Intel's 2024 has been defined by bad news. One of the biggest stories in the PC gaming community has been reports surrounding faulty 13th and 14th-Gen Core CPUs - primarily Core i9-14900K and Core i9-13900K processors. This issue has been ongoing for months, with Intel and its motherboard partners releasing a BIOS or microcode update that 'fixes' the problem last month.

However, the voltage issues have led to numerous faulty CPUs with irrevocable damage. Intel has opted not to issue a product recall and confirmed that the problem affects all 13th and 14th Gen CPUs, including the lower-power 65W models. What it has done is extend the warranty for all affected CPUs while offering a no-fuss replacement program for its customers experiencing issues.
According to several sources, the RMA process for affected 13th and 14th Gen CPUs has been fast, smooth, and reliable in recent weeks. For others, it has been slow going. One Reddit post by 'Towel4' shows that Intel sent him a notification that they have run out of replacement Core i9-14900K and Core i9-13900K processors and that it's going to take "4 to 5 weeks or more before our stocks are replenished."
Has Intel run out of CPUs? Probably not, but it is dealing with a large volume of RMA requests, and stock is a definite issue. Regardless, waiting over a month for a working PC is not ideal.
The Reddit post quickly blew up, with several people responding, noting that their correspondence with Intel was similar or that they were being told they were being sent a replacement. Others said they were still waiting for Intel's reply after several days of radio silence.
Perhaps Intel saw the post because 'Towel4' provided an update a day later.
Intel now has the Intel Core i9-14900K processor in stock, so it will send him one to replace his faulty Core i9-13900K. Based on the sheer volume of RMA's being processed for its flagship 13th and 14th Gen CPUs, it seems that many customers are being sent Core i9-14900K processors to replace their Core i9-13900K chips.
The Core i9-13900K isn't end-of-life; however, it does seem that Intel has had to expedite shipments and send out 14th Gen hardware to keep up with the demand.
- Read more: Intel officially responds to 13th and 14th Gen CPU instability reports
- Read more: Game developer swaps all servers to AMD, claims 'Intel is selling defective' CPUs
- Read more: From bad to worse: Intel's 13th-gen and 14th-gen CPUs reportedly have astonishing return rates
- Read more: Intel CPU issues hits mainstream 65W, non-K chips: damage is irreversible, no recall planned