Intel and its partners have begun rolling out the microcode update that will fix stability and degradation issues with 13th and 14th Gen Intel Core desktop CPUs. The update arrived slightly ahead of the ‘mid-August’ window, with new BIOS updates with the 0x129 microcode available for several motherboards.
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ASUS motherboard owners were the first to be informed of the microcode’s availability, and a BIOS update (still listed as BETA – via the ROG Forum) is available for Z790 motherboards. This covers the company’s enthusiast and high-end boards in the ROG MAXIMUS and ROG STRIX line-ups, with ASUS noting that the BIOS update also improves ‘system performance.’
MSI has also announced the first batch of BIOS updates for a range of its Intel boards, covering Godlike, Ace, Carbon, and Tomahawk models, with the new 0x129 microcode available now. ASRock is also listing BIOS updates for some of its motherboards.
MSI stated that all of its Intel 700 and 600 series motherboards will be getting the critical BIOS update by the end of August. So, the BIOS updates will probably be available for all major motherboards from all the major brands in the coming weeks.
Intel has communicated that this microcode update resolves an issue that led to its 13th and 14th Gen CPUs running with increased voltages that can damage and degrade hardware. Intel has also communicated that this fix prevents the issue from occurring and prevents any damage or further damage to the CPU. However, affected CPUs will still be damaged and require a replacement.
With that, Intel has added two years to the warranty of Intel 13th and 14th Gen ‘Raptor Lake’ CPUs, bringing the total up to five years. With the risk of permanent damage, it’s recommended that all users upgrade their motherboard’s BIOS as soon as possible. Here’s a list of ASUS, MSI, and ASRock boards with the 0x129 microcode BIOS update.
ASUS: ROG MAXIMUS Z790 HERO, ROG MAXIMUS Z790 DARK HERO, ROG MAXIMUS Z790 HERO BTF, ROG MAXIMUS Z790 HERO EVA-02 EDITION, ROG MAXIMUS Z790 APEX, ROG MAXIMUS Z790 APEX ENCORE, ROG MAXIMUS Z790 FORMULA, ROG MAXIMUS Z790 EXTREME, ROG STRIX Z790-A GAMING WIFI, ROG STRIX Z790-A GAMING WIFI, ROG STRIX Z790-A GAMING WIFI II, ROG STRIX Z790-A GAMING WIFI S, ROG STRIX Z790-E GAMING WIFI, ROG STRIX Z790-E GAMING WIFI II, ROG STRIX Z790-F GAMING WIFI, ROG STRIX Z790-F GAMING WIFI II, ROG STRIX Z790-H GAMING WIFI, ROG STRIX Z790-I GAMING WIFI, ProArt Z790-CREATOR WIFI, Z790-AYW OC WIFI
MSI: MEG Z790 GODLIKE MAX, MEG Z790 ACE MAX, MPG Z790 CARBON MAX WIFI II, MPG Z790 CARBON WIFI, MAG Z790 TOMAHAWK MAX WIFI and Z790MPOWER
ASRock: H610M-HDV, H610M-HVS