Synnex in Hong Kong is issuing refunds for the Intel Core i9 14900K CPU to its customers as the distributor has run out of chips.
Users receive HK$4,200 in refunds for unrepairable 14th and 13th Gen Intel chips such as the Core i9-14900K
Things are getting out of hand as the instability issue has left users with no choice but to opt for alternatives. The issue, which has been around for over a year, has damaged numerous high-end Raptor Lake and its Refresh CPUs. Although Intel has already released the microcode to fix the problem & promised to offer RMA, but not all distributors can process it because they don’t have enough chips.
The recent example is Hong Kong-based Synnex, which is one of the largest distributors of Intel chips. As reported by HKEPCSynnex is issuing a HK$4,200 refund to users as they are unable to repair damaged Core i9 14900K CPUs. Since an irreparable chip requires replacement, Synnex is offering a refund as they are out of i9 14900K CPUs.
**”SYNNEX Technology International< Aviso de reparo >> Repair Order Number: MTMK402921 INTEL CORE I9-14900K. Since your item cannot be repaired, we are arranging a refund of HK$4,200. If customer agrees to the refund, please provide the relevant bank account details including (Beneficiary Name / Bank Name / Account Number) so that our accounting department can process the transfer. For inquiries, please contact 39442347.”**
through HKEPC
The HK$4,200 is roughly equivalent to US$538, which is slightly less than the official MSRP of the Intel Core i9 14900K CPU. However, refunds are not always 100% after a specific period of use, but it does show that users with the i9 14900K may be in trouble if their chips deteriorate, at least for Hong Kong users. It seems that the Core i9 14900K is not available in abundance everywhere and with many RMA processes underway, the shortage will only increase further.
One of the customers who requested the RMA on September 4 said that he was mentally prepared for the fact that it might take more than a month for the repair or replacement as he was aware of what was happening with these chips. He had to accept the refund finally as he had given up and sold the remaining components to his friend.
Now he is planning to use the Ryzen 9 9950X processor and the AM5 platform to build a new computer. He is not the only user who had to switch to AMD as many users and even game developers had to switch to AMD due to this annoying instability issue. Some of them not only had a 50% failure rate but what follows is the worst. CPUs are permanently degraded due to overvoltage which Intel calls the ‘Vmin Stability’ issue in the context of 13th and 14th generation processors.
It looks like users who are planning to build a new computer will either have to opt for AMD or wait for the Intel Arrow Lake S processors, whose launch is delayed to October 24. Fortunately, according to Intel, Arrow Lake processors will not have this instability issue.
News source: HKEPC