Microcode 0x129: Intel's Raptor Lake update needs to be held

Hardly any other topic has occupied the internet and tech press over the past few months like the instability of 13th and 14th generation Core processors, which ultimately stemmed from a variety of causes. Incorrect eTVB inputs, voltage buildup, and manufacturing issues ultimately contributed to the last two generations aging faster than usual. Intel has made improvements through several microcode updates. The latest, 0x129, is aimed at keeping the degradation under control, especially for processors that haven’t been affected yet, and is Intel’s latest patch. But the big question is how Intel’s changes will impact performance. So we sent the latest K models through all the benchmarks with the 0x129 microcode update.

At this point we want to focus on the benchmarks and not repeat what has bothered us (and you) in the past few weeks and months regarding stability issues. So, here is a brief overview of the relevant news:

Motherboard manufacturers have absolutely no influence on what Intel now creates through microcode updates. This means that the metric is different from the basic profiles, which were initially interpreted differently by manufacturers. Thanks to the Performance and, for certain models, Extreme profiles, the specifications are now clear here and implemented accordingly by ASUS, MSI, Gigabyte and Co. – at least as far as we know.

Microcode update 0x129 now limits the VID operating voltage to 1.55V. However, once you manually start overclocking, adjust offsets or even disable the Intel default settings, 1.55V can be exceeded again.

For benchmarks, we installed BIOS 2503 with microcode update 0x129 on an ASUS ROG Maximus Z790 Apex. As a first step, we checked if changes to the VID settings in the BIOS were visible in the voltage/clock curve:

There doesn't seem to be anything wrong with the stored voltage/clock curve, as the P-Core P0 VID and E-Core P0 VID entries show. We also don't see any differences in the 11 operating points stored from the voltage and cycle combination. But if we read the applied voltages, there are some differences here. With the Core i9-14900KS, the 1T VID and nT VID are slightly reduced. This is also true for the Core i9-14900K and here for the nT SVID Out.

Our Core i9-14900KS is by no means the best model we've tested, as evidenced by its 1,523V stock voltage. Our Core i9-14900K often performs better in benchmarks than the KS model.