Intel Will Not Include CPU Coolers with Sandy Bridge-E Models

Rob Williams

Editor-in-Chief
Staff member
Moderator
When Intel launched its Sandy Bridge CPU line-up earlier this year, it released a large collection of models in order to leave as few gaps in the price-ranges as possible, and as long as you weren't looking for a true high-end product, there was little to complain about (ahem, perhaps aside from certain chipset issues). But what about the enthusiast, and their wants and needs?

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Read the rest of our post and then discuss it here!
 

Optix

Basket Chassis
Staff member
Us: My CPU overheated and died. Honour my warranty.
Intel: I'm sorry, you weren't using an Intel heatsink. Your warranty is null and void.

I wonder how this will affect the higher-end pre-built systems out there? OEMs will need to provide their own cooling solutions.
 
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Rob Williams

Editor-in-Chief
Staff member
Moderator
Us: My CPU overheated and died. Honour my warranty.
Intel: I'm sorry, you weren't using an Intel heatsink. Your warranty is null and void.

I'm not sure that's fair to assume though. From what I understand, Intel offers some of the best support in the business, at least from what I've read in the past.
 

2Tired2Tango

Tech Monkey
How about...

"Hey martha, we should git this'un... it don't need one o' those noisey fan thingies!"

I'd bet real money there's at least one idiot out there who will interpret the absense of a cooler as the absence of a need for a cooler...
 

Tharic-Nar

Senior Editor
Staff member
Moderator
I don't think half-wits will be spending $999 on a CPU for a system they are custom building themselves... yes, that was rhetorical...

Intel has been selling OEM CPUs for a while without coolers, I can get them here, but you only save about £5 on the purchase, might as well go retail, get the cooler AND the 3 year warranty instead of the OEMs 1 year.

For retail to go without a cooler, then yeah, that's new, but not unexpected. I very rarely use the anemic high-pitch whiner of a cooler on my builds these days, unless people want budget (which I've given up on now). Intel isn't really saving a lot of money, the coolers provided are not that expensive, considering they're made in the millions.
 

2Tired2Tango

Tech Monkey
I don't think half-wits will be spending $999 on a CPU for a system they are custom building themselves... yes, that was rhetorical...

LOL... rhetorical or not, it has long been my experience that whenever the opportunity exists for people to behave stupidly, they will happily do just that.

Prime example... I recently got a call about system shutdowns on a fairly modest system. Buddy had put clothes pins in all the fans...
"They make too much noise"...
"And you've fried your power supply"...
(blank stare)...
 

Optix

Basket Chassis
Staff member
I'm not sure that's fair to assume though. From what I understand, Intel offers some of the best support in the business, at least from what I've read in the past.
Maybe the guy I talked to back in my E2180 days just had a bad morning. :confused:
 
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