Acer, MSI US join in on Intel Sandy Bridge recalls
updated 05:30 pm EST, Thu February 3, 2011
Acer and MSI US continue recalls
Acer and MSI's North American division on Thursday joined in on the recalls and updates following Intel's Sandy Bridge chip flaw. Both have stopped shipping new PCs and mainboards using the H67 and P67 chipsets and are recalling systems and parts that are already on shelves. Each is offering a different strategy for recalls.
The Acer plan will give owners the option of either getting a free fix for the system as soon as Intel is shipping fixed chipsets or else getting a complete replacement of "comparable performance."
MSI's plans for North America are more specific and vary depending on the hardware. Those with an H67 or P67 mainboard can get a free replacement as soon as Intel's B3 revision of the chipsets is available. Those buying a notebook using one of the affected chipsets, such as the GT680R, can trade up to a "next generation" equivalent as soon as it's available.
The news follows those of Alienware and HP recalls and mark one of Intel's largest chip errors in recent memory. Its 6 series chipsets, which are used for most new 2011 processors, have a flaw that gradually degrades the speed of the SATA port until it's rendered ineffective. Intel has emphasized that the bug isn't destructive and that it already has the solution in place, but its nature as a hardware bug will cost the company $700 million or more in swaps.
