<p>Intel has decided to give owners of its problematic Raptor Lake CPUs more time to get replacements. Initially, they didn&#8217;t plan to extend the warranty, but now they&#8217;ve announced a two-year extension. Owners with damaged CPUs should still contact Intel support, even though the process might not be straightforward.</p>
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<p>Normally, Intel&#8217;s retail CPU warranty lasts for three years. With this extension, customers now have five years from the purchase date to replace their faulty CPUs. Intel community manager Thomas Hannaford mentioned that more details about the extended warranty will be shared soon. Since the 13th Gen Raptor Lake was launched in late 2022, there&#8217;s no immediate risk of CPUs losing warranty coverage.</p>
<p>Hannaford advised that those with retail CPUs should contact Intel directly if there are issues. If the CPU was part of a system from an OEM, they should contact the manufacturer. However, this might not be easy. One Intel customer shared a troubling RMA experience on Reddit.</p>
<p>One of the <a href="https://www.reddit.com/r/hardware/comments/1ei1zvm/intel_has_denied_two_of_my_14900k_rmas/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Reddit users tried to replace two unstable Intel Core i9 14900K CPUs under warranty</a>. Intel suspected the chips were non-genuine and warned they might confiscate them if they failed the validation. As a result, the customer was advised to deal with the retailer instead. Fortunately, they managed to return the CPUs to Amazon and Micro Center outside the usual return window, thanks to the retailers&#8217; flexibility.</p>
<p>This case highlights the need for Intel to improve its RMA process, especially after admitting last month that its 13th and 14th Gen Core CPUs have a critical microcode flaw. These chips can draw too much power during high-performance activities, causing permanent damage and system crashes. All affected Core i5, i7, and i9 chips with TDPs over 65W need to be patched to prevent damage, but already affected CPUs must be replaced. Intel needs to streamline its RMA process to avoid further issues.</p>
<p>This might be challenging as Intel faces internal turmoil. With declining profits, the company announced layoffs of over 15,000 employees and cuts to R&;D spending. This comes at a time when Intel needs to catch up with AI advancements.</p>