Intel recently made an announcement stating that they will be extending warranty support for boxed Intel Core 13th and 14th Gen desktop processors by two years. This decision comes as a response to the ongoing crashing issues that have been affecting their Raptor Lake and Raptor Lake Refresh CPUs. The company is urging individuals who have experienced “stability symptoms” in prebuilt machines to reach out to the system manufacturer’s support team. Those who have purchased boxed CPUs are advised to contact Intel Customer Support for further assistance.
Despite Intel’s efforts to address the instability issues with the CPUs, there have been challenges reported by users seeking to take advantage of the warranty extension. One Reddit user, jerubedo, shared their frustrating experience with Intel’s current RMA procedure. The user attempted to RMA two Core i9 14900Ks, one purchased from Amazon and the other from Microcenter as brand-new chips. However, Intel claimed that both products were potentially not genuine CPUs.
In the case of the Microcenter-bought chip, jerubedo followed the RMA process by filling out the necessary forms and providing shipping details and proof of purchase. Despite providing evidence that the CPU was bought in a sealed box directly from the shelf, Intel claimed that the unit was re-marked. After further dispute and providing additional photos that matched the serial number and batch number on the box to the faulty CPU, Intel advised returning the CPU to Microcenter.
For the Amazon-purchased chip, Intel initially quoted the wrong serial number back to the user, stating that the CPU was a tray processor and not subject to retail warranty. After clearer photos were provided, Intel confirmed that the CPU was indeed a retail unit eligible for RMA. However, there were concerns raised by Intel regarding potential fraud during the inspection process at their depot.
To address the issues encountered during the RMA process, jerubedo contacted Amazon to inform them of the situation. Despite being outside of the return window, Amazon accepted the CPU for return. This highlights the complexity and challenges faced by users when attempting to engage with Intel’s customer support for RMA purposes.
While Intel’s decision to extend warranty support for affected CPUs is a step in the right direction, there are clearly issues with the RMA process that need to be addressed. Users experiencing stability and crashing issues with their CPUs should engage with Intel’s customer support for assistance. However, based on reported experiences like jerubedo’s, it may also be beneficial to reach out to the retailer from which the CPU was purchased for potential resolution. Intel needs to streamline its RMA process and address concerns raised by users to ensure a smoother experience for those seeking warranty support for their affected CPUs.
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