AMD Clarifies That Third-Party Heatsinks Don’t Void PIB Warranties

Earlier this week, Redditors discovered that AMD’s warranty FAQ said that using third-party cooling solutions voided the warranty of retail-boxed processors, also known as processor(s)-in-a-box (PIB.)

The FAQ previously read as follows:

"Is the warranty for my AMD Processor-in-a-Box (PIB) still valid if I use a different heatsink/fan (HSF) other than the one provided in the PIB?"No. The limited warranty shall be null and void if the AMD processor which is the subject of the limited warranty is used with any heatsink/fan other than the one provided within the PIB.

This was obviously a mistake. Not only is this counter to the fact that companies like Intel and AMD specifically design and distribute the cooler retention schemes of their platforms to allow third parties to easily create cooling solutions, but it also contradicts the fact that many AMD PIBs, such as Threadripper and 1st-gen Ryzen X processors, don’t even include a cooling solution in the box.

AMD has since amended its FAQ to correct this mistake, and it now reads as follows:

"Is the warranty for my AMD Processor-in-a-Box (PIB) still valid if I use a different heatsink/fan (HSF) other than the one provided in the PIB?"Yes, provided that the selected HSF, when properly installed and used, supports operation of the AMD processor in conformance with AMD’s publicly available specifications. Use of HSF solutions determined by AMD as incapable of such performance or which are determined to have contributed to the failure of the processor shall invalidate the warranty.

The new FAQ entry states that a PIB’s warranty is only voided if it is damaged by a third-party cooler that AMD deems is not compliant. AMD has also updated the statement in the official warranty of its PIBs.