Intel’s defective chip hits Dell and Lenovo kit

TWO BIG PC OEMS, Dell and Lenovo have reluctantly joined HP, Samsung and MSI in being afflicted by Intel's dodgy chip in its Sandy Bridge chipset.

The massive notebook and desktop PC manufacturers have been forced to offer product replacements because of Chipzilla's defective "Cougar Point" chip. HP didn't actually get out of the gate and only had to delay its forthcoming business notebook with Intel 6 Series Cougar Point support chips.

However, Dell and Lenovo have been forced to join Samsung and MSI with replacement or refund schemes because the technology giants had already started shipping models with the flaky chip. HP's delay will cost it a fortune but that cost will be nothing compared to the amounts that Dell, Lenovo, Samsung and others will have to deal with thanks to Chipzilla's 6 Series chip problem. Much of those costs will probably be included in the $700 million in expenses that Intel has admitted that it will incur to resolve the problem.

Dell and Lenovo went on the PR offensive by releasing statements within a day or two of Intel's announcement.

"This affects four currently-available Dell products, the XPS 8300, the Vostro 460, the Alienware M17x R.3 and the Alienware Aurora R.3 as well as several other planned products including XPS 17 with 3D," said a Dell spokesperson.

Dell said the problem will be covered by its warranty and service terms. Punters will get a replacement motherboard when Dell gets the replacement chips from Intel. The only problem is that they'll have to wait until April to start receiving the new parts.

Lenovo was more generous with its customers, offering a trade-in service with a full refund at point-of-sale for buyers who aren't satisfied with the replacement scheme. Those who opt for the replacement offer will have to wait for the new parts to arrive.

Lenovo also has a much longer list of affected Cougar Point products, including ten Ideapad laptops and three Ideacentre desktop PCs.

"Of these, we have shipped a limited number of units with the affected Intel chip worldwide," said a Lenovo spokesperson.

"As of February 1, 2011, Lenovo has stopped shipping all products with an Intel 6 Series chipset," the company added. µ