[MAIN\MERGED] Intel Skylake & Kaby Lake Hyperthreading Bug

[pepper_chico]

It has been confirmed that Intel's Skylake/Kaby Lake hyper-threading can present serious issues that can be fixed by a BIOS/UEFI update that targets Intel processor errata KBL095, KBW095 or the similar one for Kaby Lake processor.

Any plans for such update to come? On Kaby Lake it seems the most safe route at the moment is to simply disable hyper-threading until ASUS provides a new BIOS that addresses this. On Skylake there's the option on ArchLinux side, for example, to install extra/intel-ucode to get microcode updates since there's a fix in revision 0xb9/0xba and later. Windows doesn't have a microcode update for this yet, afaik.

Source: https://lists.debian.org/debian-devel/2017/06/msg00308.html

[Korth]

I think this bug is major enough - or is at least perceived as major enough - to directly and negatively impact Intel sales in this time of impressive new AMD alternatives. Intel must fix this bug, the quicker the better, and must distribute the fix to Intel partners, or continue to lose money. I doubt we'll wait a year, I'm guessing Intel will announce a (quick) fix within a few weeks and maybe another (solid perfect final) fix within a couple more months at most.

Time will prove me right or wrong, lol.

Until such time, your fix is an option for those who want the fix now.

[eldata]

Korth wrote:
I think this bug is major enough - or is at least perceived as major enough - to directly and negatively impact Intel sales in this time of impressive new AMD alternatives. Intel must fix this bug, the quicker the better, and must distribute the fix to Intel partners, or continue to lose money. I doubt we'll wait a year, I'm guessing Intel will announce a (quick) fix within a few weeks and maybe another (solid perfect final) fix within a couple more months at most.

Time will prove me right or wrong, lol.

Until such time, your fix is an option for those who want the fix now.

This post makes no sense given the information shared here already. Two or three days ago and it would have made more sense.

[Leoplate25]

Da-BOSS wrote:
This applies on all ROG Laptops & Non ROG Laptops too.. including PC too. (THIS FIX IS ONLY FOR SPECIFIC SKYLAKE CPU) with broken Hyper-threading due to a bug on Microcode CPU.

Hello everyone... My name is THEBOSS619 aka T.B.619 or Ehab H. from Egypt.... anyway if you are not advanced or intermediate PC user... please save your self from trouble and forget it.

I would like to help for those who are using any kind of Microsoft Windows OS [example:- Win7,8,8.1,10] as this kind of microcode bug is not affecting linux only but to other OS as well so.... I would like to give a solution to skylake cpu's (ONLY FOR SPECIFIC SKYLAKE CPU) on 8 Steps.. 😉 ok lets start.

First of all...

Z

[1-]
Check on Regedit [Registry Editor] Navigate to this --> [HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\HARDWARE\DESCRIPTION\System\CentralProcessor\0] and look on [Identifier] key if it is [Intel64 Family 6 Model 94 Stepping 3] or [Intel64 Family 6 Model 78 Stepping 3].. if you got one of those... you are good to continue to the next step... if not--> [Forget it!!! wait for BIOS Update from your vendor or OEM]

[2-]
Download this RWEverything utility from---> Click Here

[3-]
Install it and open the program

[4-]
Click on the icon that is called [MSR] or [CPU MSR Registers]

[5-]
Check on the [CPU ID] first section if you have one of those codes which is---> [0x406E3] or [0x506E3]... if you got one of those codes then you are good to continue. if not ---> [Forget it!!! wait for your BIOS Update from your vendor or OEM]

[6-]
Go to this link ---> Click Here to get an idea or learn how to upgrade your CPU Microcode to the lastest version. It is detailed enough there. 🙂

[7-]
After you have readed from the link that I gave it to you above you are now have an idea or know how to update your CPU Microcode to the latest version through Windows so... download this https://downloadcenter.intel.com/download/26798/Linux-Processor-Microcode-Data-File it's lastest Microcode for your CPU and this too https://web.archive.org/web/20160726141516/http://www.amd64.org/microcode/amd-ucode-latest.tar.bz2 use those files to update your microcode CPU.

[8-]
Done (^.^) Enjoy! :).

