Counterfeit Intel Boxed Processors

Slashdot It! As most people know, an original Intel boxed processor not only comes with an original cooler, it also has 3 years of warranty backing it up. Meanwhile, the cheaper bare tray processor is only covered with a 1 year warranty.

The price difference between the boxed processor and the tray processor is quite significant. For a Core 2 Quad processor, the price difference is about US$15 (see picture on the right).

Most retail consumers wouldn't mind paying the extra US$15 for a retail boxed processor. After all, it comes with a much longer warranty and a cooler (even if they don't intend to use it).

To OEMs and system assemblers though, the extra US$15 in cost makes a big difference. Multiply US$15 by a thousand or a million systems and you get the idea of how much they can save by buying processors by the tray.

To get an even better price from Intel, many OEMs and system assemblers order tray processors in bulk. They do not make use of all of these processors so a large number find their way into the DIY markets. However, that is not the problem.

Unfortunately, some greedy retailers are repackaging and selling tray processors as the more expensive boxed retail processors. It has been reported that each set of fake packaging only costs US$0.43 while the cooler costs less than US$1.50. In total, it only costs these people less than US$2 to repackage the processors. This gives them an additional profit margin of US$13 per processor.

Great for them... but what does this mean to us, the user?

Hazards Of Using A Fake Boxed Processor

1. Shorter Warranty

   The fake retail processors are not backed up by the three-year warranty that real boxed processors have. If your processor dies after one year (due to the problems listed below or otherwise), you will not be able to get it replaced by Intel. For more information on the warranty of Intel processors, take a look here.

2. Shorter Lifespan The thermal dissipation of such low-quality coolers is poor. Its fan would very likely use cheap sleeve bearings that have relatively short lifespans. The higher temperatures the processor has to endure and the higher risk of the fan failing will result in a shorter processor lifespan.

3. Poorer Performance Current Intel processors have thermal protection built-in. When the processor temperature reaches a certain threshold, the processor will automatically reduce its temperature by inserting idle cycles, a feature known as thermal throttling. This reduces the performance of the processor. If the cheap cooler fails, the temperature might continue to increase to the point where the processor is forced to shut down, resulting in loss of data.

4. Damage To The Motherboard Although this phenomenon is rare, a bad fan can damage the motherboard with devastating consequences.

5. Higher Noise Level The three main concerns when it comes to manufacturing cheap fans are cost, cost and cost. No, the noise level is of no concern at all. Such fans will use sleeve bearings which are cheap but also very noisy.

Counterfeit Intel Boxed Processors	• Introduction • The Hazards
How To Identify A Fake Intel Boxed Processor	• Box Print Quality • Box Seal • Seal Sticker • Label
How To Identify A Fake Intel Boxed Processor (Continued)	• Plastic Container • Plastic Container Locks • Documentation
How To Identify A Fake Intel Boxed Processor (Continued)	• Fan Label • Smell??? • Intel's Advice

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