Reports of a chip bug has led PC makers to stop the sale of some computers. The bug involves a chipset, known as Cougar Point, that helps the central processor communicate with other parts of a computer such as the memory and hard disc drives. Already about 8 million Cougar Point are reported to have been distributed so far although only around 100,000 have been used in finished computers so far, according to Intel. As a result, PC manufacturers such as HP, Dell, Lenovo and Samsung have stopped selling computers that are suspected to contain the faulty chipsets. They include 7 Samsung PC models, 4 Dell models and Lenovo & HP laptops. Affected customers will be eligible for a refund, replacement parts or new machines.
If ignored, the chipset bug which was discovered during high-voltage and temperature tests by manufacturers, could potentially lead to hard disc failure with around 5% likely to fail within a three-year period. Due to the bug discovery, HP has now had to cancel an event scheduled for mid-February that was initially organised to showcase a range of business laptops that uses Cougar Points.
Talking Point
Will news of the chipset bug discourage users and manufacturers from taking interest in Intel’s latest Sandy Bridge processors?
