I have a problem with a new build based round the Asus Z170-P motherboard. I am struggling to get a working used Intel i7 6700 via eBay but there are Chinese ones advertised as new, Amazon carries them as well.
Anybody know if these are likely to be real, one of the pictures looks exactly the same as an Intel one but it doesn't have "Intel" printed on it.
I would be extremely suspicious of chinese semiconductors. I have had bad experiences with them
My suspicion is that its the old Sinclair Radionics game - Buy rejects and stamp them as good.
Plenty of Intel i7 6700 on UK ebay and elsewhere.
You can probably buy a whole used computer with one for less than the cost of a brand new processor
I'm in the market for an i7-6700k. They crop up every day on ebay. (taking my time because the going rate is 50 quid and I'm not in a hurry)
Were you buying them and finding they don't work, or something else?
I think they're likely to be real (ie not just a lump of ceramic), but they could be re-marks of other parts or 'engineering samples' that are shipped to manufacturers in advance of production silicon being available. ES can have bugs or not be clocked as high as production silicon, and not be supported by Intel/etc.
I think some cloud vendors and supercomputers tend to use parts under a special deal with the manufacturer and they get samples, early production silicon, special SKUs or something like that. When the supercomputer is decommissioned those parts end up on the used market. They still work, but they're a bit different from production parts.
For current production parts I'd be worried about fakes, but for boring parts from 8 years ago it's likely from some kind of decommissioned system - maybe e-waste, maybe ex-cloud. Could also be a reject of some kind. But it seems if you're going to 'fake' CPUs you'd do it on recent parts, not 8 year old ones. It's quite possible they're genuine but are just recycled from scrapped corporate boxes.
Check Youtube for 'aliexpress CPU' and see what people have got.
Theo
It wouldn't surprise me at all to discover that some of these shonky processors have escaped into the wild:
Hi Theo.
Yes, ended up with a duff and dithering about trying a Chinese one from Amazon.
Anyway, refund agreed for duff and have today ordered another. Prices now just under £40 although there is one for £24.99 sold as "faulty, parts only"!
Why oh why would you take a chance? You are just opening yourself up to a world of future worry.
You can find pictures of them.
A search on SR2L2 on the ark site, takes me here.
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