Intel extends Core chip warranty to soothe customers

Intel has extended the warranty period on its 13th- and 14th-gen Core desktop chips for an extra two years, the company said late Thursday, in an attempt to reassure customers that they could buy with confidence. EDIT: Intel issued an update to its blog post, with further details, on Monday, August 5.

Normally, Intel’s warranty terms for its 13th- and 14th-gen Core processors cover three years. If you’ve purchased either a boxed processor or a system from a PC maker, Intel guarantees that that chip will conform to the company’s specifications and will be free from defect. Now they’re covered for five years total.

Why? Everything changed when problems were discovered with Intel’s latest Core chips, which suffered unexplained crashes and BSODs for months. Intel finally attributed the root cause to elevated operating voltage caused by a microcode algorithm, and said that a fix would be rolling out this month via updated firmware from PC and motherboard makers. But the patch won’t fix CPUs that have already been damaged.

Anyone associated with Intel had to be a bit jittery after Intel said Thursday that it would lay off about 15,000 employees over the course of the year, cut spending, and re-evaluate its product lines. Intel executives did not refer to the problems with the Core chips on the fall, characterizing the reshuffling as just a part of its existing manufacturing strategy.

On its community forum, however, Intel said that it wants to make sure that its customers are taken care of.

“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,” it said. “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.”

If you’ve purchased a laptop or desktop from a PC maker or system integrator and need to report a potential warranty issue, Intel said that you should reach out to the manufacturer itself. Otherwise, Intel’s customer support will handle potential claims on boxed processors. On August 5, Intel extended its warranty to customers (mainly large PC makers) who buy processors in bulk, or by the tray. That had been excluded in Intel’s original post.

Intel also listed the specific processors which will be covered by the new warranty extension.

Essentially, the change equals a two-year extension on the applicable warranty, an Intel representative said in an e-mail.

“At the same time, we apologize for the delay in communications as this has been a challenging issue to unravel and definitively root cause,” Intel said.

Updated at 1:53PM on August 5 with additional details.