Subj : Intel calms fears over some 13th-gen or 14th-gen buyers missing o To : All From : TechnologyDaily Date : Tue Aug 06 2024 15:00:05 Intel calms fears over some 13th-gen or 14th-gen buyers missing out on extended warranty for instability issues now all CPUs are covered, but worries remain Date: Tue, 06 Aug 2024 13:49:59 +0000 Description: Worried that your CPU in a prebuilt PC didnt get Intels extra warranty to cover instability gremlins? It does now. FULL STORY ====================================================================== Intel has decided that the warranty extension the firm announced last week , for chips affected by instability issues , applies to all its 13th-gen and 14th-gen processors, and not just boxed CPUs. If you recall, when the move, which upped the warranty from three to five years, was made, Intel said it applied to boxed products, but not CPUs that came in prebuilt PCs. (So-called tray CPUs, named because theyre supplied in volume, in trays, to PC makers, with no box or packaging as this isnt needed, and is an unnecessary cost in this case). As VideoCardz spotted, Intel has supplied some further details on the warranty extension, and in the title of that post (from Thomas Hannaford, Intels Communications Manager), theres a key new nugget that the warranty applies to Intel Core 13th/14th-gen Desktop Boxed/Tray CPUs . So, note the mention now of both boxed and tray processors, whereas before, Intel had said that there was two-year extended warranty support for our boxed Intel Core 13th and 14th-gen desktop processors. (Our bolding for emphasis in both cases). Team Blue also lists all the chips from these generations that are covered by the warranty extension, as you can see in the screenshot below (from the Core i5 13600K/14600K and upwards, basically but not the non-K versions of the 13600/14600, it should be noted). (Image credit: Intel) Analysis: Bad timing Intel is busy firefighting a pretty nasty PR disaster at this point, which is likely why this warranty coverage has been broadened. At any rate, its good to get an official acknowledgment that whatever 13th-gen or 14th-gen chip you have, if its an affected model as listed in the above table, you get the benefit of that five-year warranty whether the processor was bought separately in a box, or it came in a prebuilt PC. Theres still a good deal of discontent rumbling and echoing around various online forums regarding this whole issue. For starters, theres the topic of when the microcode update the preventative patch thats inbound is going to arrive. We were promised it for mid-August, and thats only about a week away now, yet theres still no word. Granted, it could still be right on track, but were getting close now. And to be fair, wed rather Intel took the time to get this as right as possible, as opposed to rushing out the update so theres that too. However, there are also concerns for those affected whove returned their CPU, and might be getting a new replacement chip soon if it arrives before said microcode patch, is it safe to install the processor and run it (or might that damage it, if the preventative update isnt ready and released)? Or will new chips come with this microcode tweaking already baked in? We dont know. (Image credit: Future) As far as were aware, Intel is still investigating these stability problems to see if further key causes might be lurking under the hood of Raptor Lake and Raptor Lake Refresh processors. Theres a sense of unease and uncertainty about Intels overall approach here, and for us, the concern that perhaps processors that seem unaffected right now, might eventually manifest glitches well down the line. (Which is doubtless what the warranty extension is about but what about CPUs past that five-year point)? Were also waiting for Intel to pin down the separate oxidation issue with more accuracy (in terms of providing batch numbers of affected processors), and some folks online are still worried about 13th-gen or 14th-gen laptop chips too, even though Intel has assured us these are not affected . With Arrow Lake CPUs due later this year, and Ryzen 9000 releasing imminently , Intel faces an uphill struggle on the desktop already without these further doubts being cast on its existing desktop CPU ranges. Laptop processor worries wont help either, even if they are unwarranted. Especially as Intel is facing off two foes on this front, given the hype around new Copilot+ PCs namely Qualcomms Snapdragon X silicon, and Ryzen AI 300 mobile processors. In short, its a bad time for all this to be happening, and we feel Intel needs to step up the damage control over these stability gremlins, and deliver some further clarifications as soon as possible. You might also like Processor upgrade: how to choose the right CPU Best gaming CPU: 5 top processors reviewed and rated Here are the best cheap processor deals right now ====================================================================== Link to news story: https://www.techradar.com/computing/cpu/intel-calms-fears-over-some-13th-gen-o r-14th-gen-buyers-missing-out-on-extended-warranty-for-instability-issues-now- all-cpus-are-covered-but-worries-remain --- Mystic BBS v1.12 A47 (Linux/64) * Origin: tqwNet Technology News (1337:1/100) .