Plus, Intel expands its loss estimates for the Sandy Bridge recall, and new chips roll out to all motherboard manufacturers. UPDATED.
UPDATE: Having now heard from a number of other manufacturers, and spoken to our rep at MSI, we've confirmed that MSI is not in the process of replacing motherboards just yet despite telling us "MSI has already began (sic) to replace all affected products" in a release received this morning. The actual hardware has passed all testing after leaving the factory, and replacements will in fact be shipping out "by next week". That's pretty much the timeframe that ASUS and GIGABYTE will be operating to, as well.
The dust has more or less settled on the now infamous Sandy Bridge recall, just in time now for motherboard manufacturers to start receiving shipments of the new B3 stepping SATA II chipsets from Intel. In fact, while the rollout to the big players started early this week, MSI has come out swinging as the first motherboard manufacturer to actually start shipping out replacement kit.
It will also start supplying new boards to retail, with a ‘MSI B3 Stepping Ready’ sticker to help consumers pick the new stock from the old.
We’ve also learned that Intel has agreed to compensate its motherboard partners for the full cost of the recall – including manufacturing and shipping costs. This will blow Intel’s forecost $1 billion total cost of the issue out of the water. And, since it’s an ongoing and rather complicated cost, it’s unsure exactly when these increased losses are going to be reported in a technical sense.
So if you’ve been holding off on that next big upgrade, new hardware should start rolling into shops very soon. And teething problems aside, Sandy Bridge is looking well worth the effort.
Issue: 137 | June, 2012