Motherboard makers begin Intel clean-up campaign

Intel's decision to recall its Sandy Bridge chipset has been met with a swift response from manufacturers keen not to lose out on important sales.

Last month, system makers such as Dell and HP halted shipment of any affected models while return and replace plans were put in place to appease disgruntled customers. Now, the first motherboards housing the new B3 stepping chipsets, which resolve the flaw in the original chipsets that could lead to performance problems via the SATA ports over regular, long-term use, have been announced from major board makers.

Manufacturers like MSI, ASUS and GIGABYTE have all announced their first B3 stepping ready boards, which come with clear labels noting the B3 revision. In addition, MSI and ASUS have both released a SATA Verifier utility, which will inform customers whether storage devices plugged into its motherboards are at risk or not.

The response, as quick as it is, still won't stop Intel from losing an estimated $1 billion from the recall process.