Remarked CPUs, Really a problem?

[Pits]

How many people have been burned or personally know someone who has been by a remarked CPU?

You could argue that their are lots of computer novices out their with remarked chips and just don't know it. But if they are running at those overclocked speeds what different does it make? Isn't that what WE are trying to do?
If it's a question of unstable poorly overclocked systems, I have seen many unstable nonoverclocked systems.
If it's a question of the consumer just getting ripped off by not getting what they paid for, I see people getting ripped off at the computer stores everyday, my local store is selling a PII450 with 64mbRAM on a BX board for $1150.
I have had to work on several Compaq systems that I believe to be both over priced and unstable.

But then again maybe I've just been lucky, and all of you guys have the remarked chips.

 

[obeseotron]

I haven't. Order from at least a somewhat reputable dealer, I've never been burned by anyone on pricewatch for anything, and I've purchased $5-8000 from online computer dealers (not all for me, I'm a poor high school student).

 

[veryape]

Thats the most rediculous statement about remarked cpu's i've ever heard of. Its a problem because if I pay for an 800MHz processor thats what I expect to get,nothing less. You don't deserve to make money on me because you changed the speed of a cpu and fooled me into thinking it was sometrhing it was not. Thats the problem. Its an outright lie. If you can't see that then all I can say is that your blind and don't belong on the inside of your own computer,let alone anyone elses rig. That may sound harsh but if those are your real views on this subject your not going to win any debates around this forum or any other. You just can't compare remarking to overpriced cpu's.

 

[Rand]

Yes, remarking of CPU's really is a BIG problem. It may not seem that way to use the end consumer but if you look at it from the real stores point of view remarked processors can be a very big deal.
Don't underestimate just how many remarked CPU's there are on the market.
Ask people that have worked at a retail computer store how many times they've seen shipments of CPU's that trun out to be illegally modified or otherwise remarked. The numbers are higher than you might think.

 

[PistachioByAzul]

Selling remarked CPUs is unethical, that's what the problem is.

 

[PistachioByAzul]

dp

 

[hans007]

i had an athlon 700 that was really a 650 core. Most remarking is more mom and pop shops. I mean you stick a 550e in a fully built system for a newby and o/c it to 733 and they wont know the difference or ever look at the chip. Most people on anandtech buy bare processors and could look, but newbys will never open their systems

 

[Rooster]

About two years ago I bought a P-450 that was remarked. After about 2hrs of trying to get it to work, I called Intel. In a matter of minutes someone called me back, I had a remarked chip, the chip was really a 266. I called the company and they gave me a full refund after I told them I was going to call my credit card company and have them reverse the charge to my account. I forgot the name of this shaddy company. Now I just pay the extra $20 and get the retail box.

 

[Jhhnn]

Remarking is not a mom&pop store industry. The little guys just tweak the bios or pull the B21 trick. It's fraud, for sure, but not as sophisticated as that employed by the major players.

These guys do it production-line, cracking the cases, tweaking the innards, restamping the codes, testing and repackaging. I strongly suspect that some of them have found ways around the multiplier lock on Intel Cartridge-type processors, a very closely guarded secret.

Such operations are well financed and highly organized, with dummy corporate entities world-wide. The tweaked units get blended back in to regular shipments, and the paper trail must be incredible. Remarking can only occur behind the front of an otherwise legit business.

Intel (and now AMD) created this opportunity with cartridge-type slot-1 and slot-A processors, and by down-marking their own units for marketing purposes. Overclocking exploits the same features in legit ways. I mean, now that it's mine, I can hit it with a hammer if I want to...just so long as I don't deny the deed later.

Remarking socketed single-chip processors is a lot more difficult. This is a bonus for Intel and AMD, going along nicely with lower production costs. AMD's move to eliminate the multiplier pins from their socketed processors will be a big impediment to fraud, and overclocking as well, I'm afraid...

Just one guy's opinion.

 

[Pits]

Well my point was not to condone Remarking chips.
I've heard lots of talk about remarked chip but have seen no facts or figures. I've personally never seen a remarked chip nor have I known anyone who has, including several retailers I HAVE talked to. Does that mean there aren?t any or that the retailers weren't lying to me? NO.
I would be as pissed as the next guy, if I was sold a remarked chip. But talk is cheap; please show me to the evidence of this huge problem.

 

[Insomniac]

All the evidence you need is in front of you. Why do you think Intel and AMD lock the multipliers? To stop the very small percentage of people who overclock? I don't think so! They do it because if people remark their chips, ultimately it is their companie's reputation that is hurt. Otherwise, why would companies go through so much trouble to avoid fraud? Plenty of industries do it.

 

[Jhhnn]

Done extremely well, remarking is transparent to the average end user. Their systems often have cheap overpriced everything, and are unstable by nature. They will never know, and never complain. Some would argue that the only real harm done was to the manufacturer, who brought it on themselves by down-marking P2-450's as 300's (or Athlon900's as 750's) in the first place.

Huge Problem in the USA or Western Europe? Unlikely. A very real problem in some parts of the world? For sure. Consumer protection is not real strong south of the border, or in most of Africa, Asia, and the former Soviet bloc. This kind of "victimless" crime thrives where officialdom can be easily persuaded with a little cash, sex, drugs or favors.

 

[Eli]

There is no way to change the multiplier on Intel CPUs. None.. If there was, believe me, we would know about it.. Stuff like that doesen't stay secret for years with people like us around.

 

[JackMDS]

The problem is much bigger outside the USA, and among users, that is not computer BBS savvy.

Computer BBSs? users probably represent less then 1% of the population of computer users