Only SATAII 3.0Gbps ports are affected by this issue, not SATAIII 6.0Gbps ports.

Yesterday, Intel announced in a statement, regarding the 6-series chipsets, H67 and P67, found on motherboards with a LGA1155 socket, used in combination with SandyBridge Core i5/i7 2xxx series CPUs, that:

“In some cases, the Serial-ATA (SATA) ports within the chipsets may degrade over time, potentially impacting the performance or functionality of SATA-linked devices such as hard disk drives and DVD drives.”

“The chipset is utilized in PCs with Intel’s latest Second Generation Intel Core processors, code-named Sandy Bridge. Intel has stopped shipment of the affected support chip from its factories.”

That’s the message Intel engineers had to deliver to company execs after discovering a “design issue” in the company’s 6-Series chipsets. The issue is severe enough that Intel decided to halt shipments while it implements a fix. Intel said it has already corrected the issue and has started making a new version of the support chip that doesn’t have the design flaw.

Following this announcement, many retailers pulled off their H67/P67 motherboards, as well as CPUs in some cases (To avoid returns, since customers can’t buy H67/P67 motherboards).

What’s the issue?

Some of the SATA 3.0Gbps ports that come off of the Intel 6-series PCH or Peripheral Control Hub may begin producing errors over time. The problem isn’t immediate, but can happen over time.

That means that a port that is working fine today, may start to generate data errors later on. This will affect performance and the port may simply stop working over time.

Increased thermals and voltage on the ports may also contribute to the port failing sooner. According to Intel, over 3 years of use it would see a failure rate of approximately 5 – 15% depending on usage model.

The only good news is that ports 0/1 (SATA 6.0Gbps) are unaffected by the bug, neither are SATA 6.0Gbps ports driven by additional controllers.

This is a pretty bad error though, as 6-series chipsets are in every single Sandy Bridge-based platform sold or released including notebooks, desktop systems and even motherboards that our readers here may have purchased.

It looks like there isn’t a risk of data loss though, as Intel is comfortable with people continuing to use the product as it is today.

The source of the issue:
For more details on the issue and its source, I invite you to read AnandTech’s excellent analysis on the subject: The Source of Intel’s Cougar Point SATA Bug

Can this be fixed with a new BIOS or some other firmware update?

No. The problem is a hardware issue that cannot be fixed without replacing the affected chipset on the system. Since you can’t simply replace a chipset in a motherboard, the only way to fix it would be to completely replace the motherboard.

What should I do if I own a H67 or P67 motherboard?

Is my data at risk?

In the case of a single drive, no, according to Intel: “If a port goes bad, you just move it to a port that works and the data will be there”. The exception to this is if you’re working on an open file, you’ll lose whatever changes you’ve made since your last save.

In the case of a RAID array, especially RAID 0, a drive dropping out of your RAID array could result in data loss though.

However, keep in mind that the problem should occur over several years and only to a fairly small percentage of users. So the odds that you lose any data are very low, but still, backups are always important.

What can I do now?

Considering that the SATA 6.0Gbps ports (ports 0/1) are unaffected by the issue, I would recommend switching your HDDs and/or SSDs to SATA 6.0Gbps ports if they aren’t plugged in there already.

Of course, do a backup before doing this, to be on the safe side. Also keep in mind BIOS settings, such as the boot order, that may need to be adjusted.

Will my motherboard vendor replace my motherboard?

That’s not known. Earlier today, motherboard vendors had stopped shipping 6-series boards. They were being updated by Intel on details of the problem. Whether motherboard vendors would replace the boards or not is not known yet.

Some says that vendors may offer to replace the board with one with the newer spin of the chipset once they are available. They may also opt to let the consumer extend the warranty instead of replacing the board. This is pure speculation though.

How is Intel going to fix this?

The company is correcting the problem in silicon and is in process of manufacturing new chipsets without the problem. The bad news: boards and systems with the fixed chip will likely not be available for at least a month.

They are also getting in touch with motherboard manufacturers and retailers to give them details on the topic.

I was just about to buy a H67/P67 based PC, what should I buy now?

