Sandy Bridge Important Accouncement

We have just had Important Update information from Intel, Asus, Msi and Gigabyte 16:30Hrs Today - 01/02/11.

This is an agreement Scan has reached with Intel/Asus/Msi & Gigabyte and is not for the time being a general to all vendors. We suggest you check with your Vendor/Supplier.

All of the above parties have agreed on a intermediate solution to the Sandybridge problem.

As there is No Immediate Danger/Fault and as this fault is likely to affect a small number of boards over time and Replacement Stock will Not be available until realistically in April/May, all the parties above have Guaranteed Direct Swap Out of all P67/H67 Boards bought from Scan should you the end user wish to do so at a later date.

Based on this Swap Out Guarantee We have decided to make all P67/H67 Boards available for sale again.

The Decision to buy and use still lies upon you the end user customer.

Intel Identifies Chipset Design Error, Implementing Solution

SANTA CLARA, Calif., Jan. 31, 2011 - As part of ongoing quality assurance, Intel Corporation has discovered a design issue in a recently released support chip, the Intel® 6 Series, code-named Cougar Point, and has implemented a silicon fix. In some cases, the Serial-ATA (SATA) ports within the chipsets may degrade over time, potentially impacting the performance or functionality of SATA-linked devices such as hard disk drives and DVD-drives. The chipset is utilized in PCs with Intel's latest Second Generation Intel Core processors, code-named Sandy Bridge. Intel has stopped shipment of the affected support chip from its factories. Intel has corrected the design issue, and has begun manufacturing a new version of the support chip which will resolve the issue. The Sandy Bridge microprocessor is unaffected and no other products are affected by this issue.

The company expects to begin delivering the updated version of the chipset to customers in late February and expects full volume recovery in April. Intel stands behind its products and is committed to product quality. For computer makers and other Intel customers that have bought potentially affected chipsets or systems, Intel will work with its OEM partners to accept the return of the affected chipsets, and plans to support modifications or replacements needed on motherboards or systems. The systems with the affected support chips have only been shipping since January 9th and the company believes that relatively few consumers are impacted by this issue. The only systems sold to an end customer potentially impacted are Second Generation Core i5 and Core i7 quad core based systems. Intel believes that consumers can continue to use their systems with confidence, while working with their computer manufacturer for a permanent solution. For further information consumers should contact Intel at www.intel.com on the support page or contact their OEM manufacturer.