Unknowing buyer shells out for Fake i7 990X

Counterfeit products are big problem in general but when it comes to computer hardware not only are they relatively unheard of but they are also sometimes hard to detect. As CPU World explains well:

Sometimes that will mean a large OEM company using fake processors in widely used product ranges, and often nobody will be any wiser. As an example, one user in our forums commented that 2-3% of used Pentium systems he finds in Australia have fake Pentium processors in them. Processors are faked to make them appear to be more expensive (and usually faster) models.

But what has been stumbled upon on the official Intel forum is rather disturbing but also provides a good lesson for buyers. A LGA 775 Pentium processor was somehow disguised as a Core i7 Extreme Edition 990X LGA 1366 processor to an unsuspecting buyer. Obviously not everyone is as knowledgeable as most ‘Tech Enthusiasts’ and so spotting a fake is often hard, but in the case of this example it would of been relatively simple as the LGA 775 processor is substantially smaller than the 990X. So the lesson would be always do your research on the product you are buying, make sure you know what you are supposed to be getting but more importantly always buy on a reputable website or pay using a method where a scam can be refunded for example PayPal.

You can see the forum post that caused a bit of a stir here.

Obvious size differences...

Source: CPU World