After discovering a design flaw in a chipset, Intel is changing its financial outlook. The chipmaker found and fixed a support chip in the Intel 6 series, code-named Cougar Point. In some cases, Intel said, the Serial ATA (SATA) ports within the chipsets may degrade over time, potentially impacting the performance or functionality of SATA-linked devices such as hard drives and DVD drives.
The chipset is found in PCs with Intel’s latest Second Generation Intel Core processors, code-named Sandy Bridge. Intel has stopped shipment of the flawed chip, corrected the design issue, and started manufacturing a new version of the support chip that will resolve the issue. Intel was clear that the Sandy Bridge microprocessor is unaffected and no other products are affected by this issue.
Learning from the Past
Charles King, principal analyst at Pund-IT, isn’t too concerned for Intel’s brand reputation. As microprocessors and motherboards become increasingly complex, he said, there’s a greater likelihood these types of issues will occur.
“The fact that the company caught the problem so quickly — basically less than three weeks after the product started shipping — and is moving so aggressively to correct the problem counts in Intel’s favor. Intel is working to make sure more faulty products are not shipped and then being very proactive about getting out there and fixing the products that have been sold.”
The way Intel is handling the situation is a contrast to how it handled the Pentium FDVI bug in 1994. Intel’s nonchalant attitude about the issue, which only affected a small percentage of customers, caused it problems in the media.
“We are seeing in this evidence of a company that understands the wisdom of proactively correcting problems and not sparing any expense to make sure clients have the best Intel products on their desktops and laptops that…