Intel's Performance Tuning Protection Plan: Warranty for Overclockers
by Anand Lal Shimpi on January 18, 2012 4:54 PM EST- Posted in
- CPUs
- Intel
- Sandy Bridge
- Sandy Bridge E
I had heard this might be coming, but today Intel made it official. The Performance Tuning Protection Plan is a $20 - $35 plan that you'll be able to purchase either from Intel or one of its approved resellers, starting today. Typically if your CPU dies because you push it too far while overclocking, it's not covered by Intel's 3-year warranty. If you purchase the PTPP for your CPU however, you are given a single replacement free of charge. Any future damage isn't covered and the replacement is only available as long as your CPU is still covered under its original warranty. And no, you can't buy multiple plans for the same CPU.
A table of supported CPUs and PTPP cost are below:
| Intel Performance Tuning Protection Plan | ||||
| Price | ||||
| Intel Core i7 3960X | $35 | |||
| Intel Core i7 3930K | $35 | |||
| Intel Core i7 2700K | $25 | |||
| Intel Core i7 2600K | $25 | |||
| Intel Core i5 2500K | $20 | |||
These plans are only available on retail, boxed CPUs. The plans can be transferred between owners if you sell your CPU and you're allowed to own multiple plans, just not on the same CPU. Finally, you can't request a replacement CPU in the first 30 days of purchasing the plan.
This is very much a trial for Intel. Intel will only offer the PTPP for the next 6 months, at which point it will likely regroup and measure the effectiveness of the program. Intel also reserves the right to change the terms of the plan or discontinue it at its own leisure. Presumably if you purchase one of the plans however you'll be covered until your warranty runs out.
Most end users (including enthusiast overclockers) will likely not benefit from this additional coverage. It's really for the competitive overclockers and the folks who are truly pushing the limits of what Intel's silicon can do. I can definitely see the value for the hardcore overclocking community.
Source: Intel
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martyrant - Thursday, January 19, 2012 - link
I have extensive first hand experience with Intel and AMD RMAs. They replace completely fried chips, even the EE's, with no questions asked, regardless of what kind of voltage you are pumping into them. You think they can tell if a transistor blew because of a short or because you were pumping too much voltage into it? Come on, use your brains. They don't inspect them that carefully--it would require a police investigation I'm sure to figure out exactly what happened to the chip and at the rate they do RMAs checking them this way would cost more money than just giving the user a new one.That aside, I have killed FX-55's multiple times, even the RMA'd ones, and got replacements without any issues or even as much as a question. I have also done this over 10 times with the P4 EE line with similar results--no one ever questions how it died.
This is simply an idiot tax. There's a lot of those in our society though, and there's a lot of people in our society who are glad to pay that tax unfortunately.
Hector2 - Friday, January 20, 2012 - link
It's because of people like you that it took years for Intel to come around to even allowing overclocking. And it's because of people like you who have abusing the RMA system that Intel is now offering insurance.After this insurance program is in place and you blow up a part, expect the first question you'll be asked by Intel before sending out a replacement is "do you have insurance ?"
dealcorn - Friday, January 20, 2012 - link
From a demographics perspective, it is hard to characterize extreme over-clockers group as a bunch of Intel fan boys. This plan is worthless to anyone except extreme over-clockers. Congratulations to Intel for targeting a demographic segment where they are weak and in a way where they likely increase their profitability. While the plan is irrelevant to ordinary folk who should not waste their money, for extreme over-clockers and Intel it is a solid win:win.james.jwb - Friday, January 20, 2012 - link
this sort of bullshit makes me want to overclock my cpu to extreme voltages, watch it die and send it in for default warranty and watch them have to replace it anyway because they can't even tell. This is a really pathetic move from such a company.This is idiot insurance. You can argue all you want about whether its good for Intel (money, good business plan for profits) but it's still a quite hilarious concept that as a consumer, I'll never ever get, out of principle alone.
Hector2 - Friday, January 20, 2012 - link
Intel offering an insurance plan makes you upset ? Wow. Therapy ?Unithrow - Saturday, January 21, 2012 - link
You guys would be very Naive to think that Intel cannot tell when someone runs a part at over voltage or exceeded the specification in some other way.I am sure that every CPU returned goes into failure analysis - both to improve the next generation, and to determine warranty support. If they give you another CPU because you blew yours overclocking it is purely out of the good will of the company.
JoelEkstein - Tuesday, January 26, 2016 - link
A <a href="http://protect-o.com/">warranty</a> would always be a good protection in any purchase.JoelEkstein - Tuesday, January 26, 2016 - link
A warranty would always be a good protection in any purchase. http://protect-o.com/