Intel Extends Warranty by Two Years for 13th and 14th Generation Processors Amid Crashing Concerns

[Darmok N Jalad]

I think a class action is a bit premature, though there might be enough “clients” that are out the cost of the chip with no warranty replacement. If the micro-code update hampers performance, then the floodgates will open. While lawyers can certainly overdo it on lawsuits, that actually seems like the appropriate response if the company has to reduce the performance of the product to make it stable. It’s no one’s fault but Intel’s that the product as-is has a defect. Really, that’s what it comes down to, the shipped product is defective and requires a patch. If performance is unchanged, then it’s a tougher thing to justify, IMO. Now if Intel willfully did this and hoped it would work, that borders on fraud, but I’m sure they can escape that by calling this a mundane error in coding.

 

[Dr. Dro]

In 20 years of building PCs, I've always stuck with the lower end of the i7 chips. (6700 for example) This was the first year I decided to go to the i9 series with the 14900k.

What a frigging debacle. I put the PC together in December and was having issues by Jan. I swapped components, I installed new OS instances in new partitions, I poured over log files. The Intel test app came back clean. Despite that, my computer just kept crashing and it got worse over time. Finally, I found a thread discussing the motherboard CPU limits not being properly set for these CPUs and potentially damaging the chips. After struggling through a lot of BIOS config permutations, I decided to say "F it" and I just ordered an I7 (the chip I should have just bought to start with). Swapped it out and it immediately solved my problem.

It was a kind of annoying process that took longer than it should have, but I was able to get the RMA done. I've now got a new i9-14900k in a box and I'm still using the i7. Maybe when they get their shit in order and release this update and folks find it actually works, I'll use this thing in a new storage/VM server. As of now, it kind of feels like wasted money.

You should RMA your 14900K. It's clearly damaged.

 

[Ayhamb99]

Too late Intel, should have at least started off with this in response to all the reports of the failures instead of just informing via a forum post that they will be issuing a fix at a later time and also refusing to issue a recall.

You had the perfect opportunity to turn this around by showing customer/rma service in good fashion, but noooo you squandered it.

 

[Solaris17]

I can’t help but think some of these “user reports” are done just for the attention. Maybe they aren’t giving the whole story. I run IDT I attach it to the email and I get a new CPU. Iv done this for several, and as an individual not a company or anything. It was always effortless. Its honestly probably one of the best RMA experiences iv ever had short of maybe Evga.

 

[tfp]

I can’t help but think some of these “user reports” are done just for the attention. Maybe they aren’t giving the whole story. I run IDT I attach it to the email and I get a new CPU. Iv done this for several, and as an individual not a company or anything. It was always effortless. Its honestly probably one of the best RMA experiences iv ever had short of maybe Evga.

About a year or two ago I experienced the same with a 9900k that was acting unstable nearing the end of the chips warranty. A buddy of mine bought it for me at his local micro center as I was a few states away from a micro center and I had the job for a few years when it started acting up all I had to do was explain what was going on to Intel support, ship the chip, then get my buddies ok because it was his receipt, and intel sent me a check. Maybe this has changed but if a processor is really unstable I expect they will honor the RMA.

 

[Dr. Dro]

I can’t help but think some of these “user reports” are done just for the attention. Maybe they aren’t giving the whole story. I run IDT I attach it to the email and I get a new CPU. Iv done this for several, and as an individual not a company or anything. It was always effortless. Its honestly probably one of the best RMA experiences iv ever had short of maybe Evga.

Only RMA I've ever done with Intel was of a Pentium G3258 (remember those unlocked Pentiums? lol fun times), the first one I got was a dud, the second one I still have here somewhere. It was about instant, no questions asked. That was almost 10 years ago now...

 

[trparky]

I had an old 8700K chip that became unstable after about five years of using it. However, I simply chalked it up to how I overclocked the snot out of it. I pushed that chip to 5.4 GHz.

 

[eidairaman1]

Funny how they denied warranty now suddenly they change their mind, shame on them for denying it in the first place, hypocrites

 

[Dr. Dro]

Funny how they denied warranty now suddenly they change their mind, shame on them for denying it in the first place, hypocrites

There is like, one report on Reddit of someone getting their RMA declined. Media picked up on it to blast Intel and AMD fanboys weaponized it. Bit too much to go all guns blazing on this

 

[thesmokingman]

Dude, whatever Intel is smoking... must be some good stuff. Sure, ya extended the warranty, but...

Intel customer bemoans CPU RMA process — furious owner says Intel claims brand new Core i9-14900K chips purchased from Amazon and Micro Center are fake​

What good is a warranty if ya just gonna deny it? They just straight resorting to FRAUD.

When the Reddit poster sent clearer photos of the Amazon chip, Intel changed its stance, saying it was indeed a boxed processor. However, the company also noted that it wasn’t confident that the chip would pass muster with its fraud validation, suggesting that jerubedo return the chip to the merchant (Amazon) that sold them the chip instead.

