ASUS Policy on Cougar Point based MBs? (Intel Recall)

zambarossa said:
Yeah figured that part out on my own, thanks :rolleyes:. I was just wondering if the replacement will a repaired/refurbished or new unit.
I like my P8P67 Deluxe and would want a replacement to be as painless as possible, so I was not looking for any kind of upgrade. It's just that the Asus rep on the phone eluded to the possibility of a replacement being a repaired unit, but that was a few days ago.



Thanks, I must have missed that part :eek:. Can you please provide a link.
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http://service.asus.com/notice/FAQ.aspx

When will ASUS have products with the new 6 Series B3 stepping (Cougar Point) support chipset?
ASUS is working closely with Intel to solve this problem and will update this site with the latest schedule information once it becomes available. Based on current schedule discussions with Intel, new replacement products should arrive in the coming weeks. ASUS will take additional measures to ensure equivalent/new replacement products are available as quickly as possible for existing customers.
 
compbl said:
http://service.asus.com/notice/FAQ.aspx

When will ASUS have products with the new 6 Series B3 stepping (Cougar Point) support chipset?
ASUS is working closely with Intel to solve this problem and will update this site with the latest schedule information once it becomes available. Based on current schedule discussions with Intel, new replacement products should arrive in the coming weeks. ASUS will take additional measures to ensure equivalent/new replacement products are available as quickly as possible for existing customers.
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Yeah ok, See it still says "equivalent". I may be reading too much into things, but I am just curious about the use of this word "equivalent". Sorry, seen too many legal documents obfuscating some details intentionally to just take it with a grain of salt.
 
zambarossa said:
Yeah ok, See it still says "equivalent". I may be reading too much into things, but I am just curious about the use of this word "equivalent". Sorry, seen too many legal documents obfuscating some details intentionally to just take it with a grain of salt.
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I would take "equivalent" to mean "what you currently have". I would suspect that intel/oems/retailers want this to go as smoothly as possible, and they are introducing language that would squash the "can I upgrade?" crowd.
 
zambarossa said:
Is it just me, or are they not clear on whether you will get brand new MB replacements or refurbished ones?
They say "ASUS will provide free 2-way standard shipping and an equivalent/new product replacement with warranty renewal at time of replacement". I guess I am confused by the "equivalent" statement. Could that mean a repaired unit?
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It will be a new motherboard. The equivalent wording is most likely their in case of a model name change, but it will be a new board, not a repaired board.
 
compbl said:
I would take "equivalent" to mean "what you currently have". I would suspect that intel/oems/retailers want this to go as smoothly as possible, and they are introducing language that would squash the "can I upgrade?" crowd.
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OC_Seer said:
It will be a new motherboard. The equivalent wording is most likely their in case of a model name change, but it will be a new board, not a repaired board.
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I think you both make good points.

To be honest I would have taken an extended 5 year warranty offer and skipped this whole RMA process. But I guess that is not financially feasible since they want to take this off the books as soon as possible (understandable). So in this case, I will try to get my replacement as soon as practicable. I just spent the last few weeks tweaking my setup one way or another and just want to be done with it. I did not buy it to keep messing with it, I get to do that during my day job enough that at home I just want something that I setup and forget for quite some time. Initial pain is expected and accepted, to a certain extent :D.
 
I can't imagine it being cost effective to repair an mobo that cost $180. Better to toss them out (or, sell them to a third party that takes on the task). But just tooling up (parts, training, etc.) and paying people to solder will tap that well quickly.
 
