the severity of the issues and serves as a cautionary tale for other developers and consumers. As Intel continues its investigation, the tech community will be closely watching for solutions to these critical problems.
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