Feed: AnandTech
Feed Link: https://www.anandtech.com
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Title: Intel Extends 13th & 14th Gen Core Retail CPU Warranties By 2 Years In
Response to Chip Instability Issues

Date: Fri, 02 Aug 2024 08:00:00 EDT
Link: https://www.anandtech.com/show/21499/intel-ex...

Capping off an extensive (and expensive) week for Intel, the company has also
announced that they are taking additional steps to address the ongoing chip
stability issues with desktop Raptor Lake chips - the 13th and 14th
Generation desktop Core processors. In order to keep owners whole, Intel will
be extending the warranty on retail boxed Raptor Lake chips by two years,
bringing the cumulative warranty for the chips to five years altogether.

This latest announcement comes as Intel is still in the process of preparing
their major Raptor Lake microcode update, which is designed to mitigate the
issue (or rather, further damage) by fixing the elevated voltage bug in their
existing microcode that has led to the issue in the first place. That
microcode update remains scheduled for mid-August, roughly a couple of weeks
from now.

But until then - and depending on how quickly the update is distributed, even
afterwards - there is still the matter of what to do with Raptor Lake desktop
chips that are already too far gone and are consequently unstable. Intel's
retail boxed Raptor Lake chips ship with a 3 year warranty, which given the
October 2022 launch date, would have the oldest of these chips covered until
October of 2025 - a bit over a year from now. And while the in-development
fix should mean that this is plenty of time to catch and replace any damaged
chips, Intel has opted to take things one step further by extending the
chips' warranty to five years.

Overall, this is much-needed bit of damage control by Intel to restore some
faith in their existing Raptor Lake desktop processor lineup. Even with the
planned microcode fix, it remains unclear at best about what the long-term
repercussions of the voltage bug is, and what it means for the lifespan of
still-stable chips that receive the fixed microcode. In the best-case
scenario, an extended warranty gives Raptor Lake owners a bit more peace of
mind, and in a worst-case scenario, they're now covered for a couple of years
longer if the chip degradation issues persist.

One important thing to note, however, is that the extended warranty will only
apply to boxed processors, i.e. Intel's official retail chips. Intel's loose
chips that are sold by the tray to OEMs and certain distributors - commonly
referred to as "tray" processors - are not covered by the extended warranty.
While Raptor Lake tray processors do technically come with a three-year
warranty of their own, Intel does not provide direct, end-user warranty
service for these chips. Instead, those warranties are serviced by the OEM or
distributor that sold the chip.

With the bulk of Intel's chips going to OEMs and other professional system
builders, Intel will undoubtedly need to settle things with those groups, as
well. But with OEM dealings typically remaining behind closed doors, it's
unlikely we'll hear about just what is agreed there. Regardless, whatever
Intel does (or doesn't do) to assuage OEMs and distributors, those groups
will remain responsible for handling warranty claims for tray chips.

Finally, it should be noted that while today's announcement outlines the two-
year warranty extension, it doesn't deliver the full details on the program.
Intel expects to release more details on the extended warranty program "in
the coming days."

Intel's full statement is below:

Intel is committed to making sure all customers who have or are currently
experiencing instability symptoms on their 13th and/or 14th Gen desktop
processors are supported in the exchange process. We stand behind our
products, and in the coming days we will be sharing more details on two-year
extended warranty support for our boxed Intel Core 13th and 14th Gen desktop
processors.

In the meantime, if you are currently or previously experienced instability
symptoms on your Intel Core 13th/14th Gen desktop system: For users who
purchased systems from OEM/System Integrators - please reach out to your
system manufacturer's support team for further assistance. For users who
purchased a boxed CPU - please reach out to Intel Customer Support for
further assistance. At the same time, we apologize for the delay in
communications as this has been a challenging issue to unravel and
definitively root cause.
-Intel Community Post Additional Details on Via Oxidation Issue

Separately, Intel's community team also posted a brief update on the via
oxidation issue that, although distinct from the current Raptor Lake
instability issues, came into question at roughly the same time. Intel has
previously stated that that issue is unconnected to the ongoing stability
issues, and was fixed back in 2023. And this latest update offers a few more
details on just what that manufacturing issue entailed.

The Via Oxidation issue currently reported in the press is a minor one that
was addressed with manufacturing improvements and screens in early 2023.

The issue was identified in late 2022, and with the manufacturing
improvements and additional screens implemented Intel was able to confirm
full removal of impacted processors in our supply chain by early 2024.
However, on-shelf inventory may have persisted into early 2024 as a result.

Minor manufacturing issues are an inescapable fact with all silicon products.
Intel continuously works with customers to troubleshoot and remediate product
failure reports and provides public communications on product issues when the
customer risk exceeds Intel quality control thresholds.
-Intel Community Post

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