News - Intel offers overclocking insurance

[HEXUS]

Fried your CPU? Intel now offers insurance to replace the processor.

Read more.

[Tattysnuc]

Link is missing an "h" at the start

[Tarinder]

How would Intel know that it failed when run outside of regular parameters?

The firm must be able to discern if the chip was run at, say, 1.3V.

[Tattysnuc]

Nice innovation Intel to bring in some extra pennies. You've got to ask though, can they really distinguish a chip that's died from overclocking verses a chip that's dies through other means....

I there is no sort of logging on chip, then the only way to inspect the chip is to pin test for responses or stick it under an electron microscope - that would be completely impractical.

Is this going to be available in the UK?

[Carlh]

Already available in the UK - here

[shaithis]

This is why Intel added thermal throttling and made an overclockers version of the chip. I fail to see the use of insurance as you could argue their fail-safe feature didn't work.

And with scansure + intel insurance you add an extra 12.5% to the price....

Scan also seem to be charging a scansure fee on the intel insurance....insure your insurance?

[Hoonigan]

Is it possible to purchase this after you've purchased your CPU? I've only had my 2500k for about 6 weeks, so would be very interested in getting this, just for peace of mind.

[Pancake]

Waste of cash, how would they even know you overclocked it? and lets face it. Its not going to die unless you RRREEEEAAAAALLYYYYYYY overclock it

[Funkstar]

Waste of cash, how would they even know you overclocked it? and lets face it. Its not going to die unless you RRREEEEAAAAALLYYYYYYY overclock it

By that argument, that's how they will know

And that's why they are offering you insurance. Might be unnecesary, but at least the option is there. Just as long as retailers don't start adding it to baskets by default and making you remove it in a two stage process.

[Hoonigan]

And lets face it. Its not going to die unless you RRREEEEAAAAALLYYYYYYY overclock it

That's why I'm interested in buying this; I'd be a hell of a lot more confident to push my CPU to 5GHz+, which I know is possible with the 2500k + Asus P8Z68v-Pro and Corsair Vengeance RAM, I've just got to hope my components are good overclockers.

£20 doesn't seem like a lot for 3 years of cover, IMO, and I'll most likely have upgraded within that time anyway, tbh.

[jim]

Scan also seem to be charging a scansure fee on the intel insurance....insure your insurance?

Well, you can't be too careful...

[krazy_olie]

Pure overclocking is not a particularly dangerous at, the cpu will become unstable and shut down long before it gets damaged. You can only really fry your processor by excessively over volting it in order to get stable, but not 100% sure this covers that.

[danroyle]

at the £16 prioce i'd probably buy it if i could add it onto my six month old 2500k as i'd love to eek it up to 5ghz but dont wanna fry it so run it lower.

if i could buy it now for my cpu i think i would

[CAT-THE-FIFTH]

at the £16 prioce i'd probably buy it if i could add it onto my six month old 2500k as i'd love to eek it up to 5ghz but dont wanna fry it so run it lower.

if i could buy it now for my cpu i think i would

You can only fry a CPU by putting more voltage than the maximum rate value and anyway if you hit the wall -why bother in the first place??

In the scale of things a few hundred mhz is not going to make your CPU last any longer anyway. As shaithis says there are so many protections built into modern chips you would have to be going for suicide runs to bork your chip.

If an Intel CPU which Intel has unlocked for overclocking goes kaput within its rated voltage and temperature range then you have a defective chip. Why are you paying more for the warranty which should have been in theory rendered already.

Do you know that retailers like OcUK will handle warranty replacements of CPUs that even have been overclocked,for free?? They even say it on their own forums.

Overclocking has become some flipping cash cow for companies.

[danroyle]

You can only fry a CPU by putting more voltage than the maximum rate value and anyway if you hit the wall -why bother in the first place??

In the scale of things a few hundred mhz is not going to make your CPU last any longer anyway.

If an Intel CPU which Intel has unlocked for overclocking goes kaput within its rated voltage and temperature range then you have a defective chip. Why are you paying more for the warranty which should have been in theory rendered.

Do you know that retailers like OcUK will handle warranty replacements of CPUs that even have been overclocked,for free??

yeah i know that and really this isn't worth the paper its printed on but for some peope its piece of mind and if you pay £170 for a 2500k you dont wanna fry it or go through a long Rma with ocuk this is not a bad deal its a no quibble swap deal so should drastically speed up warranty returns surely

[watercooled]

Just money grabbing really, hoping people don't know that they have basically no way of knowing if it was overclocked anyway. That, and it's unlikely to fail if overclocked intelligently - do they really want to find themselves repacing CPUs from some idiots who have turned the voltage up to the max the board will allow, safe in the knowledge they're insured?

Peace of mind I suppose, but it reminds me of those data recovery services you can subscribe to...