For a few months now, Intel has been struggling with instability issues on 13th and 14th-gen processors. To try and fix the issue, Intel had promised to release a microcode fix in August, which is slowly becoming available to users.
In fact, as we reported earlier this week, ASUS has started rolling out a beta BIOS update with the 0x129 microcode for over 200 motherboards, and the full release will be available soon. Now, we tested this instability patch on a Windows build and found that it knocks off about 9000 points in the Cinebench multi-core performance.
However, according to a new testing report, the microcode seems to be working better on Linux. Phoronix tested the 0x129 microcode on a Linux build with 188 benchmarks and even compared the results with the one from the 0x125 microcode.
0x129 microcode before and after on Linux
As can be seen in the summarized chart above, there was no significant difference in performance before and after the patch. The 1 to 3% difference that is seen can be attributed to system noise and other factors. However, some significant performance dips can be seen in WireGuard, PyPerformance, Perl, and cryptsetup. These drops range from 6% to 11.8% – which is the biggest decrease spotted.
Ever since Intel began receiving backlash for the instability issues, it has been trying to resolve them in various ways. So far, the company has issued patches, extended warranty, and made its customer service more responsive. Intel has reportedly admitted that it does not know the root cause of the instability and that degraded CPUs can’t be fixed.
In the midst of this turmoil, Intel is planning to release Core Ultra 200V CPUs in September, which are upcoming efficient processors that will power thin and lightweight laptops. Plus, we’re also closing in on the Arrow Lake CPUs, the release date of which remains unconfirmed.
