As most people know, an original Intel boxed cpu with manufacturer's heatsink fan comes with 3 years of warranty; while that of a bare tray cpu only has 1 year. Most consumers wouldn't mind paying the extra US$15 for the additional warranty and the heatsink fan.
To get a better rate from Intel, many PC manufacturers ordered excessive amount of processors. So what happened to these leftover chips? Well, they find their way into the DIY markets.
Driven by the profitability, unethical businesses repackage & sell them as boxed cpus. It's been said that a fake packaging would cost merely US$0.43; heatsink fan cost less than US$1.50.
Authentic
Counterfeit
Hazards of using a fake boxed cpu:
1) Shorter product life
The heat dissipation of such low quality heatsink is poor & the fact that such fan's bearing has relatively short lifespan. Such high heat environment is never ideal for a cpu.
2) Poor performance
Current generation of cpus are equipped with thermal protection. When the temperature reaches a certain threshold, thermal throttle will be triggered in an attempt to lower its temperature. This means that full potential of the cpu is not maximized. If the temperature continues to increase, it might even issue a force shutdown command, resulting in a loss of data.
3) Damage of motherboard components
Although this phenomenon is rare. But the result can be devastating, it can be caused by the fan's electrics.
4) Noise level
There are 3 main concerns in manufacturing such fan: cost, cost & cost. No, noise is not a factor to them. The substandard fan bearing causes high noise level & sometimes produce weird sounds.
Next Page
Part 1: Introduction & Hazards
Part 2: Ways to Distinguish
Part 3: More Ways to Distinguish
04 April 2008
Counterfeit Intel Boxed CPU Part1
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1 COMMENTS:
Thanks for the information regarding unethical trading.
You have provided some excellent information regarding known examples of counterfeit goods. This information seems accurate and will be of benefit to the buying public who need to know about potential scams.
While counterfeiting is certainly wrong and causes the consumer (not to mention the manufacturer) problems relating to warranties and therefore the reputation of the company, I think you need to clearly state that that is the main issue with this particular counterfeiting - not scaremongering about the lifespan of a particular CPU.
To say that the hazards of counterfeit goods are that the thermal control of the CPU will have a shortened lifespan is not entirely correct.
What you fail to point out, in this relation, is that the CPU itself is not counterfeit. No counterfeiter, no matter how clever, could ever hope to replicate Intel's chip design. It would be too costly - that is IF the pirate had the skills to do so (which they won't).
You are looking at fraud, which is a problem. People want to buy the genuine box with a three yeear warranty. What they are getting is an OEM that has been packaged as retail. Whoever sells these goods is making a sneaky profit and is fraudulently taking the money from the consumer/manufacturer.
Scaremongering will not stop this from happening - only telling consumers the truth about the hazards of the invalidated warranty.
You have provided important information in this expose.
Many thanks for sharing it with us.
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