Just half of Intel’s i9-13900K CPUs are stable using Auto profiles

A user at Chiphell forums has tested a bunch of 13th and 14th-Gen Intel Core i9 CPUs and found out that many are unstable using default motherboard settings. In the worst case, five out of ten Core i9-13900K were unable to run correctly.

A Chiphell user named Kmdkai has tested several Intel Core i9 processors. Using the Auto Profile chosen by motherboard manufacturers, they discovered that a concerning number of these processors are unable to pass the benchmark suite even when operating under the new Intel Baseline settings, which are supposed to improve stability.

Kmdkai runs a studio which needs dozens of high-end machines that must pass a productivity software test for a week without crashing before entering service. These computers use different combinations of CPUs and motherboards, including Z690, B660, Z790, and B760 models from Asus and tests run at full Auto presets without any overclocking.

Through these tests, the user found the following:

• 13900K full Auto: 40% to 50% passed – Adjusting the Loadline level increases this by 10% to 20%.
• 14900K full Auto: about 20% passed – Adjusting the Loadline level increases this by 10%.

Kmdkai also noted that the 14900K is better paired with B660 and B760 boards than Z690 and Z790. This could be because these mid-range boards select less aggressive power and performance settings when detecting a Core i9. The user also added that the newly released Intel Baseline settings didn’t improve stability as it mainly limited the power target.

In other words, the stability of B series boards was better than that of high-end Z models. However, after applying the Baseline settings, stability became on par with B series boards, i.e. still not perfect. Lastly, Kmdkai reminds us that these tests are more taxing than normal daily tasks, indicating that a 14900K / Z series board combo ‘only’ crashes once a month under normal usage scenarios.

Though definitely concerning, we can’t draw conclusions based on a single source – even if, from the looks of it, said source used 192 CPUs. Something as unassuming as a faulty PSU or RAM could cause instability and mess up the results. That said, Intel and its partners should consider these findings in their search for a solution.