AQ_OC said:
I can't imagine it being cost effective to repair an mobo that cost $180. Better to toss them out (or, sell them to a third party that takes on the task). But just tooling up (parts, training, etc.) and paying people to solder will tap that well quickly.
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Actually the refurbished market is huge. Just walk into a Factory Direct or whatever equivalent you have in your locale and see how much refurbished stuff they sell. I just bought a refurbished Logitech Keyboard+Mouse combo for my previous system that my kids now use, all for 20$ (costs like 50-60$ new).
This is an easy repair since the issue is know., No need for time consuming diagnostics and debugging, they just replace the faulty part and do some Q/A testing to verify all is well. I suspect that we will see many refurbished p67 MBs come summer once they get around to replacing the chipsets on them. A good deal for some that have no issue buying refurbished stuff.
 
zambarossa said:
Actually the refurbished market is huge. Just walk into a Factory Direct or whatever equivalent you have in your locale and see how much refurbished stuff they sell. I just bought a refurbished Logitech Keyboard+Mouse combo for my previous system that my kids now use, all for 20$ (costs like 50-60$ new).
This is an easy repair since the issue is know., No need for time consuming diagnostics and debugging, they just replace the faulty part and do some Q/A testing to verify all is well. I suspect that we will see many refurbished p67 MBs come summer once they get around to replacing the chipsets on them. A good deal for some that have no issue buying refurbished stuff.
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But I doubt ASUS will do this....I think they'd just pass it off to a third party that works in refurbs. That's why I was trying to say.

Personally, I don't mind some types of refurbs. Lots of time they are just repackaged with parts originally missing included.
 
Shoop said:
Sounds good. Like the cross-shipping method. I have also been contacted by Microcenter where i bought the board. They informed me that they will handle the issue as well. Is there a preferred method for handling this expeditiously?
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I bought from MC too. I registered with Asus and I'll just wait and see who gets inventory first. MC will still be more convenient, and more importantly, can exchange the new board if it has problems. I figure if I get an Asus direct replacement MC may not exchange the replacement board since it's not the proper SN listed on the receipt. One reason I bought locally instead of online is to avoid RMA hassles.
 
I found a sticker in the upper right near the memory but the format looks nothing like their M format and generated an invalid serial number error. Is it hidden someplace else? I don't see any other stickers.
 
guisar said:
I found a sticker in the upper right near the memory but the format looks nothing like their M format and generated an invalid serial number error. Is it hidden someplace else? I don't see any other stickers.
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I'm looking for the serial number too. I see the sticker near the memory, but that can't be right.

If the info is on the underside of the mobo, I'm going to be pissed. I don't see why they need a serial number anyway. None of the methods of replacement put them at any risk of losing product, AFAIK.

Edit: There is a serial number on a sticker on the box. There is a part number too.
Edit: The serial number on the box works for registration with ASUS.
 
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My board isn't installed yet, and there are no numbers on the underside. I can't register my older installed AM3 board for the same reason that I can't find the SN on the board, and the box number is gone for a rebate. The MC reciept lists the SN for both, but the one for the AM3 board again won't take. I wonder how they identify the board without the SN on them separate from the box?
 
yossarian said:
My board isn't installed yet, and there are no numbers on the underside. I can't register my older installed AM3 board for the same reason that I can't find the SN on the board, and the box number is gone for a rebate. The MC reciept lists the SN for both, but the one for the AM3 board again won't take. I wonder how they identify the board without the SN on them separate from the box?
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That's a good question. However, why does it even matter. They know it's an ASUS mobo as soon as they see it.
 
I can not register. I get a DB crash every time I submit. I'm using the Serial # off the side of the box.
 
AQ_OC said:
That's a good question. However, why does it even matter. They know it's an ASUS mobo as soon as they see it.
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The one I can't register is an AM3 board I wanted listed on my Asus user account. I always try to register my hardware as I install it.
 
yossarian said:
The one I can't register is an AM3 board I wanted listed on my Asus user account. I always try to register my hardware as I install it.
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I've never registered a mobo until now....strange. I've registered PC other parts, though.
 
Question:

What would the manufacturers going to with all the returned motherboards ?
Would they be stripping out every components that can be re-used?

I would buy those returned motherboards if they would sell it for dirt cheap price.
I just wouldn't use those Serial ATA 3.0 Gbps ports.

Oh dirty cheap as like well below $50.

What do you think? Good way to recycle these boards? 2 sata 6gbps + marvel ports should be good enough if priced super dirt cheap.
 
