Intel is finally stepping up on its instability fiasco

Last week, Intel quietly committed to extending the warranty on its 13th-gen and 14th-gen CPUs, but did not provide details at the time. Now, it has been revealed that the warranty extension covers a wide range of 13th-gen and 14th-gen processors, giving customers a total of five years to file a warranty claim.

Intel’s 13th-gen and 14th-gen CPUs are among the best processors available from a performance perspective, but they have faced issues with stability and a lack of communication from Intel, eroding trust in both the CPUs and the brand. The extended warranty aims to restore that trust, especially as concerns about stability persist.

The five-year warranty coverage applies retroactively to previously purchased CPUs as well as new ones, but only to models running at 65 watts or above. You can find the complete list of covered models in Intel’s forum post. While most reported instability issues involve the Core i9 models, the extended warranty also includes models down to the Core i5 range.

This warranty extension is global, covering all customers worldwide. Intel’s forum post also advises customers who experienced instability symptoms with their 13th or 14th Gen desktop processors and were previously unsuccessful with return merchandise authorizations (RMAs) to contact Intel Customer Support for assistance.

There have been several reports of Intel denying warranty claims for 13th-gen and 14th-gen CPUs even after the instability issues became known. It appears there may now be a directive from higher up in the company to handle these claims more generously.

Intel is also releasing a microcode update in mid-August to address the instability problem. This update is preventative, targeting the voltage requests made by the processors, and is not expected to fix CPUs that have already suffered instability or degradation. However, it should help prevent newer chips from degrading.

For those who have already experienced instability issues, Intel advises contacting its customer service team if you purchased a boxed processor. If you bought a prebuilt system, you should reach out to the system manufacturer.