* I got my CPU Skylake 6700HQ on ASUS ROG GL552VX Laptop with this code 0x506E3 and Intel64 Family 6 Model 94 Stepping 3 and I successfully updated my CPU Microcode to the lastest version and it works like a charm! also this update fixes many cpu bugs including CPU flaws (especially ones dealing with sleep and hibernation) and as it fixes other processor issues as well.

Anyway... thumps up this post or make it stick on the top of the list so that everyone benefit from it 🙂

This post is made purely by me by my own effort [with the help from notebookreview.com link that I provided above].
The idea for this solution came to my mind after reading this ... Click Here

I also posted this solution earilier on reddit Here

Example on my laptop ASUS ROG GL522VX Skylake 6700HQ...

I did everything you said flawlessly and the patch id continues to show 0000009E. I don't know why but i didn't update the microcode and i have the 0x506E3 CPUID. Am i doing something wrong????

[Leoplate25]

Da-BOSS wrote:
This applies on all ROG Laptops & Non ROG Laptops too.. including PC too. (THIS FIX IS ONLY FOR SPECIFIC SKYLAKE CPU) with broken Hyper-threading due to a bug on Microcode CPU.

Hello everyone... My name is THEBOSS619 aka T.B.619 or Ehab H. from Egypt.... anyway if you are not advanced or intermediate PC user... please save your self from trouble and forget it.

I would like to help for those who are using any kind of Microsoft Windows OS [example:- Win7,8,8.1,10] as this kind of microcode bug is not affecting linux only but to other OS as well so.... I would like to give a solution to skylake cpu's (ONLY FOR SPECIFIC SKYLAKE CPU) on 8 Steps.. 😉 ok lets start.

First of all...

[1-]
Check on Regedit [Registry Editor] Navigate to this --> [HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\HARDWARE\DESCRIPTION\System\CentralProcessor\0] and look on [Identifier] key if it is [Intel64 Family 6 Model 94 Stepping 3] or [Intel64 Family 6 Model 78 Stepping 3].. if you got one of those... you are good to continue to the next step... if not--> [Forget it!!! wait for BIOS Update from your vendor or OEM]

[2-]
Download this RWEverything utility from---> Click Here

[3-]
Install it and open the program

[4-]
Click on the icon that is called [MSR] or [CPU MSR Registers]

[5-]
Check on the [CPU ID] first section if you have one of those codes which is---> [0x406E3] or [0x506E3]... if you got one of those codes then you are good to continue. if not ---> [Forget it!!! wait for your BIOS Update from your vendor or OEM]

[6-]
Go to this link ---> Click Here to get an idea or learn how to upgrade your CPU Microcode to the lastest version. It is detailed enough there. 🙂

[7-]
After you have readed from the link that I gave it to you above you are now have an idea or know how to update your CPU Microcode to the latest version through Windows so... download this https://downloadcenter.intel.com/download/26798/Linux-Processor-Microcode-Data-File it's lastest Microcode for your CPU and this too https://web.archive.org/web/20160726141516/http://www.amd64.org/microcode/amd-ucode-latest.tar.bz2 use those files to update your microcode CPU.

[8-]
Done (^.^) Enjoy! :).

* I got my CPU Skylake 6700HQ on ASUS ROG GL552VX Laptop with this code 0x506E3 and Intel64 Family 6 Model 94 Stepping 3 and I successfully updated my CPU Microcode to the lastest version and it works like a charm! also this update fixes many cpu bugs including CPU flaws (especially ones dealing with sleep and hibernation) and as it fixes other processor issues as well.

Anyway... thumps up this post or make it stick on the top of the list so that everyone benefit from it 🙂

This post is made purely by me by my own effort [with the help from notebookreview.com link that I provided above].
The idea for this solution came to my mind after reading this ... Click Here

I also posted this solution earilier on reddit Here

Example on my laptop ASUS ROG GL522VX Skylake 6700HQ...

RW (Read and write tool) said BA, after restarting my PC but BIOS keeps showing 9E. Which one should i take for granted? Thank you and sorry fot all the questions!

[Korth]

I'm gonna wait for the official Intel fix. Very unwise to install unofficial (and unsupported) processor microcode. Besides, the bug seemingly hasn't affected any of the platforms I use for - what, over one year now? - so I'm willing to live with the bug (or without Hyperthreading) and gamble that waiting a few more weeks won't make any real difference.