I don't think they will sell the old mb to anyone. I think they would destroy them. Not smart of them to let the mb on the market again.
 
i would certainly buy one for $50. they can resell them as refirbished or as "light" versions that don't have any 3gbps sata ports.

XXGG said:
Question:

What would the manufacturers going to with all the returned motherboards ?
Would they be stripping out every components that can be re-used?

I would buy those returned motherboards if they would sell it for dirt cheap price.
I just wouldn't use those Serial ATA 3.0 Gbps ports.

Oh dirty cheap as like well below $50.

What do you think? Good way to recycle these boards? 2 sata 6gbps + marvel ports should be good enough if priced super dirt cheap.
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I put a claim in for the 2 motherboards that I purchased from Newegg.
Asus P8P67 Deluxe
Asus P8P67 Pro

I spoke with Asus on the issue and was told that they were contemplating the possibility of NOT having us return the defective bards because Intel will not be assisting with the shipping costs incurred. But, as of yesterday they will fast track the boards when available and you will have a certain number of days to return the defective board. Then they can just recycle them I guess. Sounds good to me.
All of the prior statement were based on a telephone call to Asus tech support.

Asus warranty is awesome!

btw, my SandyBridge systems are running soooo great. Fast as hell. I am only using the SATA 3g ports for my DVD and some older hard drives...
 
Fire488 said:
I spoke with Asus on the issue and was told that they were contemplating the possibility of NOT having us return the defective bards because Intel will not be assisting with the shipping costs incurred.
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That would never happen but it would be nice to receive a brand new Asus P8P67 Pro and being able to leave in my current one until it breaks down one day and then swap them...:D
 
So is anyone having luck registering on the site? I can't get it to work for me. I keep getting an error after I hit submit.

Server Error in '/notice' Application.

Runtime Error
 
Here's a couple of articles on Tom's Hardware:

1
Intel will begin to ship B3 stepping of Cougar Point chipsets on February 14.


ZoomAs if to keep the splash damage to a minimum, Intel has shifted into high gear by announcing its intent to ship the B3 stepping of Cougar Point chipsets (Q67, P67, H67, and so on) to OEMs on February 14. The news arrives in a product change notification (pdf) dated on February 9, 2011 (#110456-00) and follows the company's previous promise to expedite the fix as quickly as possible.

According to the document, the changes and features are as follows:

•Revision ID will change from 04h to 05h
•BIOS Update (Revision 1.1.4 of the BIOS Specification Update and Reference Code)
•B3 stepping package is pin compatible with B2 stepping package
•Minor metal layer change from B2 to B3 improving lifetime wear out with no changes to functionality or design specifications
"Minimal re-qualification and/or validation is expected for features already supported on B2 stepping," Intel said. "B3 stepping has only a minor metal layer change that has no functional or SATA interface electrical changes. Customers should be ready to receive the new material by the “Date Customer Must be Ready to Receive Post-Conversion Material” above. Please contact your local Intel representative for further technical questions."

Originally the Cougar Point revision was slated to hit OEMs by the end of the month. However pressures from manufacturers and AMD may have driven the company to bring a solution sooner than expected. Earlier this week Leslie Sobon, AMD vice president of product and platform marketing, said that Intel's Sandy Bridge platform problem was sending additional business their way.

"We have some customers and retailers who have come to us specifically as a result of Intel's chip problem," Sobon said. "Some retailers have had to take things off their shelves, so they call us to ask what they could get from our OEMs that's similar. And OEMs are asking us for product, as well."

Also earlier this week, Intel said that it would continue to ship the defective Cougar Point chipsets for limited uses. The chipsets can only be applied in systems that won't be affected by the design flaw, namely "closed" notebook configurations and desktops with a SATA PCI-Express card pre-installed that provides additional SATA ports.


2
Intel is reportedly launching the Core i7 9-series Extreme Edition sometime this summer before unleashing the Sandy Bridge E-Series for enthusiasts later this year.


ZoomA recent report indicates that Intel's upcoming enthusiast-class Sandy Bridge E-Series processors have been delayed by at least a whole quarter, now slated for a Q4 2011 release.

