Are your processors on the up and up? If you’re like
the thousands of companies out there that are seeking new ways to save
on your IT budget, you might be purchasing equipment from the market.
First of all, that’s great! Companies that limit themselves to their
typical distribution channels are finding it more and more difficult to
keep up. The internet is a thriving market place full of vendors
aggressively vying for your business and there’s no reason to avoid it
if you know what to look out for.
Specifically ES or Engineering Sample Processors. If
you’re shopping around, looking for the right processor at a discount
make sure you follow the golden rule of online shopping: “If it sounds
too good to be true, it probably is.” Companies like Intel and AMD will
mark their confidential prototypes or samples with an “ES” or
“Engineering Sample” so that these cannot be sold. They are the
property of the manufacturer and should be treated like stolen property.
Make sure you’re asking the questions before you purchase!
People get burned all the time by assuming that the picture in the
listing is of the item for sale; it never hurts to ask. Also, ES
processors are often cheaper than the legit processors, making them even
more likely to get picked up by some unsuspecting victim.
Get your money back. If you find that you are
one of these unsuspecting victims, demand your money back. If the
seller claims that the deal is done, fair and square, let them know that
you’ll be contacting the manufacturer and letting them know where you
picked up one of their confidential processors. