Meanwhile, intel's warranties process is horrible. According to a new article on Tom's Hardware, intel are trying to convince customers that chips sold at Amazon and Microcenter are fake. If you try to RMA on to them, they will redirect you to return them to the shop you bought them from, and if you still try to go ahead with the RMA: “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.”
You get 2 more years of this. No thanks, you bums.
Do you think Intel should be forced to warranty service fake CPUs? I agree that Intel should be forced to prove the chips are indeed fake, but if they are, then it is a Microcenter and Amazon problem .. not an Intel problem.
Who actually makes a "fake" CPU? Let alone that looks and performs just like an Intel CPU and has the same flaw that would elicit a customer return via RMA? Seems more like gaslighting legit customers, hoping to discourage warranty returns.
I can understand fake SD cards, because they're a commodity bulk product and you can just change the ID and print a new label.. But how does counterfeiting a CPU work?...
And even then, relabelling a CPU doesn't make it a counterfeit if it still came out of an Intel facility.
However it's noteworthy that the quoted statement doesn't use the words "fake" or "counterfeit" or anything definite as that would be boring. It says "invalid", whatever Intel has decided that means this week.
The cynic in me decodes that as "if we made your broken CPU but it's not what you thought it was (and then said it was on the RMA form), we're keeping it."
Amazon can be iffy for getting fake products if you're not paying attention and it's a 3rd party seller. But Microcenter? To me that sounds like Intel just looking for an excuse to not have to deal with an RMA. Outside of Microcenter what are the retail computer stores you can even buy an Intel CPU at? Best Buy is the only major one I can think of, at least in America.
And I don't follow online tech shops, Mwave used to be good, no idea if they still are. I know a lot of people say to avoid Newegg. So where the hell is a person supposed to buy a noncounterfit Intel CPU? And Amazon will be fine if you're buying directly from Amazon and not a 3rd party seller.
Intel sucks, Asus sucks, MSI sucks, Gigabytye sucks, Newegg sucks. Are there any good companies left here besides AMD & Asrock? And since I don't follow the news, both of those might suck too. I'm glad I bought a 12th gen before this shit storm, I won't need to upgrade for at least another 5 years lol.
By then I hope all of this is worked out, hopefully there will still be good tech companies out there.
I guess quite a few people, who believe it's a great way to get a good CPU cheap, by sending in a dead piece of trash...
A dead CPU is much easier to fake than a marginally working one and investigating something that is made to resemble a defective CPU in depth is a significant effort when this is essentially a new process no one has ever designed nor imagined to operate (temporarily) at scale.
These sort of news come from an organization that has been hit by such forgeries. I don't think Intel is trying to be extra mean here, just trying to tell any new would-be forgers that they're not willing to make it all that easy.
The problem doesn't seem to impact mobile CPUs so extending the warranty will not be particularly expensive for Intel in the long run. Compared to laptops, there are so many fewer unit sales of processors and even fewer going direct to customers where the warranty would actually matter. If you purchased your desktop from a known company, you'd work with them for warranty support. I just can't see this being a large number of products or a significant expense for Intel.
Officially, its any of the 13/14th gen CPUs over 65 Watts. I'm not sure if that statement was for the power settings or the spec'd TDP rating. It's possible it applies whenever the PL1/PL2 settings are above 65 Watts.
Fair points, but a few million may seem like a moderate amount for someone like you or me, but those numbers are relative. I'll wait and see on mobile where the unit numbers are far higher. There have been no reports of higher failure rates outside of desktop hardware so I'm comfortable asserting there is insubstantial impact there. Intel also has a hand in more than just CPU products - though the number of other markets may shrink as they are reducing the business footprint.
Intel has issues managing ME. Intel has issues managing microcode in regards to power and performance. And NOW Intel is backtracking on hyper threading.
They are backtracking on hyperthreading because they want to replace it with something better. Will it work out? I don't know, but the replacement obviously isn't ready.
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ballsystemlord - Friday, August 2, 2024 - link
Nice move, Intel.[email protected] - Sunday, August 4, 2024 - link
Yes. Nice move Intel. You just boosted the price of AMD products just as I was looking to buy them. Great job.wrkingclass_hero - Saturday, August 3, 2024 - link
Meanwhile, intel's warranties process is horrible. According to a new article on Tom's Hardware, intel are trying to convince customers that chips sold at Amazon and Microcenter are fake. If you try to RMA on to them, they will redirect you to return them to the shop you bought them from, and if you still try to go ahead with the RMA: “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.”You get 2 more years of this. No thanks, you bums.