But I'm not willing to basically Copy&Paste executable firmware meant for one (critical) piece of hardware into a similar-but-also-different (critical) piece of hardware, I don't think simply editing a code version descriptor is at all the same as actually changing the real code version. (And especially not with third-party tools!)

Your method may indeed fully fix this HT bug. But I think it unlikely. If such an important erratum was so easily fixed with such a simple hack, wouldn't Intel have already happily done so? It would surely save their butts, lol, all the recent public attention on this bug is probably accelerating their efforts to fix it, so there must be good reason why they aren't implementing your quick-n-easy method.

It seems far more likely this microcode hack doesn't properly fix the HT bug. Or maybe it does fix the HT bug, but only by introducing other bugs which might impair processor performance, reliability, stability, compatibility, or longevity. And perhaps also void warranty - which is something that will matter a lot after burning out a $500 CPU with bad/wrong microcode.

It turns out that while I honestly don't know exactly what's in Intel's microcode or what it does, I do understand quite enough about what microcode and firmware contains and does to shake my head at such an ad-hoc "fix" - I view it as reckless, just asking for trouble, a bomb ticking away inside that Intel CPU. It may never go off, or it might kill the system in a blaze of glory tomorrow, who knows? Better if Intel does all the debugging and testing for me, I think.

So - @AKBAAR - more power to you, sir, and I offer my sincere congrats on your ability to "fix" your system, and thank you for sharing the method with us, perhaps others will be happy to follow your initiative - but it's just not going to work for me, lol.

[Korth]

Another non-Intel workaround, unofficial, unsupported, without any guarantees. Thank you @Da-BOSS, but I'd prefer to continue waiting for the only fix I consider "legit", lol.

[AKBAAR]

http://www.win-raid.com/t2904f38-WARNING-Intel-Skylake-Kaby-Lake-processors-Broken-HT-on-Laptops-amp...
This applies on all ROG Laptops & Non ROG Laptops (Means Normal Laptops) too.. including PC too. (THIS FIX IS ONLY FOR SPECIFIC SKYLAKE CPU) with broken Hyper-threading due to a bug on Microcode CPU.

I never experinced anything realy, maybe because i already have my cpu updated to latest MicroCode BA

[Korth]

Sorry, that post (and others) makes no sense here because they were actually posted in other threads before they all got merged together, lol.

[Korth]

eldata wrote:
I read it when it was in its original location. Didn't make sense there either.

I thought it was straightforward?

As a consumer - professional, home user, gamer, web junky, whatever - who knows a little or a lot about computer tech - would you buy an Intel machine with a serious bug (that so far Intel has only advised you avoid by shutting down Hyperthreading) ... or would you buy an AMD machine which doesn't have this serious bug? Especially considering that AMD traditionally offers more bang-for-the-buck, never quite as high-performance as Intel equivalents but still very compelling, and it seems the extra price attached to the Intel isn't worth it because (by disabling HT) the Intel machine is arguably a weaker performer and a worse deal.

As a business - especially anyone in the Enterprise sector or any organization equipped with a competent IP/IT crew - you must assure integrity of your data. Downtime costs money but data loss costs more money. A processor/firmware bug which can cause data loss makes choosing Intel much less appealing.

This bug has affected both Skylake and Kabylake. Seems like a good chance it's also going to be in Coffeelake. Would you buy yourself a brand-new Coffeelake i7-8700K (or whatever) that shipped straight from Intel with a "serious" Hyperthreading bug - or would you perhaps give AMD Ryzen a shot instead?

So it seems obvious to me that as long as this bug remains unfixed by Intel (yet fixed in the public eye) it's costing Intel money. People choose to buy (AMD) alternatives, maybe now or maybe in the near-/mid-future, based in part on what they've heard/read about Intel's serious bug.

[Leoplate25]

Hi, i did what Da-BOSS posted and RWEverything and HWINFO64 show "BA" microcode, so i updated it, i think, because my BIOS keeps showing "9E". I have an i7-6700k (Intel64 Family 6 Model 94 Stepping 3) on an ASUS Z170 Sabertooth S. Can someone tell me if it's ok? Thanks!!!