System locking up during intense gaming

[slim01]

Hi guys,

System locks up under prime blend (almost instantly) and under graphic heavy games.

Temps are fantastic, even after having passed hours and hours of the CPU-Z stress test, 65c tops. One thing I did notice here though is even during this, it stayed at like 65w... aren't these chips supposed to boost to like a crazy 200w? Could there be something wrong with the CPU boost: Maybe CPU-z doesn't make it hang because it doesn't use the +200w boost, whereas games/prime does?

Maybe ram just not compatible with newer mobo, thought that was more a thing of the past but one thing to note is the cpu, memory, and SSD came from a previous pre-build, which did have some hanging issues but were much rarer. Cpu/ram have been put to this new mobo and case +psu below:

SPECS...
13700f
MSI pro z790-p wifi
Kingston Fury beast DDR5 ACR48u40bs6ma-8fam (4800mhz)
CX750 bronze corsair psu


Next steps, to try ram in diff slots +run memtest? is memtest still the go-to for this scenario?

Thanks all

 

[jigger]

The temps will be great at 65watts, but yeah the chip should see well over 200watts in its high boost state so something is wrong. If the chip was trying to increase its clocks at a low power state then it might become unstable. That’s assuming this isn’t another b0rked Intel chip.

 

[slim01]

The temps will be great at 65watts, but yeah the chip should see well over 200watts in its high boost state so something is wrong. If the chip was trying to increase its clocks at a low power state then it might become unstable. That’s assuming this isn’t another b0rked Intel chip.

well i remember once i did do a run and had HW monitor open, and saw that it had previously gone to 200w or so, but never actually saw it running at that, and like i said now it just crashes right away.

What SHOULD it be running at under a P95 test and good temps? I'm guessing not 65w?
Are these chips known to be borked then? If it was, wouldnt it be like that out of the box, and would have been just as bad in the prev build?

 

[Tetras]

well i remember once i did do a run and had HW monitor open, and saw that it had previously gone to 200w or so, but never actually saw it running at that, and like i said now it just crashes right away.

What SHOULD it be running at under a P95 test and good temps? I'm guessing not 65w?

What are you running specifically? The Prime tests have different levels of usage across CPU/memory.

How are you monitoring the power draw? Are you using hwinfo?

What is PL1/PL2 set to? Are you running Intel's latest microcode updates and mitigations?

System locks up under prime blend (almost instantly) and under graphic heavy games.

What is the graphics card?

CX750 bronze corsair psu

How old is that? What year/model?

 

[jigger]

well i remember once i did do a run and had HW monitor open, and saw that it had previously gone to 200w or so, but never actually saw it running at that, and like i said now it just crashes right away.

What SHOULD it be running at under a P95 test and good temps? I'm guessing not 65w?
Are these chips known to be borked then? If it was, wouldnt it be like that out of the box, and would have been just as bad in the prev build?

It varies as the boost depends on a few factors like cooling, but I’d expect it to pull well over 200 watts and probably closer to 250 in most cases. Maybe try running a couple of workloads simultaneously and monitor the power state. It could be that the chip boosts and slowly throttles down.

The 13th and 14th gen chips are cursed.

 

[Glanza]

Reset / update bios.

 

[NetMan]

Are these chips known to be borked then?

Yes (so are 14th gen)

If it was, wouldnt it be like that out of the box

No

and would have been just as bad in the prev build?

They degrade over time, there was a problem with them being damaged because mobos were feeding them too high a voltage, intel released micro code updates which was supposed to mitigate against the issue.

But once a CPU starts to fail updating the BIOS with the new micro code won't fix it the damage has already been done.

It might not be your CPU but as per what Tetras & Glanza said make sure you are using the latest Bios which should contain intels micro code updates before you do anything else.

There was also a less common problem with oxidation just search for 13 / 14 th gen degradation and you will find loads of articles and reviews such as:

Why Avoid Intel 13th & 14th Gen Desktop CPUs 2026: Issues Explained

Intel 13th and 14th generation desktop processors suffer from voltage instability causing permanent damage. Learn about the risks, affected models, and safer alternatives.

www.ofzenandcomputing.com

If it does turn out to be the cpu you can try to RMA it:

Intel Extends Warranty by Two Years for 13th and 14th Generation Processors Amid Crashing Concerns

In a statement for Tom's Hardware, Intel has announced a two-year warranty extension for its 13th and 14th Generation Core processors. This decision comes in response to widespread reports of crashes and instability affecting a broad range of models, from high-end flagship chips to mid-range...

www.techpowerup.com

 

[wookiee87]

what gpu are you running, i don’t see it in your original specs, the 13700f requires a dedicated card for video out, how old is that cx750w psu?

 

[sgoaty]

What are the memory temperatures?

 

[slim01]

What are you running specifically? The Prime tests have different levels of usage across CPU/memory.

How are you monitoring the power draw? Are you using hwinfo?

What is PL1/PL2 set to? Are you running Intel's latest microcode updates and mitigations?


What is the graphics card?


How old is that? What year/model?

Sorry for late replies!!

Prime95 Blend, to stress the memory and the cpu. CPU-Z benchmark ran for ages no issues

Using cpu id's HW Monitor.

Gpu is an rtx4060.

PSU maybe 3-4 years old.

Memory temps were good.

---------------------------------------------------
I will check...
check PL1/PL2 set to auto
update to latest BIOS (to check running Intel's latest microcode updates and mitigations - just BIOS for mitigations as well isn't it?)
---------------------------------------------------

So these borked CPU's then, even after confirming I have the latest microcode etc, how do I know CPU at fault without replacing it? They be pricey.

And have intel not done like a recall or will replace them? Very bad news isn't it this stuff.

 

[nade]

OK yeah I would also suggest updating BIOS to latest version to eliminate that. Looks like it's version 7E06vAI from 18th Aug 2025 is latest version.

Would be interested to find out how long you ran the Prim95 and benchmarks for? Was it longer than when you typically see the issue?

If the benchmarks are running stable, that makes me think then it's a spike in usage/power demands if the load on the system is changing when gaming.

If you upgrade BIOS, then you could check the supported CPU list. There are 14th gen options listed which are available to buy, but personally I wouldn't go changing components unless there are really no other options.

One other thing I would suggest would be to download OCCT to perform some additional stress testing. Been a while since I last used it, but have used it to perform stress test on GPUs which i've sold second hand.

 

[NetMan]

just BIOS for mitigations as well isn't it

Yes but I did read somewhere that some PC manufacturers (maybe HP I cant remember) had limited the cpu in other ways it was probably a lower power limit or something.

how do I know CPU at fault without replacing it?

It should show when running stress tests but don't run any more cpu stress tests until you know you are using a bios that has the mitigations in place.

If your CPU isn't boosting and is stuck at 65w that might have actually saved it from getting fried so update to the latest bios before you try to figure out why it didn't boost or run any more stress tests!


Edit forgot to post intel diag tool which might show if its a duff CPU:

The Intel® Processor Diagnostic Tool Overview, Download, and...

Intel® Processor Diagnostic Tool resources, download links, and documentation.

www.intel.com

And have intel not done like a recall or will replace them?

No recall, they extended the warranty as per my other post but it partially depends whether you have a retail or OEM tray CPU; if it fails stress tests then I'd start by contacting the place you purchased it from.