Sandy Bridge design flaw - Intel halted on NASDAQ - updated 2/8/11.

[jihe]

Because it shouldn't be there at all but it is (probably because it was deemed cheaper to leave it on there unused than to actually remove it) but due to a voltage miscalculation it comes on when it shouldn't...this causes a problem. Having it come on when it was never intended to introduces unforeseen consequences into the system.

Think of it like this...What does the human appendix do? Nothing really. It can be removed with little or no consequence because basically it's some vestigial remnant of evolution. Sometimes people keep them and nothing happens their whole life. But sometimes you get appendicitis and this can become potentially life threatening if the appendix isn't removed and bursts. So here you have a completely useless organ which can be perfectly safely removed and you can still live a perfectly normal life but which can threaten your life if it malfunctions...This is essentially the same thing. Having your appendix is no problem as long as you don't get appendicitis. But the mere fact that you have an appendix is one more "moving part" and therefore one more potential thing that can go wrong.

You can make the same analogy with tonsils...a lot of people just have them removed when they are young so that they don't cause complications or infections later in life. They go on to lead perfectly normal and functionally unimpaired lives without their tonsils.

I was certain you were going to mention foreskin.....

 

[Spike]

Superbiiz is in the boat and will do exchanges, though they did not extend the 30 day refund policy so if I want a refund and not an exchange I have to act now... good thing I like my extreme 4. I did not ask about return shipping though...

 

[Idontcare]

Does anyone know if Newegg pays return shipping for affected mobos?

Sounds like this issue is definitely highlighting the otherwise subtle differences between etailers and retailers. Newegg customers are getting the best treatment overall from the sounds of it.

 

[LiuKangBakinPie]

why dont you ask them

 

[aldamon]

though there have been several documented cases of short circuits, between the keyboard and the chair.. ..

Was that when the various BIOS programmers were working their magic?

 

[bigbillybear]

Because it shouldn't be there at all but it is (probably because it was deemed cheaper to leave it on there unused than to actually remove it) but due to a voltage miscalculation it comes on when it shouldn't...this causes a problem. Having it come on when it was never intended to introduces unforeseen consequences into the system.

Think of it like this...What does the human appendix do? Nothing really. It can be removed with little or no consequence because basically it's some vestigial remnant of evolution. Sometimes people keep them and nothing happens their whole life. But sometimes you get appendicitis and this can become potentially life threatening if the appendix isn't removed and bursts. So here you have a completely useless organ which can be perfectly safely removed and you can still live a perfectly normal life but which can threaten your life if it malfunctions...This is essentially the same thing. Having your appendix is no problem as long as you don't get appendicitis. But the mere fact that you have an appendix is one more "moving part" and therefore one more potential thing that can go wrong.

You can make the same analogy with tonsils...a lot of people just have them removed when they are young so that they don't cause complications or infections later in life. They go on to lead perfectly normal and functionally unimpaired lives without their tonsils.

Well said....

BBB

 

[Modelworks]

These days its all about the (FET) and we use the terms source, drain, and gate.

I know all about them and used some of the first JFET to be used with cpu in 1995, just trying to keep it simple for the masses. The point is you don't remove something and have it not change things in circuits since you wouldn't have put it there in the first place if it didn't serve a purpose.

 

[Modelworks]

Actually it's not, for most.
So far, I haven't seen one confirmed report of a user with a SATA 2 port problem, though there have been several documented cases of short circuits, between the keyboard and the chair.. ..

That is the problem with manufacturing semiconductors. You may have some that work perfectly fine and then have others that fail quickly. It had to be a fairly high percentage of failures though for them to do the recall.

 

[PreferLinux]

The point is, it used to serve a purpose, but now does not, but was not removed (maybe because that way they could re-use a mask or something).

 

[wanderer27]

Apparently, Intel is going to resume shipment of the faulty chips:

http://www.bit-tech.net/news/hardware/2011/02/08/fixed-sandy-bridge-chip-sets-to-be-in-the-c/1


I wonder what resellers are going to do in light of this?



.

 

[Zorkorist]

The way I read it is that if you have some design that you feel will never be impacted, and you need chips, you can get them. I don't think this affects the general computing market, just some verticals with locked in designs.

The better news is that they are way ahead of their initial March/April estimate on delivering fixed chips.

-John

 

[Dadofamunky]

That makes sense, since I've walked in to both Creative COmputers and Micro Center over the last couple of days and noted that both are selling both CPUs and motherboards. If that reort is right, I'm surprised Intel is re-shipping the defective ones. It'd be freakin' nice if they offered a healthy discount though, since it manifestly is a defective product and no one should be using the SATA-2 ports for anything except an optical drive...

 

[Axon]

No chance at a discount.