Computer Chip Scam, Pentium Pirates (Page 1 of 4 )
It's an overclocker's nightmare: a Celeron chip passed off as a Pentium chip that runs at twice the clock speed. Sadly, it isn't as uncommon as you might like to think, especially for computers made in Asia. And it has Intel hopping mad. Read more about this problem, and remember to be very careful the next time you shop for a computer.
I certainly don’t intend to start World War Three or insult any nationality, but it is beginning to look like anyone buying chips for a computer needs to keep both hands on the pocketbook and bring a magnifying glass – and even that won’t help. At least, that seems true if the chips you’re thinking of buying were made in China. According to recent reports, that 3.6 GHz Pentium 4 you may have been drooling over could be a Celeron in disguise.
Don’t blame Intel for this. The company is angry as hell and doesn’t want to take it anymore. And who can blame them? The fraudsters, who engage in something called “chip remarking,” have been getting more and more blatant. For example, Shenzhen Chuanghui Electronics is openly selling remarked Intel chips through a Chinese website. By “openly,” we mean that it even brags about the fact that its Pentium M chips, remarked to look like Pentium 4 chips, are physically indistinguishable from the real thing.
Ar, we be comin' for yer Celeries!
But what exactly is chip remarking? It involves taking a processor and changing the label so that it looks like a chip that offers better performance and greater value. The chip is then sold at a price point significantly below the one set for the more expensive chip, but higher than what it would go for honestly. This has been an ongoing problem in China for years, and while it appeared to be decreasing some time ago, apparently chip pirates have recently stepped up their activities again.
Next: Intel’s Most Recent Problem >>
More Computer Processors Articles
More By Terri Wells
| Recommended by Dev Hardware |
|---|
|
