Summary

  • Intel discovered the problem with the CPUs - but there won't be any returns or stoppage of sales.
  • Microcode patch can't reverse the damage caused by the elevated voltage - only prevent further harm.
  • Despite the mess, Intel hasn't clarified warranty replacements or how they will notify customers about the issue.

A few weeks ago, reports began appearing that Intel was selling defective 13th and 14th-generation CPUs. A game publisher ran some tests on the chips and noted an "almost 100%" failure rate on the chips, which led to further investigation by users and Intel alike. A week ago, Intel finally discovered what the problem was: it was down to an elevated operating voltage caused by an issue in the microcode algorithm.

The good news is that Intel can fix the issue by supplying a patch, which is scheduled to come out in mid-August. The bad news is that Intel has not expressed any interest in taking any returns, nor will it stop sales of the affected CPUs. Plus, it seems that any damage done to the chip is irreversible, meaning that lots of Intel chip owners are left wondering if they'll get any compensation for the issue.

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Things started looking bad in a post on Tom's Hardware, which claims that the damage done by the elevated voltage is irreversible. The microcode patch will not fix any damage done by the fault; it will only prevent more damage from being done.

This prompted The Verge to reach out to Intel to ask how it will handle returns and hardware sales. The answer it got wasn't so ideal:

Intel has not halted sales or clawed back any inventory. It will not do a recall, period. The company is not currently commenting on whether or how it might extend its warranty. It would not share estimates with The Verge of how many chips are likely to be irreversibly impacted, and it did not explain why it’s continuing to sell these chips ahead of any fix.

Intel’s not yet telling us how warranty replacements will work beyond trying customer support again if you’ve previously been rejected. It did not explain how it will contact customers with these chips to warn them about the issue.

Finally, the cherry on top of this mess was spotted by Windows Central, which found a Q&A session claiming the problem may run deeper than previously thought. While it turns out that mobile chips weren't affected, Intel did confirm that "any Raptor Lake chips running at 65W" could suffer damage. That's a great deal more chips than previously thought, as it was once believed that only i7 and i9 chips were affected.

It's still unclear as to how this issue will affect people's confidence in Intel, and if people will migrate to AMD in response. Unfortunately, things aren't perfectly smooth on AMD's side either, as the company just recalled its CPUs because of a typo.