But doesn't offer warranty for overclocked CPUs

Jun 5, 2008 11:14 GMT  ·  By

One of the main features of the recently released Intel 4 series chip set is that it will allow its users to better overclock their systems. Apparently, Intel will now give its users the necessary tools that will enable them to improve their system's overall performance, by tweaking and overclocking the central processing unit. Still, one thing that users shouldn't expect from Intel is to provide warranty support if something goes wrong.

According to Intel's vice president and general manager of the graphics development group, Eric Mentzer, in an interview held at the Computex show, the new chipset series is going to have overclocking capabilities as a main feature. By the looks of things, Intel is trying to provide overclocking enthusiasts with a better computing platform and, at the same time, leaving everyone responsible for their own actions.

"We spend a lot of time working with our motherboard partners to figure out all the hidden bits inside, helping them figure out how to bring the best out of these platforms," Mentzer said.

Apparently, Intel is trying to change the way its users interact with its products. In the past, Intel CPUs have been specifically locked down by the company, thus preventing any overclocking attempt. By allowing users to freely overclock their system, Intel is actually changing the way they perceive the overclocking community.

"There's a very small segment that just love to play with this stuff," Mentzer said. "They're very important to us because they are also the people who set the tone for what they think is a good chip set." he added.

Unfortunately, Intel will not offer warranty for the processors that will go through an overclocking process. They will only guarantee for the fact that their processors run smoothly under the right circumstances.

"When we do that, inherently there's a lot of margin. We know you can overclock and deliver greater performance, because effectively you're tapping into the margins we've designed into the product... But, of course, we can't stand by that because we'd have to test to that" level of performance, Mentzer explained.