Intel says flaw in Series 6 Sandy Bridge chipsets

[Vette73]

Saw this in OT and thought it be more helpful here...

http://blogs.barrons.com/techtraderdaily/2011/01/31/intel-shares-halted-for-news/?mod=yahoobarrons

As part of ongoing quality assurance, Intel Corporation has discovered a design issue in a recently released support chip, the Intel® 6 Series, code-named Cougar Point, and has implemented a silicon fix. In some cases, the Serial-ATA (SATA) ports within the chipsets may degrade over time, potentially impacting the performance or functionality of SATA-linked devices such as hard disk drives and DVD-drives. The chipset is utilized in PCs with Intel’s latest Second Generation Intel Core processors, code-named Sandy Bridge. Intel has stopped shipment of the affected support chip from its factories. Intel has corrected the design issue, and has begun manufacturing a new version of the support chip which will resolve the issue. The Sandy Bridge microprocessor is unaffected and no other products are affected by this issue.


UPDATE
This does not affect the 6Gb ports, ONLY the 3Gb ports.
So make sure yoru Harddrives are on the 6Gb ports and wait for the new chipset and you should be ok.

http://www.anandtech.com/show/4142/intel-discovers-bug-in-6series-chipset-begins-recall

 

[ahurtt]

Damn that was fast...I just came here to post the same headline! So I guess a big wave of recalls/RMAs will be coming.

 

[PottedMeat]

Serial-ATA (SATA) ports within the chipsets may degrade over time

Intel regrets using cheese in the SATA controller area of the chipset.



What kind of defect would cause this? Manufacturing?

 

[Vette73]

Damn that was fast...I just came here to post the same headline! So I guess a big wave of recalls/RMAs will be coming.

From what I have read they have a fix but those chips will not hit the market until April.


So if you want to buy a SB system I would wait for the next stepping of chipset.
Kinda like I was a early adopter of the 965 chipset but intel came out with another stepping that supported higher FSB.

This is just one of several reasons why I am waiting for Bulldozer from AMD. Let them both work their kinks out.

 

[Tsavo]

Intel regrets using cheese in the SATA controller area of the chipset.



What kind of defect would cause this? Manufacturing?

The use of cheese, I believe, in the controller area of the chipset.

:|

 

[The-Noid]

You guys are slow...

http://forums.anandtech.com/showthread.php?t=2139676

9:03 .

Helps having Bloomberg/DJN/Reuters news right next to you at work.

 

[FelixDeCat]

Back in the day I went from a 233mmx to a P3-600, thinking it was wise to skip P2. Ive been using a P4 3.2 for several years now, upgrading everything else around it (peripherals), skipping core2, etc.

Now Im glad I waited for Sandy Bridge? :hmm:

 

[ahurtt]

From what I have read they have a fix but those chips will not hit the market until April.


So if you want to buy a SB system I would wait for the next stepping of chipset.

Too late...I've had my i7 2600K up and running for about 1.5 weeks now. Asus p8p67 pro.

 

[Tsavo]

Back in the day I went from a 233mmx to a P3-600, thinking it was wise to skip P2. Ive been using a P4 3.2 for several years now, upgrading everything else around it (peripherals), skipping core2, etc.

Now Im glad I waited for Sandy Bridge? :hmm:

Luddite.

 

[Vette73]

Too late...I've had my i7 2600K up and running for about 1.5 weeks now. Asus p8p67 pro.

"Intel believes that consumers can continue to use their systems with confidence, while working with their computer manufacturer for a permanent solution."

So in other words intel is telling its early adopters, thanks for beta testing for us. Oh and you get nothing for it but a system that a year or so from now may not work very well, enjoy.

 

[Aristotelian]

Too late...I've had my i7 2600K up and running for about 1.5 weeks now. Asus p8p67 pro.

They use the word 'may'. I just received my Asus Maximus IV Extreme here at work...maybe it's better to hold off on building the new pc until Asus recall the boards? Or how do you guys think this is going to work?

 

[FelixDeCat]

Luddite.

A penny saved is a penny earned. ()

 

[ahurtt]

Back in the day I went from a 233mmx to a P3-600, thinking it was wise to skip P2. Ive been using a P4 3.2 for several years now, upgrading everything else around it (peripherals), skipping core2, etc.

Now Im glad I waited for Sandy Bridge? :hmm:

Well I know how you feel...but at least hopefully by intel coming forward in a very public press release about this we can avoid a big blame-fest when it comes to trying to get the affected motherboards replaced. Since Intel is going to end up eating the cost for this flaw I do not expect to have to pay a dime for an RMA (unless you count the time it will take me to disassemble and reassemble the PC with the replacement board. Time is money and all that...).

