Intel Faces Class Action Over Raptor Lake CPU Instability

A class action lawsuit has recently been filed against Intel in a federal court, accusing the company of knowingly selling defective processors despite being aware of issues with their 13th and 14th generation Raptor Lake and Raptor Lake Refresh models. The plaintiff, Mark Vanvalkenburgh, seeks compensation or alternative relief for the alleged defects. Attorneys from Dovel & Luner expect more Intel customers to join the lawsuit, although the case involves several complex legal issues.

The lawsuit was filed in San Jose, California, with Mark Vanvalkenburgh, a resident of Orchard Park, New York, as the lead plaintiff. In January 2023, Vanvalkenburgh purchased an Intel Core i7-13700K processor. According to the complaint, he experienced frequent problems, including random black screens and unexpected computer restarts. Despite attempts to fix these issues using an Intel-released patch for Raptor Lake CPU stability, the problems persisted.

The lawsuit claims: "After purchasing the product, the plaintiff found that the processor was defective, unstable, and prone to frequent crashes. The processor caused his computer to malfunction, including random black screens and restarts. Even after attempting to install the patch released by Intel for its 13th generation processors, these issues remained unresolved. As a result, the product received was not as expected. Had the plaintiff known about the true nature of the product, he would not have purchased it, or would have paid a lower price."

The plaintiff further alleges that Intel was aware of the Raptor Lake CPU’s instability issues prior to his purchase, pointing to internal tests conducted by the company that identified these defects before and after the processor’s release. Despite knowing about the instability, Intel reportedly continued to market these processors as high-performance products without disclosing the potential issues, leading to claims of fraud, breach of contract, and violations of New York's consumer protection laws.

In July 2024, Intel publicly acknowledged the "Vmin Shift Instability" issue, revealing that the 13th and 14th generation Core "Raptor Lake" processors suffered from stability problems due to excessive operating voltage, causing physical damage to the core clock tree circuit.

To address the issue, Intel released three microcode updates. The first, in June 2024, adjusted the enhanced thermal velocity boost (eTVB) algorithm. The second patch, released in August 2024, aimed to reduce unnecessary high voltage requests. In September, a third update combined previous fixes and added safeguards to prevent excessive voltage demands during idle or light load situations.

However, once the core clock tree circuit is damaged, these patches are ineffective, and the processor must be physically replaced. Intel has made it clear that it cannot repair the damage through software alone. To support affected customers, Intel extended the warranty period for Raptor Lake CPUs by two years.

The plaintiff, however, believes that a processor replacement is insufficient to address the issue and has filed a nationwide class action lawsuit. He is seeking damages, including triple compensation, statutory damages, and punitive damages where applicable. Additionally, the plaintiff is requesting that the court orders compensation for himself and other class members, with the final amount to be determined during trial.