A recent insight came into the mainstream that using Third-party CPU coolers can void CPU warranty but AMD has now cleared out that the FAQs page was out of date and now that it has been updated users are free to use Third-party CPU coolers without voiding the warranty. Such pages are often left unattended over the years and this is a perfect example of that.
On the FAQs page the answer to “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?” was as follows:
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.
Now that the site has been updated, the official answer is as follows:
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.
Not being able to use Third-party CPU coolers did not make sense to start with keeping in mind that the previous generation AMD Ryzen CPUs did not come with coolers out of the box and you need to get Third-party CPU coolers for those chips in order for them to work effectively, not to mention overclocking and what not. The new AMD Ryzen 2000 series does come with coolers out of the box including the X series but you might not be able to max out the CPU with those stock coolers.
Let us know what you think about these turn of events and the fact that you were allowed to use Third-party CPU coolers all this time without the risk of voiding the warranty.