Preferably, if you have time, wait to see what happens next. If all goes well, we should see fixed H67/P67 motherboards available sometime in March. Some manufacturers might surprise us with some creative solutions that only use SATA 6.0Gbps ports too.

If you can’t wait, you can fall back on Intel’s Lynnfield platform (P55) or the X58 platform. AMD AM3 platform remains a great choice for budget builds too.

What does this mean for Hardware Revolution Builds?

Needless to say, the SandyBridge update for the $1250 Workstation is on hold, since most of you need more than 2 or 4 SATA ports and require a reliable solution.

Mainstream/High-End Gaming PCs will be updated once I get more information on when we can expect any SandyBridge motherboards to be back in stock. Most likely, the Mainstream/High-End Gaming PCs will fall back to their old P55 and X58 platforms respectively.

Other FAQs:

Q: Is it the Sandy Bridge CPU that’s bad?
A: No. Intel said the problem is not the CPU, but only the chipset.

Q: So which ports are bad on my motherboard again?
A: Intel’s PCH supports six ports. Of those, ports 0/1 are unaffected. These are also the SATA 6Gb/s ports. The remaining four SATA 3Gb/s ports may or may not exhibit the breakdown over time. Many motherboards also support additional ports using third-party controllers such as Marvell’s SATA 6Gb/s. These would be unaffected. eSATA ports on the rear of the motherboard should also be unaffected as those mostly use third-party controllers from Jmicron.

Q: So is my Sandybridge notebook bad?
The good news is that most notebooks only have two SATA ports which happen to run on ports 0/1. But that’s only most notebooks. Some notebooks that use more than ports 0/1 or that used the others ports would be affected.

Q: When will I be able to buy a Sandy Bridge motherboard?
A: This is the biggest issue: Intel says it will have the updated chipset in production this month but a full volume ramp would not return until April. As of Tuesday morning, major board vendors were still unclear on when they would have replacement boards in hand. However, some OEMs are saying that updated Sandy Bridge boards could be in their hands as soon as 4 to 6 weeks. Compliciating the matter is the approach of Chinese New Year when much of China and Taiwan are shut down for the holiday.

Have a question?

Head over to our forums, to this thread, where I and other members will answer your questions.

Got a question? Post it in the comments below this post. Also, know that you can subscribe to the comments via email or RSS to read my answer, as well to be informed of other people’s questions and my answers to them.

Q #1: What would you recommend for editing/encoding HD content for the web? I saw your $500 Workstation(didn’t seem enough) and $1000 Workstation (seemed like too much). I would like to be able to upgrade later if possible for under $1000 but more than $500.

A: For Editing/Encoding HD content for the web, the $500 Workstation Build will do the job, offering you plenty of horsepower for the job.

As for upgrading:

You’ll be able to upgrade to a six-core processor from AMD later this year (April 26th according to the latest rumors), which will provide a nice reduction in video encoding time. Thuban (The codename for the six-core processor) will debut in three variants branded Phenom II X6 1035T, Phenom II X6 1055T, and Phenom II X6 1075T. All three processors should be compatible with AM2+ and AM3 sockets, so they should work in existing AMD motherboards, although a BIOS update might be in order first, which can easily done with an USB key.

Otherwise, AMD and Intel will be coming with new platforms in 2011. You could choose to then change the CPU and motherboard, while keeping the rest of the system. That would probably cost you anywhere from $300 to $600+ depending on your pick and prices when these platforms launch.

Overall, you’re best off with upgrading the CPU, that’s where you’ll see the most performance increase in HD edition/recording. Mind you, if you use the CPU/Motherboard/Video from the $1000 build with the rest of the parts from the $500 Build, you end up with a cost of about $770, which offers much more performance then the $500 Build to begin with and is similar in performance to the $1000 Build. Food for thoughts

Q #2: I’ve recently stumbled across this Nvidia Geforce Barebone kit and it runs for $500 and gives you everything you need to get a pc up and running. My question is: How does it compare to the $500 Gaming PC?

