Intel responds to claims that a patch for a 'bug' in its processors may cause your computer to slow down dramatically

Intel has responded to reports that a 'bug' within its processors cannot be cured with a firmware update and the only fix is an OS patch that may slow down your machine by up to 30%.

As reported on our sister site TechRadar, the fault was thought to be a major issue for users of Intel processors that are up to a decade old.

However, in a statement, Intel has disputed the claim that only its chips are affected, saying: "Intel and other technology companies have been made aware of new security research describing software analysis methods that, when used for malicious purposes, have the potential to improperly gather sensitive data from computing devices that are operating as designed. Intel believes these exploits do not have the potential to corrupt, modify or delete data.

"Recent reports that these exploits are caused by a “bug” or a “flaw” and are unique to Intel products are incorrect. Based on the analysis to date, many types of computing devices - with many different vendors’ processors and operating systems - are susceptible to these exploits."

The statement goes on to say that Intel is working with other companies, including AMD and ARM Holdings, to resolve the issue with software and firmware updates, and that "any performance impacts are workload-dependent, and, for the average computer user, should not be significant and will be mitigated over time."

So what does this mean for us music makers? Well, it’s hard to say at this point as it sounds like it may depend on what particular task is being tackled. All we can hope is that the reports that the 'fix' - whatever it is - could lead to a performance drop of between 5 and 30% are indeed some way wide of the mark.