Replaced/repaired, not free. Having said that the problem will be how to replace processors that have become obsolete and therefore out of the market, and where you can not simply replace all the associated hardware to pick up a current and patched processor. And I suspect that most of those who can change the associated hardware will simply migrate to AMD instead of taking another Intel.
Oh I agree 1000%. It's not a freebie, it's Intel living up to the implicit contract to provide a CPU with the performance it was benchmarked when I bought it and not allow user mode stuff to read kernel memory.
In the UK you could make an argument that a processor with that bug was 'not fit for purpose'. Of course it's in the US that a class action suit has the highest chance of success and outside the US Intel will probably follow the US lead.
It'll be interesting to watch. Then again all my Intel chips are
One of the areas who's performance is clobbered by the meltdown & spectre bugs is virtualization and database operations. Its hugely dependent upon access to PTI, and a software fix to avoid the bugs basically hammers performance as much as 30%. That's pretty much why data centers are up in arms over this issue.
The bugs can't be fixed with CPU microcode patches; it will take a physical rearchitecting of the chips. I am in total agreement that Intel should replace these CPUs with corrected, remanufactured chips (most prevalently purchased by datacenter and scientific purchasers).
As for laptops and gamers, they'd barely notice a slowdown caused by the patches.
"I want repaired processors for free" (Score:5, Insightful)
You know, he's not wrong. This is, in impact, way bigger than Intel's FDIV fiasco and that ended up in recalls.
Re: (Score:3, Funny)
Free i5s and i7s! I want to believe!
Re: (Score:5, Interesting)
Re: (Score:5, Interesting)
Oh I agree 1000%. It's not a freebie, it's Intel living up to the implicit contract to provide a CPU with the performance it was benchmarked when I bought it and not allow user mode stuff to read kernel memory.
In the UK you could make an argument that a processor with that bug was 'not fit for purpose'. Of course it's in the US that a class action suit has the highest chance of success and outside the US Intel will probably follow the US lead.
It'll be interesting to watch. Then again all my Intel chips are
Re:"I want repaired processors for free" (Score:2)
One of the areas who's performance is clobbered by the meltdown & spectre bugs is virtualization and database operations. Its hugely dependent upon access to PTI, and a software fix to avoid the bugs basically hammers performance as much as 30%. That's pretty much why data centers are up in arms over this issue.
The bugs can't be fixed with CPU microcode patches; it will take a physical rearchitecting of the chips. I am in total agreement that Intel should replace these CPUs with corrected, remanufactured chips (most prevalently purchased by datacenter and scientific purchasers).
As for laptops and gamers, they'd barely notice a slowdown caused by the patches.