The CPU giant said that jerubedo could push through with the RMA, but Intel threatened to keep the chip if it found it fake.

Intel’s alleged response to the Reddit user’s insistence on the return was: “We do not disclose our investigation practices. If you believe your products are valid and wish to proceed with a return merchandise authorization (RMA), we can create one. However, if the products fail the validation process, the units will be retained and confiscated, and no replacements or refunds will be provided.”

Intel customer bemoans CPU RMA process — furious owner says Intel claims brand new Core i9-14900K chips purchased from Amazon and Micro Center are fake

The RMA drama begins.

www.tomshardware.com

 

[JustBenching]

Dude, whatever Intel is smoking... must be some good stuff. Sure, ya extended the warranty, but...



What good is a warranty if ya just gonna deny it? They just straight resorting to FRAUD.

Intel customer bemoans CPU RMA process — furious owner says Intel claims brand new Core i9-14900K chips purchased from Amazon and Micro Center are fake

The RMA drama begins.

www.tomshardware.com

They didn't deny it. Read the reddit thread. This time more closely. The problem was the original pictures he took still had paste in them, so the AI recognition couldn't properly read the serial number. The guy then send 2 clear pictures and all is well

Now let's check failure rates from one of the biggest workstation retailers

 

[HD64G]

 

[R0H1T]

That was almost 10 years ago now.

Yes when they had billions to burn & burn they did

 

[Shtb]

This is good news for those that build their own PC but what about the vast majority that buy pre-builts? I think they come with a 1 year manufacturer warranty. So after a year when the PC starts borking where do they go? If they even know about the extended warranty on the CPU

support for our boxed Intel Core 13th and 14th Gen desktop processors

I don't think pc builders use boxed versions of processors, most likely the vast majority use OEM versions.

 

[Dr. Dro]

Yes when they had billions to burn & burn they did

True, but mostly was thinking of how long it's been since then. 3258 was a fun chip, at the time people spoke of Celeron 300A vibes. Shame they didn't release a 3458, the Pentium G3400 series had more cache, and that helped a lot.

 

[R0H1T]

I had that chip till last year when I sold it at a pawn shop, well for parts but these guys are almost iconic

Spoiler

 

[Ruru]

Would be interesting that how expensive a huge recall/RMA will cost Intel.

 

[Dr. Dro]

Would be interesting that how expensive a huge recall/RMA will cost Intel.

At the scale of Raptor Lake silicon, my most educated guess would be in the high million to mid billion range. ~$500M to ~$1.25B

 

[b1k3rdude]

Non-retail, OEM (tray) CPUs don’t have the same warranty coverage as retail (boxed) CPUs. For OEM, you go to the OEM, which is not Intel. The OEM manages the claim. This is why OEM chips are cheaper than retail, as the warranty coverage is usually less, or even non-existent. So if you do buy Retail, it’s not a bad idea to keep your original packaging.

So basically, Intel is really only extending the Intel warranty coverage for a small percentage of Raptor Lake owners, Pretty strategic, really, as that’s the portion of the population that’s going to hammer Intel online the hardest.

The price delta between non-retail and retail isnt as big as that though, in the Uk its something like £20-45. And regarding the packaging, I do this because it make selling parts on after the fact so much easier. But for warrant claims, thats what the receipt is for(details are on it), no box/packing is required.

The main issue and a lot of people/biz in this percentage coming down the pipe will have is, CPUs typically have lifespans that number in the 10+ year mark. And unlick you and I, arent aware of the sh*tstorm surrounding the 13/14th gen CPU's. The fact that a corp as large as intel isnt doing right by ALL of thier customers, is just a friendly reminder that intel are and always been a nasty money grabbing outfit with no scruples. And that these corporations dont give a flying f*ck about you as the customer. You as the customer need to be platform and product agnostick, with no brand loyalty.

 

[chrcoluk]

This is good news and the right decision, I did call for this in a older post.

However they need to be doing something similar for OEM's, as tray processors I believe still have a 1 year warranty? and now boxed has 5 years.

For me, I have never purchased OEM as the price difference has always felt too low for the warranty you lose. Also risky if the retailer is binning out the best OEM chips.

 

[pressing on]

This is good news and the right decision, I did call for this in a older post.

However they need to be doing something similar for OEM's, as tray processors I believe still have a 1 year warranty? and now boxed has 5 years.

For me, I have never purchased OEM as the price difference has always felt too low for the warranty you lose. Also risky if the retailer is binning out the best OEM chips.

Intel has now extended the warranty for OEM/System Integrator and Tray processors by two years as well.

This is what the Intel warranty page says

"...Starting with the 12th Generation Intel® Desktop tray processors, Intel’s limited warranty to direct customers (OEMs, and Intel authorized distributors) is extended to three years. The warranty is provided at your place of purchase. The three-year limited warranty does not apply to previous generations of the Desktop Intel Processors.

For resellers, integrators, and end users, the warranty is provided at your place of purchase."