Previously it was believed that the E-Series would arrive earlier in the year, appearing sometime during Q3 2011. However now there's indication that Intel plans to increase the speed of the current Sandy Bridge platform with faster chips first over the summer before rolling out the elite version for performance machines in the Fall/Winter window.

News of the delay stems from a document acquired by X-bit Labs. According to the paper, the processors will use the LGA2011 socket and offer "extra large cache" to maximize the overall speed of single-threaded and dual-threaded applications, the quad-channel memory controller, and "a number of other enhancements."

The documents also reveals that E-Series processors bearing four or six cores will be paired with the Intel X68 "Patsburg" core-logic set. However platforms based on the 6-core processors will offer external base frequency generators but will keep the clock-speeds of USB, SATA and other buses locked. This will allow users to boost the clock speed of the CPU by increasing the Direct Media Interface (DMI) frequencies.

Before launching the E-Series, Intel will reportedly unleash the Core i7 9-series Extreme Edition processors sometime in Q2 or Q3 2011. Currently Intel has not issued a statement in regards to the leaked document or the release dates contained within this article. X-bit labs also did not provide a scanned version of the document, so until the processor giant steps forth with an official statement, everything is still considered rumor.
 
I wonder if the higher speed SB CPU's they are talking about means binning. For example the CPu's we are getting now that hit 4.5ghz would be stamped a different model name and sold at a higher price. Or will they be offering 6 core sandy bridge processors?

To me this news says take a chance with a 2500k or 2600k soon rather than wait for Intel to start segregating them by speed.

The other variable is the IvyBridge, gotta wonder if they will have unlocked multipliers.
 
glen said:
I wonder if the higher speed SB CPU's they are talking about means binning. For example the CPu's we are getting now that hit 4.5ghz would be stamped a different model name and sold at a higher price. Or will they be offering 6 core sandy bridge processors?

To me this news says take a chance with a 2500k or 2600k soon rather than wait for Intel to start segregating them by speed.

The other variable is the IvyBridge, gotta wonder if they will have unlocked multipliers.
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One way or another I honestly have no clue what do with all that power. Even my Q9550 4GHz is no slouch.:D
 
do you think AMD's next 8 core CPU will be faster than intel's 4-core or 6-core cpu? Here's an article on Tom's Hardware. Once the P67 boards are out and available, there might be something better out there.

ASRock is trying to be the first to produce an AM3+ motherboard supporting AMD "Zambezi" processors.

Based on artwork sent in by ASRock, the company is gearing up to be one of the first manufacturers to release a motherboard supporting AMD's next-generation "Zambezi" Fusion Black processors. The board will be named the ASRock 890FX Deluxe5 and based on the AMD 890FX + SB850 chipset.

Slated for a release by the end of February, the board's AMD3r2 (aka AMD3+) CPU socket will be compatible with existing socket AM3 Phenom II and Athlon II processors as well as the upcoming 8-core AMD3+ processors. For the gamer, the motherboard will support AMD Quad CrossFireX, 3-way CrossFireX and a two-card CrossFireX setup.

Zoom
In addition, ASRock's 890FX Deluxe5 will include four DDR3 memory slots, two PCI Express 2.0 x16 slots, two PCIe x1 slots, two legacy PCI slots and one PCIe x4 slot. There will also be four USB 3.0 ports (two on the back I/O, two on the front panel), eight SATA 6Gb/s ports, two IEEE 1394 ports, 7.1 CH HD Audio with Content Protection (Realtek ALC892 audio codec), THX TruStudio PRO and Premium Blu-ray audio support.

Two other notable features are the board's UEFI BIOS interface which supports bootable hard drives larger than 2 TB. There's also a Turbo UCC feature that allows the user to overclock the CPU while maintaining low power consumption with the press of a button.