A: In simple terms: There’s no comparison to be made, our $500 Gaming PC is superior in about every way compared to that barebone kit. There’s two reasons that explains this:

1. The sellers of barebone kits make a profit, which they you pay. I’m not here to make money off you and the prices that you see on this site are the prices that you’ll pay on NewEgg, Amazon, etc.
2. I update my builds every 2-3 months, with the best parts available at the moment considering the budget. I wonder, when was the last time that they updated that barebone kit?

In technical details, let’s compare, part per part:
Barebone vs our build:

• CPU: Intel Dual-Core E5300 2.6GHz vs AMD Triple-Core X3 425 2.7GHz: The extra core on the AMD CPU will give you the edge in games (most games use 2 cores now, so the third core will take care of overhead such as anti-virus and other background programs), video conversion and other CPU intensive programs.
• Motherboard: MSI G31TM-P21 vs ASRock M3A770DE: Where do I start? The MSI is based on the older G31 chipset and socket 775. New Intel CPUs are now on the socket 1156 and 1366, if you want to upgrade your CPU in the future, you’re pretty limited. DDR2 support instead of DDR3 in our build. On the back, the MSI has two PS/2, 4 USBs, LAN and audio. The ASRock featured in our build has an AM3 socket as well as DDR3 support, making it much more future-proof, as well as two PS/2, four USB, two USB/E-SATA combo, LAN and audio.
• RAM: Single-channel 1 stick of DDR2 2GB 667MHz vs Dual-Channel two sticks of DDR3 1600MHz 2 GB, for a total of 4GB. Do I need to explain more here?
• Video Card: Nvidia Geforce 9800GT vs Radeon 5750. Not only the Radeon 5750 is faster than the Geforce 9800GT, it also consumes less power and supports the lastest DirectX 11.
• Hard Drive: Seagate 250GB vs Western Digital 320GB: An extra 70GB in our build, not to mention that Wester Digital drives are considered more reliable.
• DVD Burner: LG 22X vs LITE-ON 24x: Once again, our part is faster.
• Power Supply: Ultra 500W vs Antec NEO 400W 80PLUS Certified: At a quick glance, the barebone power supply may seem better. However, total power output is only one of many factors to consider in a power supply, as I discussed in Warning: 6 Surefire Ways of Blowing Up Your Computer Due to an Inadequate Power Supply. The problem with the Ultra power supply is the brand: It’s not known for selling reliable power supplies. I had one in the past and I wouldn’t recommend that brand to anyone. Besides, the Antec is more efficient, meaning that it save you a few bucks on your electricity bill, exhaust less heat and be more silent.

In the end, our $500 Gaming PC will offer you much better performance and reliability for the same price.

Q #3: My current system is comprised of a Gigabyte GA-MA790GP-UD4H [partly because of the HD3300 on-board GPU, PhenomII 705e 2.5ghz cpu,4gb of OCZ Reaper, 1066mhz ram, WD caviar green 500gb drive,Acer H243H flat panel,and Thermaltake 430watt psu. Not long after putting the system together I got disgusted with the Realtek on-board audio and got a Asus Xonar DX to upgrade.

Then I was looking for better graphics score on the Windows Experience Index,currently 4.6 so i hunted for a low-end video card to use with the on-board GPU, i came up with Gigabyte HD2400XT which has 800mhz clock, so i knew it would at least match the on-board GPU's 700mhz. The Crossfire worked, however the Windows Exp Index remained at 4.6 and 3dMARK wouldnt even run. so i have given up the Hybrid Crossfire idea and are lookin for an ATI card with at least 700mhz clock and 512 or 1gb of [G]ddr3 or better that is going to run with my power supply and also not empty my wallet. Im not a gamer, i basically use the comp for watching movies,streaming video and video conferencing. What would you suggest?

A: I’m curious to know, other than the Windows index score, what is wrong with the onboard Radeon HD 3300?

As far as I know, it should be able to playback movies, stream videos and so on without a problem (Make sure to have updated to the latest drivers though.) and you shouldn’t need a dedicated video card for what you intend to do.

