Intel Extends Warranty on 13th and 14th Gen CPUs Amid Chip Debacle

Intel has spent the better part of two weeks under fire for the instability of its 13th and 14th Gen desktops. If you haven’t been following the news, the microcode algorithm affected the above tweet thread. It was sending incorrect voltage requests to the processor, resulting in user computers crashing. That was bad enough, but then came Tom’s Hardware reporting that any damage done was permanent.

Intel has announced that it is releasing a patch to fix the problem, which is scheduled to arrive in mid-August. This is all well and good, but what about that permanent damage? In accordance with PC GamerIntel is trying to fix things to extend the warranty box chips affected by two years. Now, if your chip is in a pre-built system, Intel recommends consumers “contact the system manufacturer’s support team.”

And while it’s a good move, don’t think it’s out of the goodness of Intel’s heart. There are reports that a law firm has begun investigating and filing a class action lawsuit against the chip maker. Extending the warranty to cover where the chips are can be a good way to break up with angry buyers in the past.

But not immediately. It seems that Intel has a problem with the warranty extension. There have been rumors from some Redditors that Intel is not holding up their end of the deal. A Jerubedo post on the r/hardware subreddit details the frustrating back-and-forth with Intel customer support. RMA for Intel. Despite providing the company with all the documents requested in the RMA (Return Materials Authorization) form, it has not received satisfaction.

Instead, Intel told Jerubedo that the products they purchased were “‘rebranded’ and not genuine.” This is despite buying two 14900K boxes, one from Amazon and the other from Microcenter. Berube went above and beyond, returning one chip to Microcenter and having the seller confirm that the chip had not been tampered with and was the genuine article. Intel refused to back down and said the chips were actually counterfeit.

In a letter to Redditors, Intel said, “I am asking to be notified as part of Intel’s ongoing efforts to prevent market fraud, in the event that a product you submit for warranty support is found to be a rebranded or counterfeit product, Intel. reserves the right to retain the product and/or destroy the product accordingly.”