 

[Tsavo]

A penny saved is a penny earned. ()

A luddite with a big sack of pennies.

 

[Vette73]

They use the word 'may'. I just received my Asus Maximus IV Extreme here at work...maybe it's better to hold off on building the new pc until Asus recall the boards? Or how do you guys think this is going to work?

Intel is recalling all the chipsets from OEMs but not for retail boards like yours. They have already said to contact the maker and deal with them. If the maker does not want to help you then thanks for paying to beta test intel goods.

 

[zod96]

Wonderful.....now I know why my asus p67 pro board has tons of issues....and we have to wait until april for a fix sweet!!!

 

[Aristotelian]

Intel is recalling all the chipsets from OEMs but not for retail boards like yours. They have already said to contact the maker and deal with them. If the maker does not want to help you then thanks for paying to beta test intel goods.

(Un?)Lucky for me there's an Asus rep that appears to be posting in this subforum! I can't imagine board makers accepting RMAs on a 'may'. The wording is really terrible here. If it was 'will', we'd all have grounds to RMA. What does 'may' mean? I should plug my ssds in, get everything up and running, and if the SATA cheese makes them roflexplooodedrama I get to eat the ssd cost because I 'may' have knowingly plugged them into a faulty motherboard? Sweet!

 

[coffeejunkee]

Wonder what they mean by "can impact functionality". Are they talking about the functionality to properly store data? Whatever is the case, this seems like a nasty issue. My data is kinda like the most important thing in my pc.

One more reason to wait for Z68 chipset.

 

[Vette73]

Well I know how you feel...but at least hopefully by intel coming forward in a very public press release about this we can avoid a big blame-fest when it comes to trying to get the affected motherboards replaced. Since Intel is going to end up eating the cost for this flaw I do not expect to have to pay a dime for an RMA (unless you count the time it will take me to disassemble and reassemble the PC with the replacement board. Time is money and all that...).

"believes that consumers can continue to use their systems with confidence, while working with their computer manufacturer for a permanent solution."
http://newsroom.intel.com/community...mplementing-solution?cid=rss-258152-c1-264102

Intel is not helping end users and early adopters like you, only OEMs. So you are at the mercy of the board maker if they will help or not.

 

[FelixDeCat]

Well I know how you feel...but at least hopefully by intel coming forward in a very public press release about this we can avoid a big blame-fest when it comes to trying to get the affected motherboards replaced. Since Intel is going to end up eating the cost for this flaw I do not expect to have to pay a dime for an RMA (unless you count the time it will take me to disassemble and reassemble the PC with the replacement board. Time is money and all that...).

Dont forget shipping cost. Shipping an RMA mobo will run about $10. :thumbsdown:

 

[ahurtt]

intel is recalling all the chipsets from oems but not for retail boards like yours. They have already said to contact the maker and deal with them. If the maker does not want to help you then thanks for paying to beta test intel goods.

fffffffffffffffuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuu......
I guess now I know where the rebate money for my video card and PSU will be going...assuming I actually get the rebates.

 

[XLNC]

Man, I'm so glad I heard about the Z68 chipset here. If it wasn't for that, I'd have settled for P67 weeks ago. I feel bad for everyone that already invested. Hopefully it isn't as prevalent as the press release implies and/or the RMA process isn't a pain.

 

[Vette73]

Man, I'm so glad I heard about the Z68 chipset here. If it wasn't for that, I'd have settled for P67 weeks ago. I feel bad for everyone that already invested. Hopefully it isn't as prevalent as the press release implies and/or the RMA process isn't a pain.

I would think its not much a issue if they left the chips out there and told OEMs to look for it. But in this case they stopped shipments and told OEMs to stop producing. Intel will not even have new chips out till the end of Feb and they think those will not hit retail (mwave, newegg, zipzoomfly,etc...) till april.

As said this seems much worse than the TLB bug. Its not like you can use your system if the SATA has issues.

 

[stargazr]

Wonder what they mean by "can impact functionality". Are they talking about the functionality to properly store data?

I think they are because they said "potentially impacting the performance or functionality of SATA-linked devices".

If they are just saying that your SATA drives will gradually slow down over time they would have just said "performance", but they added "functionality".

 

[Vdubchaos]

Who buys Intel MB anyways? Other than Dell and other main stream manufactures?

Not sure why anyone building a rig would choose it.....bleh