After Intel's admission, should Sandy Bridge processors be used?

I'm planning on getting a custom desktop PC assembled.

I had planned on an Intel i5-2400 (Sandy bridge) processor in tandem with an Asus p8h67mle motherboard.

After Intel's admission of a manufacturing defect affecting the Sandy Bridge platform, should I be concerned even though I have an Intel processor but a non-Intel motherboard?

Is the problem part of the processor or a chipset on the motherboard?

Which of these components is safe to keep and use?

Sparx

Posted 2011-02-04T18:17:15.220

Reputation: 1 667

See this...http://www.petenetlive.com/KB/Article/0000390.htm

– Moab – 2011-02-04T18:45:18.903

Answers

The processor is fine, it is the Cougar Point chipset found on all H67/P67 motherboards where the problem lies. This chip set is integrated into motherboards, so it is not a replaceable part. As far as the processor itself it is perfectly fine just wait until they start releasing motherboards with the new chip set on them, it should be around April that we expect to see them. It is safe to keep and use both of them, it is only the 3Gbps SATA ports that are affected (these are SATA ports 2-5) So if you only have two SATA devices you won't notice any problems at all.

Supercereal

Posted 2011-02-04T18:17:15.220

Reputation: 8 643

So, I can use the processor, but at the moment there aren't any motherboards that support it, right? – Sparx – 2011-02-04T19:35:11.297

1No @Sparx there are plenty of motherboards that support it, just most reputable retailers have pulled them off the shelves. The boards are functional its just under heavy loads or a over long amount of time the 3Gbps SATA ports will start to degrade. You could just get a board only use the 6Gbps SATA and get a PCIE SATA card if you plan on using more ports. I have a friend with a sandy bridge and Cougar point motherboard that plans to just get a SATA card if he needs more ports... – Supercereal – 2011-02-04T19:38:25.130

Actually @sparx they are still on the market http://www.amazon.com/Biostar-Intel-Socket-Motherboard-TH67/dp/B004I8WAJE Shipped and sold by Amazon.. real reputable. I'll check Tiger and Newegg to see if they still sell them as well.

– Supercereal – 2011-02-04T19:42:20.807

1Yeah I couldn't find any socket 1155 boards on Tigerdirect same thing with newegg. – Supercereal – 2011-02-04T19:45:43.127

thanks for the effort expended. But I'm based in Bombay, India. Amazon/Newegg etc. aren't places I can source my hardware from. At least, not inexpensively. – Sparx – 2011-02-05T06:04:52.063

It appears to be a chipset issue, meaning all P67/H67 motherboards are affected - even non-Intel ones, as they share chipsets. It also seems to be limited to SATA 3GB/s ports, excluding SATA0 + 1.

The CPU is fine.

Wiki:

On January 31, 2011, Intel issued a recall on all P67 and H67 motherboards. The issue is hardware related and required a silicon fix, making rolling out a fix impossible. The issue affects SATA 3 Gb/s ports, while not affecting the SATA 6 Gb/s ports. Intel claims this problem will only affect 5% of users over 3 years, however, heavier I/O workloads can exacerbate the problem. Over time, the connection for the SATA 3 Gb/s ports will degrade, causing a drop in performance and eventually loss of connection to SATA devices. The processors themselves were not affected.

nobody

Posted 2011-02-04T18:17:15.220

Reputation: 279