Intel distributor runs out of Intel 14th Gen CPU replacements

The stability problems with Intel processors continue, with one distributor actually running out of replacement CPUs to offer customers.

Intel customers have been dealing with trouble related to stability problems with 13th and 14th-generation processors. This has been causing a raft of issues, from frame stuttering and performance problems in games to black screens and crashes.

Though Intel has released updated microcode designed to resolve the issues, many customers have found that the chips were already too badly degraded.

Intel has promised to offer RMA to customers whose chips are damaged, but even this has run into a roadblock. Some distributors, such as Synnex in Hong Kong, have simply run out of replacement Core i9 14900K CPUs.

Synnex is instead offering a refund on damaged 14th gen chips that cannot be replaced. Affected customers can claim $4,200 Hong Kong Dollars in place of a replacement chip. This equates to roughly $538 US Dollars, which is slightly less than the MSRP of the Core i9 14900K.

According to WCCFTech, one customer was forced to accept a refund after attempts to source a replacement had taken over a month. This customer has now elected to switch to an AMD-based setup using the Ryzen 9 9950X processor on the AM5 platform.

This customer is far from the only one being forced to switch hardware suppliers. Some reports have shown up to 50% failure rate for some 13th and 14th-generation CPUs. Many of these processors have been permanently damaged due to an over-voltage problem, which Intel has referred to as ‘Vmin Stability’.

Users who are planning to build a new PC would be best served by using AMD hardware, or waiting until Intel releases its Arrow Lake S processors. Sadly, this wait will be longer than expected, since the Arrow Lake launch has been pushed back to October 24th, 2024.