Intel Provides Update on Support Chip Design Issue

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Intel disclosed a design issue with a support chip, the Intel® 6 Series Chipset that has the potential to impact certain PC system configurations. Intel subsequently initiated extensive discussions with computer makers about this topic. Both Intel and its customers are focused on delivering the highest quality PC systems based on Intel® 2nd Generation Core® Processors. As a result of these discussions and specific requests from computer makers, Intel is resuming shipments of the Intel® 6 Series Chipset for use only in PC system configurations that are not impacted by the design issue.


Only computer makers who have committed to shipping the Intel® 6 Series Chipset in PC system configurations that are not impacted by the design issue will be receiving these shipments. This resumption of shipments of the Intel® 6 Series Chipset is not changing the company’s updated first quarter 2011 and full-year financial Outlook published on January 31st. In parallel, Intel has started manufacturing on a new version of this support chip. Intel now expects to begin shipping the new parts in mid February.
 
Makes sense since a the majority of laptops and a large percentage of OEM desktops will never even be able to make use of the 4 sata 3 gb/s ports.

Even retail boards with the 4 ports disabled, would still sell with 2-4 sata ports and a good discount.
 
I wonder if we will see boards with no sata 3G ports at retail or if it will be a big brand only thing.
 
"As a result of these discussions and specific requests from computer makers, Intel is resuming shipments of the Intel® 6 Series Chipset for use only in PC system configurations that are not impacted by the design issue."

Wut?

So, they are allowing shipments of known defective items? Who is to say whether it will affect users now, or in the future?

Will there be a sticker on the box that says "Defective Product - May or may not affect your usability?"

Unless I am misunderstanding here, this is a real truckload of shit.
 
What happens when someone buys a Dell, 2 years down the road they add something and plug it into a bad sata port unknowingly?
 
Good news to me. I was worried about snagging a SB mobo before the current non-recalled stock got bought out.
 
They better mark the product or let the end user know that they extra Sata Ports are bad. I see this as Intel caving in to the almighty dollar and not caring about consumers - especially about consumers who have no idea what a Sata port is.

/fail.
 
Intel is resuming shipments of the Intel® 6 Series Chipset for use only in PC system configurations that are not impacted by the design issue.
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Presumably that means that the old chipsets are only going to configs with no SATA II 3Gb/s ports (i.e. Many laptops only use the 2 SATA III 6Gb/s ports, one for optical drive and one for internal HDD)
 
TechLarry said:
So, they are allowing shipments of known defective items? Who is to say whether it will affect users now, or in the future?

Will there be a sticker on the box that says "Defective Product - May or may not affect your usability?"
Click to expand...

It's pretty dumb if they ship products as is. My guess is these guys will be a bit smarter and physically remove the four SATA 2 ports altogether.
 
To me it sounds like dell/hp/acer etc will sell the desktop systems with the flaw on the thought people won't be opening there computer up and using those ports.
 
TechLarry said:
"As a result of these discussions and specific requests from computer makers, Intel is resuming shipments of the Intel® 6 Series Chipset for use only in PC system configurations that are not impacted by the design issue."

Wut?

So, they are allowing shipments of known defective items? Who is to say whether it will affect users now, or in the future?

Will there be a sticker on the box that says "Defective Product - May or may not affect your usability?"

Unless I am misunderstanding here, this is a real truckload of shit.
Click to expand...

AKA: Apple can update their MacBook Pro, which only uses 2 SATA ports. This bug only affects the four 3 Gbps SATA ports in the chipset, not the two 6 Gbps ports. For systems (such as laptops,) that only use the two 6 Gbps ports, there is no issue. Obviously, most PC makers nowadays use two or three SATA ports internally, plus one or two externally, so most mainstream laptops will wait for the fix. But thin-and-light systems with no optical drive, even if they have an eSATA port, and systems with one fixed disc and one optical drive, but no eSATA, will be able to use the "flawed" chipset.

I'm sure this was driven about 99.9% by Apple.
 
This is exciting considering I have a laptop that only uses 2 sata ports. I can't get any info on what ports the mobo uses. The mfg says to return it but I don't want to if its unaffected.
 
