Vista - Why You Should AVOID Intel Core 2 Engineering Samples

Engineering Samples
Everyone loves Intel ES (Engineering Sample) processors, don't they? They used to be very limited units used within Intel and sent to select (lucky) reviewers. For years, everyone has been chasing for these processors since they used to have their multipliers unlocked. Now, that's an overclocker's wet dream come true!
However, that distinction has blurred with the Intel Core 2 processor. Not only are Core 2 Duo or Core 2 Quad engineering samples far more plentiful, they are easily purchased by all and sundry.
Unlike the "traditional" engineering samples we all love though, their multipliers are not unlocked. This cuts down a little on their appeal. Only Core 2 Extreme engineering samples have unlocked multipliers. In other words, as far as multipliers are concerned, ES processors are similar to retail processors.
Still, they are engineering samples. Who wouldn't want them? They could have been handpicked for better overclockability. After all, Intel sends out ES units as review samples. Intel wouldn't send lousy processors to reviewers, would they?
Unfortunately, engineering samples aren't what you think they are. As far as the Core 2 engineering samples that are sold out there are concerned, they should really be considered defective goods, rather than special handpicked samples.

Cheap & Good?

The market has seen a remarkable influx of Core 2 engineering samples. They are sold like OEM processors, without any cooler, packaging or documentation. They are often available at a lower price than retail or OEM processors, but there are traders who sell them at a premium because of their mystique and purported "hand-picked" status. However there are some implications you should be aware of before you buy these units.
First of all, these ES processors are meant for internal use by Intel engineers and their partners. They are not meant for sale at all. They are generally used in Intel's quality control tests and remain Intel's property after the fact. Hence, those who sell these processors are actually selling stolen property. As a result, you could be in quite a bit of a fix if these processors do not work right, because :

a) ES processors are not covered by any warranty.
b) If you try sending one to Intel for RMA anyway, you will have the unenviable task of explaining to them how you procured a stolen processor.

Even if you are aware of the legal risks in purchasing such processors, you should also be aware that these ES processors have been subjected to incredible stresses during the tests. As such, many of these processors are inevitably damaged at the end of these tests. The damage may be relatively unnoticeable, as in minor logic units, or it can be so severe that the processor will not boot up on many motherboards, especially those using Intel 965 and 975 chipsets.
Update @ Dec. 7, 2008 - A confidential source just informed us that some unscrupulous dealers are flooding the market with ES samples from China. Many are now sold as OEM (tray) processors while others have been repackaged as fake retail processor kits or worse, used in PCs sold to unsuspecting users. More details to follow in the conclusion of this report.




Tech ARP - Why You Should AVOID Intel Core 2 Engineering Samples Rev. 4.0

What part of engineering sample don't you understand? They are not meant for production. They are designed for testing purposes. Many buy them because they are cheap.

I received a pair of OEM AMD Opterons. Just the processors in a tray with no HSF. They were sent to me by a AMD rep. I would buy OEM processors for computers I was adding 3rd party HSF to.

The main point I was trying to get across was "A confidential source just informed us that some unscrupulous dealers are flooding the market with ES samples from China. Many are now sold as OEM (tray) processors while others have been repackaged as fake retail processor kits or worse, used in PCs sold to unsuspecting users."

Your main point should have been further up the posting. I tell users to make sure you buy from a reputable company. eBay is not a reputable source. Since most users can't get OEM processors, I think that would be most suspicious.

I posted the article as written. And italicised and made bold the main point. It is important for a reader to be given all the facts. Many people think they are getting a bargain. Also many small Computer shops buy from "travellers" and pass these things off as OEM or even retail processors. Many of them find their way into so-called "Bargain Deal" computers. If the people who read the post can be told the difference it helps them avoid the traps. The post was not aimed at professionals or "experts", but at those who might benefit.

As most people know, an original Intel retail (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 retail 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 boxed retail 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. That is not the problem, of course.
Unfortunately, some greedy retailers are also 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?


Tech ARP - Counterfeit Intel Retail Processors Rev. 3.0