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A lot of manufacturers came out of the gate letting us know that they were committed to handling the INTEL Sandy Bridge problem. But I’d rather have a game plan than a make good promise. Like MSI, ECS Elitegroup has outlined their procedure step by step on how US customers will get their affected P67 and H67 boards fixed up once the new revisions roll off the assembly line. They’ve let us know that the SMT lines have already been shut down and they are just waiting for the new parts to show up from INTEL. Only the following ECS boards are affected in this recall which include: P67H2-A(1.1), P67H2-A2(1.0), P67H2-A3(1.0), H67H2-M(1.1), H67H2-M3(1.0)

Again the recall procedure is for the 48 contiguous States only but they will be covering the cost of the return both ways to you. Unfortunately, they didn’t say how customers in the non contiguous States will be taken care of and there is no mention of what Canadians will have to do to get taken care of. Hopefully they’ll update their plan to take care of all their customers soon. Full press release and details are below.

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ECS USA’s Commitment to its Intel® 6 Series Express Chipset Motherboard Customers

Fremont, U.S.A, Feb. 3rd, 2011 – ECS ELITEGROUP USA (ECS USA) branch office has worked with Intel and has been made aware of a design flaw in its newest generation Intel® 6 Series Express Chipsets (codenamed Cougar Point, B2 Stepping) which could, under normal operation, experience an issue with SATA ports 2-5 that may result in these SATA ports experiencing a functional issue over time.

ECS USA, along with all motherboard manufacturers, is working closely with Intel (who has identified the problem) on containing the distribution of the B2 Stepping of this product on its motherboards.  ECS USA takes pride in its products’ quality and is passionate about offering the best possible customer experience.  ECS USA stands by its products and is committed to its customers by offering the following:

  • Immediate suspension of all sales of Intel® 6 Series Express Chipsets (codenamed Cougar Point, B2 Stepping) in its channel.
  • Upon availability of the new B3 Stepping of the Intel® 6 Series Express Chipsets, ECS USA will replace customer’s product with a brand-new one.  New motherboards are expected in April.  ECS USA will keep its customers updated on this schedule.
  • Replacement for products currently in the market that are affected: P67H2-A(1.1), P67H2-A2(1.0), P67H2-A3(1.0), H67H2-M(1.1), H67H2-M3(1.0)
  • Work closely with its distributors and reseller channel on the return and replacement of current inventory
  • For end users in the U.S. (48 contiguous states), ECS USA offers the following:
    • Customers have the option to return the product at the original point of purchase for a refund.
    • Customers who wish to keep the product or have any issue returning the product at the point of purchase, ECS USA will absorb the cost of the product exchange 100% by offering a product swap.  If a customer has one of the above products, please communicate with ECS USA via one of the following methods to arrange a replacement once they become available:
      • Via e-mail (preferred method): elite@ecsusa.com
      • Via voice-mail: 510-771-0208.  This is a voicemail, only.
    • Whichever method is used, customers should provide the following information in order to create a case number and allow for ECS USA to respond:
      • Customer Name, Model Name, Serial Number, Purchased From (optional), Contact Number, E-mail Address, Shipping Address
    • All support questions not related to the Intel® 6 Series Express Chipset based motherboard replacement, can be sent to our regular support channel.

“All motherboard manufacturers are affected by this news, but we want to minimize our customers’ exposure to the error detailed by Intel.  This is why we want to offer our faithful customers the opportunity to get a refund.  Or, if they want to wait for the fix we can get them a brand-new motherboard delivered to them at no charge” commented Ray Lin, Vice President of Motherboard and Graphics Card Business Unit of ECS USA.

ECS USA does not see the replacement of the Intel® 6 Series Express Chipset based motherboards as a negative impact.  Rather, it permits ECS USA to better tune its already greatly praised/ awarded Intel® P67/H67 series and offer an even more perfect ECS Intel® P67/H67 motherboards series, once Intel releases the new B3 Stepping chipset fixing the current issues.

About ECS
Elitegroup Computer Systems (ECS) has been a pioneer in designing and manufacturing computer motherboards since 1987. Today, the motherboard maker also designs and manufactures desktop PCs, notebooks, servers, motherboards, video cards, wireless solutions and handheld devices for distributors worldwide. Headquartered in Taiwan with operations in North America, Europe and China, Korea and Japan, ECS also has ISO 9001 and ISO 14001 certified manufacturing facilities in China.

For more information, please visit ECS at www.ecs.com.tw

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