However, if for a particular reason, you really want a dedicated video card with a reasonable price and power consumption, I would suggest taking a look at the Radeon HD 4670.

lt doesn’t require an additional PCI-Express power connector, has 320 Stream Processors (In comparison, the onboard Radeon HD3300 and the Radeon 2400XT have only 40 Stream processors, so the Radeon 4670 has 8 times their the processing power) and a core frequency of 750MHz.

Q #4: I am looking into the Intel i7 860 cpu with the Asus Maximus III Formula. I was wondering if this was the best motherboard in this price range for this chip or is there something else you would recomend?

A: When it comes down to having a lot of ports, features and overclocking headroom, the ASUS Maximus III Formula is considered one of the best motherboard for socket 1156 processors, such as the Intel Core i7 860.

However, at a cost of $250 for the ASUS Maximus III Formula, it’s not exactly cheap. So here are three other, less expensive, options that you should consider:

1. The GIGABYTE GA-P55A-UD3 is $135 ($115 less!) and also offers SATA 6.0Gb/s as well as USB 3.0 support. The downside is that you don’t get Crossfire support though.
2. For $170, the ASUS P7P55D PRO will offer most of the features found on the Maximus III Formula, while costing a whole $80 less. Here you get Crossfire support, but no SATA 6.0Gb/s nor USB 3.0
3. Finally, for $185, the GIGABYTE GA-P55A-UD4P is, in my opinion, the motherboard that offers all the features that you could want (Crossfire, SATA 6.0Gb/s AND USB 3.0) at the best price.

Q #5: I’m currently looking for a video card with VGA out for my TV. I was looking at a GeForce 9800 GTX for 134.99 dollars or the GeForce GT 220 for 109.99 dollars and was wondering if this was a good buy or if there was something better for around the same price?

A: First of all: Avoid the Geforce GT 220 like the plague. It’s anemic power won’t run many games. The 9800 GTX is a good card, but for $135, it is overpriced compared to other options available.

For $95, the Radeon HD 4850 will offer performance comparable to the Geforce 9800GTX while costing you $40 less. It comes with VGA, DVI and HDMI outputs.

Q #6: I have noticed you quit recommending A-data memory, any reason for that?

A: In the end, it usually come downs to price. For many months, A-data had very competitive prices on memory kits and they are known for making reliable memory, hence why I recommended them. Right now, G.Skill are offering great prices on memory kits, hence why I’m recommending them, nothing against A-Data.

Conclusion

Have any question? Leave it below in the comments and I’ll answer it.

I hope that you’ve enjoyed this post and that is was useful to you. I’ll publish more of these Q&A in the incoming weeks, to answer all of your questions.

Upcoming Updates:

In March, you can expect to updates to the lower end Gaming PCs, all of the Workstation Builds, as well as all of the HTPCs Builds. I’m also planning a few updates to our popular Best PC Parts articles, where I point out which parts offers the best performance for a given price or the best value.

For more details on what is coming up in March, read the following article: Recap of February and the Schedule of March 2010.

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For each article, I spend many hours of research and many hours of writing/editing and I generously offer it to you and everyone else for free.

In the last few months, My current “workstation” from which I manage Hardware Revolution and write articles on, an HP tx1000 tablet laptop, has been plagued with problems for the last few months and could now fail at any time. Despite various attempts to fix it, the problem remains.

My solution is to build a new Workstation PC from scratch, based on a mix of the $500 and $1000 Workstation Builds.

Starting today and until the end of March, I’ll be raising funds toward building this new Workstation in order to replace my failing laptop and to help me keep improving Hardware Revolution for you.

My goal is to raise $1000, which will cover the build, a monitor, shipping and taxes.

To learn more details about this, read: Raising Funds for Hardware Revolution’s New Workstation PC

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Donate what you can (I suggest $5 to $20, but it’s up to you) via the ChipIn widget below (Which will track the donations), which will bring you to a secure Paypal page where you can donate.

Thank you very much for your support,
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Your PC won't boot and all you're left with a black screen? This is the post for you.

This is the last of three posts written specially for people who have built their computer but need help because it won’t power on or won’t boot.

