Flawed AMD Chip Can Lead To Data Corruption

Brandonski writes "Apparently AMD allowed some flawed chips to slip through their detection grid. The problem affects only a small number of chips and only single core 2.6 and 2.8 GHz CPUs." From the article: "It is believed that the glitch is triggered when the affected chip's FPU is made to loop through a series of memory-fetch, multiplication and addition operations without any condition checks on the result of the calculations. The loop has to run over and over again for long enough to cause localized heating which together with high ambient temperatures could combine to cause the result of the operation to be recorded incorrectly, leading to data corruption."

Comments

Deja Vu: Intel Processor's Bug in 1994

[Anonymous Coward]

In 1994, Intel's Pentium processor suffered from a division error. Intel handled the problem by initially requiring customers to "prove" that the error caused a serious impact on the customers' lives before Intel would agree to replace the defective chips. Later, after much pressure and lost credibility, Intel agreed to replace all the defective chips without requiring the customer to "prove" his case.

AMD has a unique opportunity to do the right thing: offering to replace all the defective chips. If AMD does the right thing, then it will only help AMD in its litigation against Intel and in various attempts to increase marketshare. After all, would you not prefer to buy from a reputable company instead of a dishonest, shifty company?

Data corruption?

[cciRRus]

I'm using an AMD 2.6GHz CPU and so far everything has been goo#C@^&*(ewa;'1`

NO CARRIER...

Lame

[flithm]

The second post of the story already examined this otherwise humorous jest. And just so you know... the NO CARRIER thing is over now... you can stop trying to use it.