Sounds like they will only be selling them to companies who use custom motherboards (laptops and maybe small desktops) - so presumably they won't even have the SATA 3G ports physically on the board.
 
If a company is selling a computer with extra SATA ports (the 3 gig ports) that could potentially be affected should the user try to upgrade, I don't think they would say such a system is a "configuration that is not impacted by the design issue." As noted, this is probably referring to Apple or other makers where any user upgrades would be forced to use the two 6 gig ports (at most). It would be physically impossible to do anything on the computer that would utilize that bad part of the chipset.

If you're a manufacturer and can release your unaffected systems a few weeks before everyone else, why wouldn't you want to do that?

And for the people complaining about having a tainted chipset in their computer that really doesn't affect them in any way... if I recall correctly, the transistor that's causing the problem here isn't even utilized by the 6 series. It's a vestigial component. As far as we know, there could be 50 other such left over, "broken" logic paths in the chip, but since they aren't utilized and don't affect performance, do we really care? I don't see how knowing about it makes it any more relevant.
 
Forceman said:
Sounds like they will only be selling them to companies who use custom motherboards (laptops and maybe small desktops) - so presumably they won't even have the SATA 3G ports physically on the board.
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I've been wanting to get a Mac Mini server model as an HTPC when it finally updates to SB, so hopefully this means it will come out sooner rather than later... (Since it only uses two SATA ports.) FireWire 800 is perfectly sufficient for direct-attach external storage; although I'd use it with a NAS to keep the living room tidy.

Haven't decided yet if I'd leave it OS X with some OS X-based media center apps, or if I'd go for Windows 7 Pro, like my current full ATX media center PC. Probably W7 solely to save myself the hassle of transcoding all my Windows Media Center recorded content...
 
I'm hoping this is only for lower end boards that won't even have the (affected) physical sata ports soldered onto the board. Hence, no way to use them.
 
Umm 2nd generation Core?

So what was Core and Core2 then? The pre-pre-generation and pre-generation?
 
No problems here with my new build, hope they get it sorted out.
 
shipping out mid feb? awesome. does anyone think we'll get our hands on the new revisions sooner than... april?!?! sheesh.
 
TorxT3D said:
shipping out mid feb? awesome. does anyone think we'll get our hands on the new revisions sooner than... april?!?! sheesh.
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Yes, that's the issue. We don't use chipsets. We use motherboards, and we all know it will take time to get those fixed parts into boards which are shipped to stores, where we can buy them.

I have no idea how long the supply chain is, in terms of time.

I'm a long, long-time ASUS user, so I just went over to their website and looked around. I couldn't find anything related to this Intel chipset recall.
 
Keep in mind that the initial shipment likely has priority to current owners getting replacements among the mobo makers. These chips will also have to be split with the larger OEM partners who want to push new product and are likely sitting on CPUs.

Don't be surprised if you do not see consumer retail boards until late April/May.
 
SparkedFire said:
On another note, no different then an AMD tri-core. Broke? Then don't use it.
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Um, no, not the same at all....

AMD doesnt sell you a tri-core and claim it as a quad core and pending on how you use it, you may only get to use 3 cores :rolleyes:
 
MrGuvernment said:
Um, no, not the same at all....

AMD doesnt sell you a tri-core and claim it as a quad core and pending on how you use it, you may only get to use 3 cores :rolleyes:
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I think you are looking at it wrong. End users do not buy Cougar Point chips from Intel, they buy implementations of the chip, whether it be as a retail mobo or laptop.

His analogy is correct in that he is referring to end products that not advertise the ability to expand and use the affected sata ports, and would only be able to do so using some complex DIY soldiering solutions maybe, like his laptop.

Likewise if someone were to sell a retail motherboard with only 2 physical sata connections.
 
cyclone3d said:
Umm 2nd generation Core?

So what was Core and Core2 then? The pre-pre-generation and pre-generation?
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2nd gen compared to the original i3/i5/i7. These are still "Core iN" (N being a number) chips, just the second revision of them.

;)
 
95% of notebooks sold have only 2 SATA ports : HDD and optical unit.

Basically, the flaw doen't impact the above in any way and that's why OEMs said : since we don't use those extra ports anyway ( probably those aren't even physically present on the motherboards ) why not carry on shipping the already build parts?
 
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