Reported fake Intel CPU sold at Newegg (first build ever - i7 920)

mekender said:

looks like they took a casting of a real one and made a mold then poured em into it, It looks like pewter or cheap aluminum.

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likely just lead solder.

JonSimonzi said:

Within a week of being created, this is going to be the most viewed thread on OCF, trumping stickies which have been up for years heh. Just proves everybody loves a good scandal

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So true. Especially since the front page article hit digg.

kayson said:

So true. Especially since the front page article hit digg.

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http://www.engadget.com/2010/03/07/newegg-sells-300-counterfeit-core-i7-920-cpus-is-now-investiga/
And Engadget. Only took em 2 days after i sent it in... and then they make the primary source HotHardware. Meh.

I'm actually pretty stoked that we survived slashdotting.

CompuTamer said:

http://www.engadget.com/2010/03/07/newegg-sells-300-counterfeit-core-i7-920-cpus-is-now-investiga/
And Engadget. Only took em 2 days after i sent it in... and then they make the primary source HotHardware. Meh.

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Just be content that you're not me in that case. I broke the story before anyone else, over on Tribalwar and the most I got was second fiddle to this thread on slashdot

Now I need to find some other way to achieve e-fame. Maybe I should just stick to trying to video tape bearded men on the bus or surprised kittens or something...

Krusty said:

Just be content that you're not me in that case. I broke the story before anyone else, over on Tribalwar and the most I got was second fiddle to this thread on slashdot

Now I need to find some other way to achieve e-fame. Maybe I should just stick to trying to video tape bearded men on the bus or surprised kittens or something...

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Wrong forum to break the news I guess. We appreciate you though. I hope all turns out well for you and thanks for sharing your experience.

PS. I use your 10 types of people quote all of the time. I love that one too.

Krusty said:

Just be content that you're not me in that case. I broke the story before anyone else, over on Tribalwar and the most I got was second fiddle to this thread on slashdot

Now I need to find some other way to achieve e-fame. Maybe I should just stick to trying to video tape bearded men on the bus or surprised kittens or something...

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Last i saw there are 2000 some odd people looking at the CPU section... you have to wonder if they're our members or not? lol

I know the feeling though. Happens to me in school all the time. I'll find something out, and then someone comes around and tells me MY news... i'm like "I knew that a week ago..."

Wow, yeah, you're up to 2000 viewers right now. When you got slashdotted you were maxing out at about 1500. So this thread is actually getting more popular today than on Friday or Saturday.

Krusty said:

Wow, yeah, you're up to 2000 viewers right now. When you got slashdotted you were maxing out at about 1500. So this thread is actually getting more popular today than on Friday or Saturday.

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"Most users ever online was 5,487, Today at 05:08 PM"

And the fact that this thread has over 100,000 views of it. Hopefully OCF uses the kind of advertising where they get paid per view such like the discussion here and we're upping their income

JonSimonzi said:

"Most users ever online was 5,487, Today at 05:08 PM"

And the fact that this thread has over 100,000 views of it. Hopefully OCF uses the kind of advertising where they get paid per view such like the discussion here and we're upping their income

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most ads only get paid for clicks.

Think about it: Would YOU want to pay even 5 cents to have 100,000 people look at your ad, but nobody actually click on it? Because you, as an advertiser, would have just paid $5000 for not a single person to actually go to your site and order.

And that's only at pennies per view. I've done some google advertising before. If you want to be a top hit in google, you could be paying upwards of 5 bucks per click depending on your search criteria. It would have been absolutely not worth it if I had to pay just for people to see my ad.

edit: of course, one could only hope that some of those 100,000 people actually clicked on the ad. And that's when money starts changing hands.

Had to remove post due to legal..

had to remove post due to legal

Had to get an OCF login just to reply to this thread. I worked at Intel for 11 years in the CPU design group, as well as several other companies. (Left Intel several years ago, so I know no secrets any more.) First, the "demo unit" BS is total BS. They are called "mechanical samples", and help the PCB and case designers and others do their mechanical design work before first silicon, and also give the sales guys something to hold up in front of important customers. But I can tell you that because the packaging design and other mechanical work is done well in advance of the silicon, there is never any shortage of very high quality mechanical samples well before first Si. These counterfeits are a joke -- no mechanical sample ever looks so bush league, especially not from Intel. In fact, as an engineer I have, on occasion, turned a perfectly good prototype into a "mechanical sample". :O Also, in my experience at Intel, every single person in marketing with the authority to approve a product box was a good speller. Just sayin'. Other interesting things to note.. even 15 or more years ago, CPU counterfeiting was big business. In those days, gangs would invest several hundred thousand dollars on the equipment necessary to remark and otherwise modify parts, and they looked good. This whole thing is just bush league -- the CPU counterfeiters from the last millennium did better stuff... doesn't *anybody* take pride in their work any more?

Chris_F said:

The "heatsink" appears to be expanding resin or similar, molded.

I am kinda curious though how the "CPUs" were constructed. Anyone have any info? The bottom looks like molded metal. Is it lead? Or did they machine/stamp aluminum or something?

