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LETTERS
WE TACKLE TOUGH READER QUESTIONS ON...
> Irresponsible Intel > What the BTF? > AI, AI, Oh?
Unsettled by Intel
I read with intrigue and a small amount of concern in your September issue that you’d decided to drop Intel’s 13th and 14th generation CPUs from your Blueprint builds that issue, given the ongoing concerns around their stability.
I was concerned, because I’d literally just used your mid-range blueprint to put together an Intel-based system using your recommended Intel Core i5-14600K processor. The chip is now in my system, and has been running fine, and I’m now outside of the return period where I can take it back to the retailer.
Do you have any advice on what I should be doing? Should I be requesting a new chip from Intel? Should I be asking for a replacement of a 12th-gen chip, which shouldn’t be affected? I’m obviously trying to limit the amount of downtime that would result from having to return a CPU, now I finally have a system in place. I’d ideally just go for an AMD equivalent, but that obviously requires effectively rebuilding my
PC with a brand new motherboard.
I’m a bit lost, to be honest! Please help!
–R. Thatcher
EDITOR-IN-CHIEF, GUY COCKER, RESPONDS: As we’ve noted a lot through this issue and recent editions, while the situation around Intel chips is becoming clearer now thanks to motherboard firmware updates and an extended warranty policy, it still doesn’t feel like we’re out of the woods yet. There seems to be an inherent hardware problem with these chips, and while there are things that Intel, hardware partners, and users can do about that, there’s still a chance that these chips will fail at some point in the future.