Computer makers have already begun announcing recall and refund programs for systems affected by Intel’s faulty Cougar Point chipset for Sandy Bridge Core i5s and Core i7s. Samsung will provide refunds for some of its PCs, while Lenovo is waiting to make an announcement until after it has worked with Intel to determine a proper solution.
Recent reports suggest Intel has determined the exact cause for the problems, which center around a transistor that leaks current. The issue reportedly causes the 3Gbps SATA port to show degraded performance or fail in some cases.