Intel has been struggling with a major issue in its 13th- and 14th-generation Core CPUs for most of this year. Due to a production error, high voltages and temperatures led to crashes for users and permanent damage in the processors, affecting overall service life.

Almost two months have passed since the company promised to get to the bottom of it and deliver fixes once and for all — and while minor BIOS updates have already been delivered, Intel just announced that it has found another root cause of the problem.

Long story short, Intel’s 13th- and 14th-gen Core CPUs woes come down to something called “Vmin shift instability,” which basically means an unexpected increase in the minimum operating voltage. When this happens, it can lead to repeated crashes and error messages, which is what Core CPU owners have been experiencing this year.

The tricky part is that Vmin shift can arise for several different reasons, and that’s why it’s taken so long to address it — some causes were identified, but others remained in the shadows.

Yesterday’s announcement is a big milestone because Intel’s extensive investigation has finally uncovered what could be the last reason that leads to Vmin shift instability in Core CPUs.

According to Intel, the performance of processors should not change as a result of the new BIOS update, though the company warns that CPUs are still subject to the usual fluctuations.

If your CPU has already suffered from Vmin shift, the BIOS update will not help you because the damage is irreversible. These patches only prevent unaffected CPUs from encountering it going forward.

That said, Intel previously increased the warranty of some CPUs to five years following criticism, so take advantage if you can.

PCWorld