Zoom
"Enabling Turbo UCC, it will automatically help you to unlock the extra CPU core to enjoy an instant performance boost, and the system performance will boost up by overclocking CPU frequency, memory frequency and all related voltage settings," reads the product description. "Different from normal high-energy consumption for overclocking or system upgrading process, ASRock Turbo UCC can allow an energy-saving overclocking or system upgrade computing operation."

ASRock's upcoming 890FX-based motherboard arrives just before AMD is expected to introduce the 9-series chipsets supporting "Zambezi" processors in Q2 2011. The lineup will start with the AMD 990FX chipset with AM3+ and AM3 support for high-end motherboards followed by the 990X chipset with AM3+ and AM3 support for mid-level boards. The 980G chipset will round out the 9-series, offering integrated graphics for low-end systems but will not support older AM3 processors.

ASRock did not specify the actual price of its 890FX Deluxe5 motherboard, so stay tuned.
 
Does anyone know if you need an invoice to participate in the recall? Mine was a review sample but it has a serial number, retail box, etc.
 
Blahman said:
Does anyone know if you need an invoice to participate in the recall? Mine was a review sample but it has a serial number, retail box, etc.
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I haven't seen anything official, but given that this is a full-on recall you shouldn't have to provide an invoice. At least for now, when the motherboard is obviously still in warranty.
 
I haven't kept up to date for the past 2 weeks. I saw a link on the other Asus thread, but when I click on it, I get a runtime error. I think last week I saw that there was an online form you could fill out.

Anyway I went to Asus' website http://event.asus.com/2011/SandyBridge/notice/. I don't see an online form anymore, so does this mean I can only call the hotline number now?


The sad thing is I just built my computer with the P8P67 today, the parts have been sitting around for 3 weeks now.
 
phantomAI said:
I haven't kept up to date for the past 2 weeks. I saw a link on the other Asus thread, but when I click on it, I get a runtime error. I think last week I saw that there was an online form you could fill out.

Anyway I went to Asus' website http://event.asus.com/2011/SandyBridge/notice/. I don't see an online form anymore, so does this mean I can only call the hotline number now?


The sad thing is I just built my computer with the P8P67 today, the parts have been sitting around for 3 weeks now.
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This was the page with the form, looks like it's broken ATM: http://service.asus.com/notice/Default.aspx
 
Are they taking back just the defective P67 motherboards or the one that are functioning without problems as well?
 
I have the P8P67 Deluxe and was benchmarking two Microcenter SSD G2 Adata drives in raid 0 on the Sata2 ports. I ran the AS SSD bench over and over again as my sequential read mb/sec score dropped after each run little by little. I thought it could be SSD firmware wear leveling issue, so I hooked them to the Sata3 ports and the scores stayed pretty much consistent with no drop in performance after every run after run. So yeah this problem is very real. Didn't think I would notice it. Thought better odds to get run over by a bus but this is very real! Motherboard is definitely going back to its maker!
 
Am I to understand that as long as I don't use the 3Gps SATA ports, everything is fine? This PC is built and everything is installed. I would hate to have to remove and return the mobo and wait for a new one. I have 1 SSD, 1 HDD and my DVD drive so I have room on the 4 6Gps ports.

Should I move everything to the 6Gps ports or do I really have to replace my board?
 
clem84 said:
Am I to understand that as long as I don't use the 3Gps SATA ports, everything is fine? This PC is built and everything is installed. I would hate to have to remove and return the mobo and wait for a new one. I have 1 SSD, 1 HDD and my DVD drive so I have room on the 4 6Gps ports.

Should I move everything to the 6Gps ports or do I really have to replace my board?
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If you dont care about resell value or what not, you can just move everything to the SATA 3.0 6gb/s ports and if you need more space, get a free pci controller card x1 for more expansion.
 
Asus has a P8P67 Pro Rev. 3 listed as a product on their site. Is this going to be the replacement board?

I also notice their registration site is completely down now.
 
i checked their global site, canadian site and US site, but i don't see this. can you give us a link?

bigdogchris said:
Asus has a P8P67 Pro Rev. 3 listed as a product on their site. Is this going to be the replacement board?

I also notice their registration site is completely down now.
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