1. Friday, Jan. 8th: 10 Quick Tips for 1st Time PC Builders
2. Saturday, Jan. 9th: FAQ: How to Build Your own Computer
   
3. Sunday, Jan 10th: Help me: Why won’t my newly assembled PC start?

Help me: Why won’t my newly assembled PC start?

There are plenty of reasons why a newly PC won’t start. Resolving a problem is usually fairly simple, the problem is finding it, which can be either easy and fast or hard and a long process.

Here’s what to look for to find the main problems:
(Note this is not an extensive list of all the problems/solutions, but rather a simple quick guide for the most common ones)

If the PC doesn’t power on at first:
This is most probably due to you forgetting to plug in a power cable/cord.

• Is the power cord plugged into a wall outlet and into the power supply?
• Is the power supply switched on?
• Is the power lead cable (power SW) from the case plugged into the motherboard?
• Make sure that all the power cables are plugged in. The video card may require one or two PCI-Express power connectors and the motherboard requires the 24-pin ATX connector along with the 4/8-pin ATX power.

If the PC still doesn’t power on after that:
This might be due to a broken power SW switch (Try using the reset one instead to see if that one does work.)
If the PC still doesn’t on even while trying the reset switch instead, the problem is most likely due to a defective power supply. Try an ATX Power Supply Tester ($10)

If the PC doesn’t boot (Power up, but nothing is displayed on the monitor):

• Once again, make sure that all the power cables are plugged in. The video card may require one or two PCI-Express power connectors and the motherboard requires the 24-pin ATX connector along with the 4/8-pin ATX power. Other components such as hard drives and optical  drives also require dedicated power.
• Make sure that memory modules are plugged where they should be, that is slot 1 and 3 (some motherboards work only with slot 2 and 4). Try one stick a time.
• Ensure that the motherboard stand-offs are installed correctly (including the insulation washers) and that the motherboard is not touching any part of the case.
• Check your CPU for proper seating, and possibly a bent pin.
• Think through everything you have done in the setup, even the heat sink and thermal paste.
• If you have a speaker for the mother/case, listen to the beep code and find out the problem with your manual. You didn’t get a speaker with your case? Use this kit from FrozenCPU ($12)

If the PC still won’t boot:
1- Clear the CMOS: This can be done either with the jumper (located close to the battery on the motherboard) or by removing the battery.

2-Remove one component at a time, until the PC boot. The last component that was removed before it booted is most likely the problem. Try using an alternative part if possible, otherwise consider a return (RMA).

3- I recommend that you do your build outside of the case at first, so if you have a problem, it’s easier to troubleshoot. I would take the motherboard out of the case and just set it on the foam pad that came with the box that the motherboard came in. You can also set the pad on the actual box. You should not have to take the PSU out of the case, just set the case near the board.

Hook up the following,
1. 24-pin main ATX power
2. 8-pin 12v CPU power
3. CPU cooler fan
4. 1 stick of RAM in the first slot
5. video card
6. 6-pin/8-pin PCIe video card power connector(s)
there can be up to 4 of these depending on the card
7. monitor
8. mouse
9. keyboard
10. 2-pin f_panel POWER SW connector

The power sw comes from the case power switch and the proper connector should be labeled. The motherboard manual will say where it goes, and there should be something like “PSW” or “Power SW” printed on the board with a color code for the proper header.

Plug in the PSU, turn on the power switch, and push the power button. You may have to hold the power button down for a few seconds.

If that works, add one part back in at the time, while booting the PC every time. If it stops booting, it is most likely due to the last part that you inserted.

Additional Guides:

Here are three other guides to help you out if you need them:

1. Computer Won’t Turn On from About.com
2. How to Figure out Why a Computer Won’t Boot: 12 Steps from Wikihow
3. Problem: Your Computer Won’t boot from PC World

Conclusion

If you still have problems with your PC not powering or not booting after using this guide, leave a comment describing your problem and everything that you’ve tried and I’ll do my best to help you out.

I hope that this guide, and this series, was useful to you. Next week, I’ll start updating the Gaming PCs, so make sure to subscribe via RSS or E-mail for free to automatically receive the updated and new builds.

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