TEAMSWITCHER - Saturday, August 3, 2024 - link
Do you think Intel should be forced to warranty service fake CPUs? I agree that Intel should be forced to prove the chips are indeed fake, but if they are, then it is a Microcenter and Amazon problem .. not an Intel problem.yacoub35 - Saturday, August 3, 2024 - link
Who actually makes a "fake" CPU? Let alone that looks and performs just like an Intel CPU and has the same flaw that would elicit a customer return via RMA? Seems more like gaslighting legit customers, hoping to discourage warranty returns.shadowjk - Sunday, August 4, 2024 - link
I can understand fake SD cards, because they're a commodity bulk product and you can just change the ID and print a new label.. But how does counterfeiting a CPU work?...boozed - Sunday, August 4, 2024 - link
And even then, relabelling a CPU doesn't make it a counterfeit if it still came out of an Intel facility.However it's noteworthy that the quoted statement doesn't use the words "fake" or "counterfeit" or anything definite as that would be boring. It says "invalid", whatever Intel has decided that means this week.
The cynic in me decodes that as "if we made your broken CPU but it's not what you thought it was (and then said it was on the RMA form), we're keeping it."
boozed - Sunday, August 4, 2024 - link
I should add that I don't know what shenanigans are possible with relabelling of modern CPUs so I'm making no assumptions about that.QueBert - Tuesday, August 6, 2024 - link
Amazon can be iffy for getting fake products if you're not paying attention and it's a 3rd party seller. But Microcenter? To me that sounds like Intel just looking for an excuse to not have to deal with an RMA. Outside of Microcenter what are the retail computer stores you can even buy an Intel CPU at? Best Buy is the only major one I can think of, at least in America.And I don't follow online tech shops, Mwave used to be good, no idea if they still are. I know a lot of people say to avoid Newegg. So where the hell is a person supposed to buy a noncounterfit Intel CPU? And Amazon will be fine if you're buying directly from Amazon and not a 3rd party seller.
Intel sucks, Asus sucks, MSI sucks, Gigabytye sucks, Newegg sucks. Are there any good companies left here besides AMD & Asrock? And since I don't follow the news, both of those might suck too. I'm glad I bought a 12th gen before this shit storm, I won't need to upgrade for at least another 5 years lol.
By then I hope all of this is worked out, hopefully there will still be good tech companies out there.
abufrejoval - Tuesday, August 6, 2024 - link
I guess quite a few people, who believe it's a great way to get a good CPU cheap, by sending in a dead piece of trash...A dead CPU is much easier to fake than a marginally working one and investigating something that is made to resemble a defective CPU in depth is a significant effort when this is essentially a new process no one has ever designed nor imagined to operate (temporarily) at scale.
These sort of news come from an organization that has been hit by such forgeries. I don't think Intel is trying to be extra mean here, just trying to tell any new would-be forgers that they're not willing to make it all that easy.
PeachNCream - Saturday, August 3, 2024 - link
The problem doesn't seem to impact mobile CPUs so extending the warranty will not be particularly expensive for Intel in the long run. Compared to laptops, there are so many fewer unit sales of processors and even fewer going direct to customers where the warranty would actually matter. If you purchased your desktop from a known company, you'd work with them for warranty support. I just can't see this being a large number of products or a significant expense for Intel.evanh - Sunday, August 4, 2024 - link
Officially, its any of the 13/14th gen CPUs over 65 Watts.I'm not sure if that statement was for the power settings or the spec'd TDP rating. It's possible it applies whenever the PL1/PL2 settings are above 65 Watts.
abufrejoval - Tuesday, August 6, 2024 - link
Not affecting mobile: that remains to be seen.Not "a significant expense for Intel": you and I could live very comfortably off the many, many millions this is going to cost Intel.
I'd call that significant, but perspectives differ.
PeachNCream - Tuesday, August 6, 2024 - link
Fair points, but a few million may seem like a moderate amount for someone like you or me, but those numbers are relative. I'll wait and see on mobile where the unit numbers are far higher. There have been no reports of higher failure rates outside of desktop hardware so I'm comfortable asserting there is insubstantial impact there. Intel also has a hand in more than just CPU products - though the number of other markets may shrink as they are reducing the business footprint.haukionkannel - Tuesday, August 6, 2024 - link
Also much harder to send mobile chip to Intel for investigation…[email protected] - Sunday, August 4, 2024 - link
Intel has issues managing ME. Intel has issues managing microcode in regards to power and performance. And NOW Intel is backtracking on hyper threading.nandnandnand - Wednesday, August 7, 2024 - link
They are backtracking on hyperthreading because they want to replace it with something better. Will it work out? I don't know, but the replacement obviously isn't ready.Khanan - Wednesday, August 7, 2024 - link
Their HT is suboptimal to the one of AMD anyway, so the thought is easy, just throw it away and replace it instead of improving it.rtho782 - Monday, August 5, 2024 - link
A huge number of people buy tray cpus rather than boxed. Those people seem to be screwed.