Intel has announced a two-year extended warranty in response to the ongoing stability issues affecting its 13th and 14th-generation processors, resulting in a five-year warranty coverage.
The problems that have caused unexpected crashes and blue screens of death (BSOD) during intensive tasks like gaming have been traced back to issues with excessive voltage. This has led to potential risks of permanent damage to affected processors.
The extension applies to boxed processors purchased at stores, with some models, such as the Special Edition KS versions, receiving an upgrade from a one-year to a three-year warranty.
Intel is set to release a microcode update by mid-August to mitigate these issues, though it will not rectify processors already suffering from instability. Users experiencing current problems are advised to return their processors for replacement.
The company has acknowledged that while the update should prevent further degradation of unaffected processors, there are concerns that CPUs exposed to excessive voltage may have incurred unseen damage.
Customers with OEM systems are instructed to contact their system manufacturers for warranty adjustments, suggesting that similar extensions may be forthcoming from OEMs.
“For users who purchased systems from OEM/System Integrators – please reach out to your system manufacturer’s support team for further assistance,” notes Intel.
In addition to the warranty extension, intel has issued an apology for its delayed response to the stability issues. The company clarified that the instability was not related to Via Oxidation, a minor issue identified in 2022, which was addressed with fixes and enhanced screening by early 2023.
Despite these measures, some affected chips may have remained in the supply chain until early 2024, reports Tom’s Hardware.
The announcement comes as the company faces potential legal action, with investigations underway for a possible class action lawsuit related to the stability issues. The company has promised further details on the warranty extension in the coming days and is exploring methods to facilitate the identification of affected processors.
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