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To me it looks like they used an actual processor that was scrapped for gold recovery. I won't list any ebay links but just do a search for cpu scrap gold recovery. You will find tons of cpus you can buy. If I were to guess these guys got some cpu's that where done with and just removed the pins. If you look carefully at the underside you can see where the pins where. There would be no real reason to do that due to the whole only seeing one side of it to begin with. It is an added detail that makes 0 sense otherwise. Also I don't think they would have made it out of lead if it was a cast which I doubt I didn't see any signs of seams. But yeah all they would have to do is take the stripped processor strip the org ink off and replace it.

Looks like Newegg started to threaten the online media, that must leave a bad taste in their mouths, I must say I'm truly disappointed that Newegg would do this, it is not the the websites fault they sold the fakes

http://hothardware.com/News/Newegg-...plier-Threatens-Journalists-For-Reporting-It/

Extract from letter as posted on hot Hardware:

It has recently been brought to our attention that you are responsible for publishing on the internet, and specifically on your websites, untrue statements respecting allegedly counterfeit Intel Core i7 processors which you allege were sold to Newegg by D&H. This letter places you on notice that these statements are false. You have no basis for publishing these false and malicious statements about D & H. These false allegations are defamatory and disparaging to D&H”s business and business relations and have caused grave and irreparable damage to our client. [we] demand that you (i) cease and desist posting such defamatory material about D&H.; (ii) remove the contact and any reference to D&H from your website; and, (iii) post an immediate retraction and apology which shall remain posted for not less than thirty days."

dbc said:

Had to get an OCF login just to reply to this thread. I worked at Intel for 11 years in the CPU design group, as well as several other companies. (Left Intel several years ago, so I know no secrets any more.) First, the "demo unit" BS is total BS. They are called "mechanical samples", and help the PCB and case designers and others do their mechanical design work before first silicon, and also give the sales guys something to hold up in front of important customers. But I can tell you that because the packaging design and other mechanical work is done well in advance of the silicon, there is never any shortage of very high quality mechanical samples well before first Si. These counterfeits are a joke -- no mechanical sample ever looks so bush league, especially not from Intel. In fact, as an engineer I have, on occasion, turned a perfectly good prototype into a "mechanical sample". :O Also, in my experience at Intel, every single person in marketing with the authority to approve a product box was a good speller. Just sayin'. Other interesting things to note.. even 15 or more years ago, CPU counterfeiting was big business. In those days, gangs would invest several hundred thousand dollars on the equipment necessary to remark and otherwise modify parts, and they looked good. This whole thing is just bush league -- the CPU counterfeiters from the last millennium did better stuff... doesn't *anybody* take pride in their work any more?

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Yeah I pointed that out as well this is not high end work. It is only to make a quick buck if that. 2 days work tops for 300. Thats if they are "slow" No offense to slow people out there but I think they could have designed a better setup that would be a lot better and would fool any or most quality control people out there. One guy pointed out that almost all of newegg's warehouse is computer controlled. So its all by weight period. In my view this is a terrible mistake and now since people know they can easily do this and make a good profit from it look for this thing to happen more often in the coming months/years unless they actually get some real hands on these products to look at a few per case before they are shipped out. Sure it will add some cost and reduce your profit margins. I guess it all comes down to... How much is your reputation worth newegg? NewEgg is great and all I have laid down a good bit of money with their company but just like that one google guy says google could be replaced and if google can.. NewEgg surely can. Reputation is everything in the computer world too many things like this popup and their business is shot to hell.

One quick rag on new egg real quick. The last thing I bought from them it was in a box 4+x the size of the product and tons of peanuts but the product was on the bottom touching the bottom of the box. Like they just put it in there then poured peanuts over it wtf. As bad as ups is I am suprised it was in one piece..

On a side note it's nice to hear from an intel insider even its a few years dated info it is still fairly relevant. Just kinda curious about who's idea it was to throw out the demo line. The authority? Intel? d&h? Or newegg themselves. If they done it all on their own and its found out it will be a nice little stain on their reputation.

Someone please explain to me why posts are dissapearing all over the internet, people are editing there own posts with "deleted DUE to legal reasons" and why Newegg and that (D & BLANK Distributor) are threatening normal people with C&D letters of lawsuits and warning of potential charges??? Someone with real information please come in here now because I am getting slightly upset here.

1 - Buyer orders Core i7-920 processor.
2 - Buyer gets sent a fake processor from Retailer. "Newegg"
3- Buyer reports this on the forums trying to get to the bottom of things.
4- Buyer gets RMA facilitated and retailer takes care of him on phone.
5- Retailer issues explanation and most of us speculate it was a false cover-up.
6- Buyer gets threatened with lawsuit and C&D letter from the same company he originally ordered his CPU from plus some middle man distribution company as well?

Somebody explain to me how that is fair? LOL So you order a CPU, you get shipped an illegal fake CPU instead of what you ordered, you complain to your buddies on your local forums trying to find out how it happens, now you are the one getting screwed in the end?? This is out right crazy. So now it is illegal in America to publish information on a public internet community and forum simply asking why you received a fake CPU from a consumer?

Please post here if OCforums receives such a letter. I will be glad to tell Newegg exactly how I feel about them trying to hush this up through legal threats.

Newegg's reputation was not soured in the least over this event until I read that quote.

Their prices are becoming less and less competitive. For the last year or so I have only been shopping there because of how they have treated me in the past, which was excellent.

If going forward they plan to mistreat the community and strong arm us, then I will make it a point not to purchase from them. I'll save money that way.

Google ads do both, there's a very low payout for views, and a much larger one for clicks.

Wow, what a crazy turn of events.