Intel class action claims 13th, 14th gen processors defective

Intel processors class action overview: 

• Who: An Intel computer owner has sued the company.
• Why: The plaintiff claims the company makes defective 13th and 14th generation processors.
• Where: The Intel class action was filed in a California federal court.

Intel fitted some of its computers with defective 13th and 14th generation processors that frequently crash, a new class action lawsuit claims.

Plaintiff Mark Vanvalkenburgh filed the class action complaint against Intel Corporation on Nov. 5 in a California federal court, alleging violations of state and federal consumer laws.

According to the lawsuit, its recently-released 13th and 14th generation desktop processors are defective, unstable, and prone to frequent crashes. 

The complaint accuses Intel of misleading consumers by advertising the processors as high-performance products without disclosing a defect that has reportedly caused significant performance issues.

Consumers allege high failure rates and instability in Intel’s latest chips

The 13th and 14th generation Intel processors, released in 2022 and 2023, were marketed for their speed and processing power, Vanvalkenburgh says. 

Intel promoted the chips as delivering “more power, performance, and efficiency” and supporting high-end gaming and multitasking, according to the lawsuit. 

However, reports soon surfaced that users were experiencing frequent crashes and system instability, sparking widespread frustration, it says. A defect allowing the chips to run at elevated voltages was later identified as the source of the problem, often resulting in system instability and, in some cases, processor damage, the Intel lawsuit says.

“Consumers reasonably expected the processors to work reliably, but Intel’s silence on the defect led them to pay a premium for products that have caused numerous issues,” the lawsuit says.

Vanvalkenburgh alleges that Intel was aware of these problems but failed to disclose them to the public, despite the fact that Intel’s testing and monitoring systems should have revealed the defect by late 2022.

Intel’s promotional materials, which claim the processors are “optimized for gamers and productivity” and “deliver high performance,” did not include any warnings about potential instability, the Intel class action says. 

As a result, Vanvalkenburgh is looking to represent anyone who bought the Intel 13th or 14th gen core desktop processors in the United States. He’s suing for breach of contract, fraudulent omission and for violations of state business law and seeking certification of the class action, damages, fees, costs and a jury trial, as well as changes to Intel’s advertising practices to prevent future omissions.

Meanwhile, Intel is facing a class action lawsuit claiming that its processors are susceptible to a vulnerability called Downfall and that the company has not taken proper measures to fix the issues.

What do you think of the allegations in this Intel processors lawsuit? Let us know in the comments.

The plaintiff is represented by Christin Cho and Richard Lyon at Dovel & Luner LLP and Kevin Kneupper at Kneupper & Covey PC.

The Intel class action lawsuit is Mark Vanvalkenburgh v. Intel Corporation, Case No. 5:24-cv-07703 in the U.S. District Court for the Northern District of California.

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