by theygamesIntel might have a fix out now for its stability issues on 13th and 14th-gen Intel CPU models, but that doesn’t mean the company is out of the woods yet. A post on Reddit is pointing at customer dissatisfaction with the Intel RMA process, with multiple customers sharing messages from Intel’s team showing delays in replacing faulty Intel gaming CPUs.
Intel isn’t making any public statements about RMA delays so far. However, a number of complaints from users in the Intel subreddit show that the company is already facing delays in shipping out replacement Intel CPUs, whether it’s an exact or like-for-like replacement. The experience of Towel4, a user on Reddit, also points to specific stock issues with Intel’s best gaming CPU, the Core i9 14900K, and the previous-gen Core i9 13900K.
In an email from its customer support team posted by Towel4 on Reddit, Intel suggests that because of “stock availability issues” at the company, it isn’t possible to immediately replace a failing CPU with an equal or better equivalent following a successful warranty claim. The customer agent suggests to the Reddit user that it could be four to five weeks before the stock is replenished, and asks for at least three to four weeks before checking on stock levels again.
This isn’t a complete picture, though. Some users in the same post report receiving new CPUs quickly, while other RMA requests haven’t been reviewed at all. This could point to different stock levels in certain areas of the world, as well as a large backlog of RMA requests with which Intel is struggling to cope.
This isn’t an ideal situation for Intel. While an Intel CPU fix is now available for processors that weren’t permanently damaged, consumers with 13th and 14th-gen processors that do need replacing could face several weeks of delays (or longer).
For Towel4, though, it’s all working out. After initially posting about the delay, an update post confirms that, just two days later, Intel found the stock to replace the faulty i9-13900K with an upgraded i9-14900K in a cross ship RMA, where the company charges your card to cover the replacement’s value before it receives the faulty item back.
It’s clear that the picture is muddy, though. If you’re using an Intel 13th or 14th-gen CPU that isn’t crashing, now is the time to apply the fix by flashing your motherboard. You can check our guide on how to flash your BIOS to help you get started. While it won’t fix CPUs that already have the damage, it might still save a CPU or two out there.