https://www.techpowerup.com/325155/intel-extends-warranty-by-two-years-for-13th-and-14th-generation-processors-amid-crashing-concerns In a statement for Tom's Hardware, Intel has announced a two-year warranty extension for its 13th and 14th Generation Core processors. This decision comes in response to widespread reports of
crashes and instability affecting a broad range of models, from high-end flagship chips to mid-range offerings. The extension effectively increases the standard warranty period from three to five years for most boxed processors, with even the limited-edition models seeing an increase from one to three years. This move aims to reassure customers and mitigate concerns about potential long-term damage to affected chips. Intel has identified excessive voltage as the root cause of the problem, which has led to unexpected system crashes and blue screens of death (BSODs), particularly during gaming and other demanding tasks.
The company plans to release a microcode update by mid-August to prevent further degradation in unaffected processors. However, this update will not resolve issues in chips that have already experienced problems, and users with malfunctioning processors will need to seek replacements. The tech giant has faced criticism for its delayed response to the issue, which has plagued users for months. In its statement, Intel also addressed concerns about Via Oxidation, clarifying that while this separate issue was discovered in 2022, it is not the cause of the current instability problems. The company claims to have implemented fixes and enhanced screening procedures for Via Oxidation by early 2023, with affected chips reportedly removed from the supply chain by early 2024.
As investigations for a potential
class action lawsuit begin, Intel's warranty extension appears to be a proactive step to maintain customer trust. The company has advised users with OEM systems to contact their manufacturers directly, suggesting similar warranty extensions from system builders may be forthcoming. Below, you can see Intel's statements for Tom's Hardware, on the matter of two-year warranty extension.
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.
Intel is also investigating options to easily identify affected processors on end user systems and will provide additional guidance as soon as possible. At the same time, we apologize for the delay in communications as this has been a challenging issue to unravel and definitively root cause.
Next, Intel also issued a statement for Tom's Hardware regarding the Via Oxidation issue.
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.
It seems to me that this is a preemptive step by Intel to avoid a class-action lawsuit.