Figures, that I just got my new
Intel i7-2600K system setup, this happens. There's a
design flaw in the new Sandy Bridge chipsets from Intel that can cause failure of SATA-3 ports due to one faulty little transistor. Intel has stopped shipments and have fixed the design issue at the factories so we should be seeing fixed chipsets in the next few months.
Yes, this is going to cost a ton of money for Intel, but at least the company is owning up to the problem unlike others who tell you something silly, like oh... you're holding it wrong. The flaw doesn't affect the SATA-6 controller, so if you are using those, they'll be OK. I have maxed out my SATA connections so there are devices I have in the SATA-3 whose performance might start degrading over time or fail altogether.
You can put in a SATA expansion card and use that instead, but I'll probably go the route of seeking a replacement CPU. Let's hope it's a painless process.
-Updated- Thanks to the commenter below, I have corrected the title and news. It's the chipsets not the processors. That's what I get for reading and posting before my morning breakfast.
