Question How would I know if my 13th gen i7-13700K CPU is faulty ?

[g-unit1111]

So I've been experiencing problems with my system for the last several months and now I'm seriously wondering if the CPU is the culprit. The problem is that there have been extreme temperature spikes even with the new CPU cooler that I installed. And I recently reinstalled the OS on my system, twice. Since the reinstall, the OS works fine for a few minutes only to completely freeze and crash even while doing the most basic tasks on this system like web browsing and video streaming.

So after process of elimination, I've determined that it's not the CPU cooler (which is brand new and replaced an H100i Elite Capillex). It's not the operating system. It's not my monitor because my laptop is currently connected to it and it's working fine with no problems. I originally thought it might have been the motherboard BIOS because I was using an MSI beta BIOS but I re-flashed it to the previous BIOS.

My only conclusion is that it has to be the CPU, but how would I know if it's faulty or not? I cannot return it, it's well out of warranty. I could replace it with an i7-14700K and that would probably do the trick or I could replace the motherboard and CPU entirely with a 9800X3D. I've been building PCs for over 15 years now and I've never had issues like this with a CPU before. And my research on 13th gen Intels is only leading me to believe that I may have got a bad one.

PC Specs
Case: Lian Li Dan A4-H20
PSU: Corsair SF1000L
Motherboard: MSI MAG Z790i Edge Wifi
CPU: Intel Core i7-13700K
Cooler: Cooler Master Atmos 240
Storage: 6TB (Samsung 990 Pro is primary drive)
RAM: 32GB Corsair Dominator Platinum DDR5-6000
GPU: Gigabyte GeForce RTX 5070
OS: Windows 11 24H2 (all updates and drivers are current)

 

[Gururu]

Maybe I missed this but was this a recent build with a new CPU? I haven't seen any reports of working CPUs failing following the microcode updates. So it would be interesting to know if the CPU is new and was always only ever used with the updates.

 

[g-unit1111]

Maybe I missed this but was this a recent build with a new CPU? I haven't seen any reports of working CPUs failing following the microcode updates. So it would be interesting to know if the CPU is new and was always only ever used with the updates.

I have a very long history with this build. It was built in June of 2023. I upgraded the GPU back in May to a 5070 (my 4070TI that was in there went to another system I have). Started noticing some really abnormal behavior with this PC. So I replaced the cooler and reinstalled the OS. Still having problems. I'm guessing the CPU that I bought (it was in May of 2023) was right in the height of all the problems that Intel was having with the microcode.

Well I finally heard back from Intel today - the CPU is faulty. They're sending me a replacement. But I am traveling this week so I won't get to replace it until I get back next week. Hopefully that's the end of it. If not then I'm definitely saying "screw it" and buying a 9800X3D and a new motherboard.

 

[geofelt]

When you get the replacement, update your bios to currency.
The bios update should also set the defaults to intel supported standards.
I found the latest updates to my MSI board actually improved default performance.

 

[g-unit1111]

When you get the replacement, update your bios to currency.
The bios update should also set the defaults to intel supported standards.
I found the latest updates to my MSI board actually improved default performance.

I'm using the most current BIOS that's available for this board. The only other one available is a beta BIOS and I'm not touching that one.

 

[palladin9479]

Yeah I saw that video. So I heard back from Intel. I've taken the initial steps. If this doesn't work then I'm just going to cut my losses and go with a 9800X3D setup. Currently trying to find a decent motherboard.

I stayed away from Intel 13/14th generation due to all the issues with stability and not killing CPU's over time. It's the default auto-OC voltage controls between the MB's and CPU's where the MB BIOS's are pushing more voltage as a way to get higher / longer boost clocks, and the CPU's are allowing them. Eventually had to switch off my older 12600KF so replatformed to AMD instead of trying to mess around with Intel 13/14th gen.

For my AMD 9800X3D I went with the ASUS TUF B850, cost about $200~230 depending on seller.

TUF GAMING B850-PLUS WIFI｜Motherboards｜ASUS USA

ASUS TUF GAMING B850-PLUS WIFI: Military-grade motherboard with AMD Ryzen™ support, PCIe 5.0, WiFi 7, USB 20Gbps, and advanced cooling for peak performance.

www.asus.com

Solid board with all the regular features but without the fancy expensive upselling frills.