Counterfeit Intel CPUs

[Marmalade]

I'm looking at a T9500 for my T61p, and I found one new on eBay for $100, it doesn't seem very legitimate.

Does anyone know if its possible to get these counterfeit? I'd love a new one, as it'd last longer than a used T9500 but I don't want to risk getting a fake one as it seems too good to be true. New X9000 core extremes are still upwards of $200.

[ajkula66]

My $0.02...

1) I have yet to see a counterfeit CPU...I'd just stay away from engineering samples but these are clearly marked.

2) T9500 is a waste of money. Get a T9300 for half the price and you'll never know the difference.

3) X9000 is nice for bragging rights but...realistically speaking, not worth four times more than a T9300 performance-wise. Not even twice.

My experience has been that a T9300 + 4GB RAM + SSD is more than enough for most people.

[dr_st]

I'm looking at a T9500 for my T61p, and I found one new on eBay for $100, it doesn't seem very legitimate.

Why? I saw some "new other" for $70.

I'd love a new one, as it'd last longer than a used T9500

No, it won't. In the sense that CPUs, unless defective, very rarely break at all. The rest of your system will die 10 times over before the CPU does, so new/used makes no practical difference here.

[ajkula66]

The rest of your system will die 10 times over before the CPU does

^^^^^ This. Times zillion.

My experience based on everything I've learned between my personal T61/p journey which started very early on - since I was foolish enough to be an early adopter aka beta tester - and all the FrankenPads that RBS and myself have built, the single most important thing is that one ends up with a well-balanced system.

Let's face it: regardless of how "maxed out" a machine from this era might be, a W510 - let alone anything newer - will run circles around it...

With that said, a T61/p remains a great option for daily use.

[Marmalade]

Thanks everyone.