Intel has extended the warranty on 13th and 14th generation Core processors by an additional two years

Intel said it will extend the warranty on 13th and 14th generation Core processors in the boxed version by two years. The decision is caused by a problem with failures and unstable operation of chips, which became public in recent months. It affects all models with a power of 65 W or more. Intel processors traditionally come with a three-year warranty, which means this has now been extended to five years.

Intel will release a microcode update by mid-August to address issues that occur in games and other workloads that result in unexplained crashes or Blue Screen of Death (BSOD) conditions, presumably due to excessive voltage. The problem can cause permanent damage to processors, and updating the microcode will not fix already affected chips. This means that owners of processors experiencing failures will have to return them for replacement. Instances on which the problem has not yet manifested itself will be freed from it with the installation of the updated microcode, the manufacturer claims. It’s unclear whether chips that are currently working properly won’t fail in the future, but the extended warranty is apparently intended to allay those concerns. Intel is also currently looking for a way to easily identify failed processors.

An investigation has already been initiated, which could result in a class action lawsuit against Intel. The company has not yet shared details about how the warranty extension mechanism will be implemented – it promised to publish them later. Some models, such as the Special Edition KS, only have a one-year warranty, which will now extend to three years; Intel’s proposal also applies to boxed models that are currently available in retail; The manufacturer recommended that owners of OEM systems contact their manufacturers – apparently, the burden of extending the warranty will be shifted to them. The company also stressed that the widespread failures were not related to contact oxidation: this “minor” issue occurred in 2022 and was corrected in early 2023 – by early 2024, all questionable units were removed from the supply chain, although some at that time could stay in stores.

Below is Intel’s warranty extension statement, originally addressed to Tom’s Hardware.

«Intel is committed to providing exchange support to all customers who have experienced or are experiencing instability on their 13th and/or 14th generation processors. We stand behind our products and will soon share more details about the two-year extended warranty support for our 13th and 14th generation Intel Core desktop box processors.

If you are currently or previously experiencing instability symptoms on a 13th/14th generation Intel Core desktop system:

• For consumers who purchased systems from OEMs or system integrators, please contact your system manufacturer’s support team for further assistance;
• For consumers who purchased a boxed processor, please contact Intel Customer Support for further assistance.

Intel is also exploring options to easily identify affected processors in end-customer systems and will provide additional guidance soon. We apologize for the support in the messages as it was not easy to finally determine the cause of the problem and resolve it.”