CPU Problem — Need Advice on 14th Gen Stability (i5-14600KF + B760-I)

[littlegreys]

Hi all,

I want to share my experience and ask for some advice. Recently I built a new PC, but unfortunately I’m now in the middle of an RMA process for my CPU. Here’s what happened:

My build:
• CPU: Intel Core i5-14600KF (Raptor Lake-S, LGA1700)
• Motherboard: ASUS ROG Strix B760-I Gaming WiFi (2 x DIMM DDR5, 1 x DisplayPort, 1 x HDMI)
• RAM: Kingston FURY Beast 16GB (2x8GB) DDR5 5600MHz CL30
• SSD: Crucial P3 Plus 1TB PCIe 4.0
• PSU: Corsair SF750 Platinum 750W SFX (ATX 3.1)
• Case: Deepcool CH160 ITX
• CPU Cooler: Thermalright Phantom Spirit 120 EVO
• GPU: MSI RTX 5060 Ti VENTUS 2X OC PLUS 16GB GDDR7

Problem:
• After building the PC, I managed to install Windows 10 without problems.
• It passed FurMark GPU and Prime95 CPU stress tests at the beginning.
• However, about an hour into normal usage, the system suddenly froze (no mouse movement, display stuck, needed a hard reboot).
• Then the situation got worse — freezing after 30 minutes, 10 minutes, 5 minutes… and now it freezes almost immediately after booting into Windows.
• BIOS itself is always stable (no crash if I stay inside BIOS).

Troubleshooting I’ve done:
• Ran MemTest86 → Passed (no RAM errors).
• Tried reinstalling Windows 11 and Windows 10 → Freezes happen in both.
• Updated the BIOS to latest version 1805 after freezing issues started → No improvement.
• Updated all chipset drivers.
• Checked SSD health (CrystalDiskMark test OK).
• Disabled XMP (ran RAM at default JEDEC speeds).
• Monitored temps — CPU idles normally at 30–40°C.
• No weird noises (no coil whine, no ticking sounds).
• Reset BIOS settings to default (“Load Optimized Defaults”).
• Cleared CMOS several times.
• Tried another GPU (RTX 3060) → Still freezes.
• Tried booting with only one RAM stick at a time → Same result.
• Swapped SSD to another one (Team MP33) → Same issue.

Further testing:
• Tried booting Ubuntu Live USB.
• GRUB menu loads fine, but when selecting “Try Ubuntu” or “Safe Graphics,” the system crashes into a kernel panic immediately.
• It never even reaches the Ubuntu desktop.
• Kernel panic suggests a hardware-level fault (likely CPU, motherboard, PSU, or RAM).

Observations:
• Freezing interval worsened over time (from an hour to a few minutes).
• Stays stable in BIOS indefinitely.
• Sometimes Windows shows BSOD after freeze attempts, but the cause seems secondary.

Current situation:
• I have started the RMA process for my i5-14600KF.

My questions:
1. Is the combination of i5-14600KF + ASUS ROG Strix B760-I Gaming WiFi considered fully stable if I’m running the latest BIOS? (Considering the news about 12th/13th/14th Gen instability.)
2. Once I get the replacement CPU, should the first thing I do be updating to the newest BIOS (if available) before anything else?
And would updating BIOS alone be enough, or are there recommended BIOS tweaks (like undervolting or setting V/F curves) to improve stability for 14th Gen chips?

Would really appreciate any advice or shared experiences, thanks a lot!

[FBR88]

i have the same problem

i did build my i514600kf

b760 motherbord

ram 1 slot of 32gb ddr5  cl40 5600mhz 

"after i was playing games" all pc is freezing , i have force shut down and i have to push the power button and hold it , restart button not working btw i did try to push if it frozen only holding power button works for me

i have lights on after force shutdown my  pc

red light for cpu i did check no bend pins of bord and temp never passing like 60 c and some times orange light for ram did change slots same result are push it inside so its not o problem of not being placed in the pins

any one knows whats i wrong ?

[Silent_Scone]

Hi both,

If the system is exhibiting instability at Intel Defaults (BIOS Optimised Defailts), you're best off contacting Intel support.

Remove any contact frame and reinstall the stock retention mechanism first to rull this out.

[boscacci]

Guys, what I don't actually get is if now, using latest BIOSes (with all new microcodes) but also using Asus OC Profile rather than Intel Defaults dooms the CPU (13th and 14th) to death

[natesiefkes]

https://www.intel.com/content/www/us/en/download/15951/intel-processor-diagnostic-tool.html

There is a processor diagnostic tool if you can get into windows. I have also completed the RMA process on my 14th gen chip, but my degradation was very slow and over time. 

Your rapid chip failure could be a sign that it was a power issue or temp issue, but if you monitored the temps and they were fine you very possibly could have just gotten a bad chip. When setting up the new chip i would restore all bios settings to default and select the "Intel Default" preset and boot with only that before beginning to tweak anything. I have quite a lot of overclocking experience and the 14th gen chips have very little headroom for over clocking so intel's default settings should provide good performance 

With my 14th gen chip I applied an undervolt and synced all cores. That gave me the best stability and temp control. Check out reddit, your mobo's forum, or youtube to see what others have done with your chip for stability and performance before changing any of the intel default settings. Also, intel's max RAM speed for the chip and DDR5 is 5600 MT/s, exceeding that or using the XMP TWEAKED bios setting can lead to instability.