This Patch Prevents Your Computer from Frying, But Only If You’ve Installed it Quick Enough

Your computer’s CPU is one of the most sensitive, advanced pieces of technology that you probably don’t think too much about. The CPU itself is just around 4-5 centimeters in length and width, and it handles all of the data processing in your computer. Every single thing you do on a computer gets calculated through the CPU. Most modern CPUs have billions of microscopic transistors in that tiny little space. These transistors are so small that you can fit hundreds of them on a single red blood cell, or thousands of them in the width of a human hair.

So it’s inevitable that something can go wrong. Many fairly modern computers are experiencing a bug right now that could potentially and permanently damage the CPU. There’s a patch to fix it, but if the damage is already done, the patch won’t repair it.

Intel’s Voltage-Gate

One of Intel’s most popular lines of high-end CPUs has a bug that could cause permanent damage to the CPU itself. Affecting its Raptor Lake CPUs, the chip will request too much voltage, and if the computer is configured to be overclocked (a configuration where the computer is allowed to use a little more electricity than normal in order to get higher performance out of it), it could damage the CPU.

A damaged CPU will likely run into more frequent errors, crashes, or the PC will stop working altogether. It was thought this was only affecting the highest tier of the Raptor Lake CPUs, but new reports are saying that a much broader range of CPUs are actually at risk of this. 

Essentially, any 13th or 14th generation Intel processor could potentially be affected. Since the 13th generation launched in late 2022, it’s possible that many PCs purchased since then might have this issue.

According to the reports, the problem only starts to rear its head when the computer tries to run more than 65 watts of power through the CPU. Most laptops only run at about 5-20 watts these days, and most office desktops don’t tend to exceed the 65 watts on the CPU unless it’s overclocked.  High-performance systems that are designed for video editing, graphic design, autoCAD, and gaming are more likely to be affected.

Intel Is Releasing a Fix

Fortunately, Intel has a fix on the way that will prevent these processors from cooking themselves, but if your processor is already damaged, the patch won’t do anything to repair it or mitigate the issues. They aren’t recalling the affected CPUs either, so if you are experiencing an issue, you need to take it up with the manufacturer or Intel directly.

This probably won’t affect many of our clients—as mentioned, this is mostly going to affect those with extremely high-end, modern PCs from the last two years or so, and even then, only if the PC is overclocked. Some manufacturers do overclock PCs, especially gaming PCs, which is where most users are being affected by this.

Still, this just goes to show you how important it is to keep your devices updated and patched. This particular patch, if not applied, could allow your computer to simply cook itself, which will gradually result in more crashes and problems down the road.

Security Updates, Drivers, Patches, and More

While keeping up on updates and security patches doesn’t guarantee that you’ll never run into an issue, it is definitely important to keep your business IT maintained. If nobody is taking care of every single workstation, server, and device on your network, it’s likely that you are opening yourself up to a lot of risk. 

Don’t make running a business harder than it already is. Contact Horne & Benik today at (603) 499-4400 and ask us about managing and maintaining your IT to prevent expensive issues.