Ouch, this is impacting two of the Intel i9-powered gaming computers I purchased a year ago, PC & laptop.
Some of Intel’s best CPUs may be having stability issues in Unreal Engine 4 and 5 games. According to reports from frustrated users, CPUs like the Core i9-13900K or the Core i9-14900K run into shader compilation issues in certain games, resulting in crashes. The community found a fix that seems to work for most people, but it’s more of a workaround than a real solution.
Intel CPU gaming crashes are causing an uproar (yahoo.com)
This isn’t what anybody that spends thousands of dollars to purchase a high-end gaming PC wants to hear. Am happy to report, however, I haven’t experienced any game crashes on either system in the last year. Then again, I haven’t played the games mentioned in this article, either.
This PC Gamer article offers more hope that it isn’t an issue for every i9 CPU:
Because this isn’t a software issue, your only course of action is to delve into the CPU’s settings, either in the motherboard BIOS or by using Intel’s Extreme Tuning Utility (XTU). One simple fix that may work is reducing the clock multiplier for the P-cores down a notch or two. For example, if the default value is x55, then dropping it to x54 or x53 may well stop the crashes from occurring.
There are increased reports of crashing in Unreal Engine games, etc. and Epic is blaming Intel chips | PC Gamer
Last year after purchasing both computers, my goal was to get 7-10 years of usage before needing to upgrade to a new gaming PC. With basically a year gone by, still feeling good about that end goal, but yes, it’s unsettling hearing about stuff like this.
More solutions offered here: How to Fix ‘Unreal Engine 4 Crashing’ on PC (drivereasy.com)
Meanwhile, Nvidia continues to work on the 50-series cards (SPECULATIVE: Nvidia 50-series Could Be Ready by Q4-2024, Early 2025).
Most PC gamer buyers go through some sort of mental buying process. Do we buy a high-end PC? Can we get away with something middle tier? Will the PC we buy be powerful enough to last some amount of time into the future as new modern games come out to play? Or perhaps more common: what is the least amount we can pay to buy a lower tier gaming PC?
A few years back, I bought an HP for $600 with a 1650 Super graphics card in it. This desktop PC served me well for both streaming and gaming. Worked so well that I decided recently that I didn’t want to sell it, even after buying two extreme high-end Alienware computers in 2023, those specs are detailed here: My 2023 Favorite Gaming-related Hardware Purchase Is …
Pictured above: Virtual Pinball (VPX) table running via Alienware high-end PC system
On Humpday Wednesdays I stream on Twitch with the dual Alienware setup, but still stream two days a week — Tuesday and Saturday — typically with the $600 HP. Other streams, it can vary which is being used.
When it comes to just playing games, I still play a good portion of time on the Steam Deck, my 2022 favorite hardware gaming-related purchase of the year. While it’s not nearly as powerful as the other three gaming PCs we have available to play, it’s far more convenient. It’s easily taken over the most portable gaming time from the Nintendo Switch. Only recently, did I play the newest Super Mario game (covered here: Launching October 20, 2023: Super Mario Bros. Wonder – PlayGamesMore).
Bottom line: these i9-related crashes will impact a relatively small percentage of gamers. Does it suck it is those that paid a premium for their machines? Yes. Underclocking in the BIOS does not seem like a great solution, but it’s one of the suggested fixes so far. What system specs are you using for PC gaming? I would argue that it’s not necessary — more like a gaming luxury — having a high-end PC system after owning one for a year. Yes, they are awesome, the graphics — especially at 4K — are amazing, but you can have a lot of fun playing on a much less expensive PC gaming rig.
hi Todd! I agree, you should only buy what you need. My laptop from four years ago with a mobile 2060 16gb can still play everything at medium settings. Unsure if I get a new laptop this fall or next with the 5000 series cards coming out. It all comes down to how good the Black Friday sales are on the new 4000 series cards this year.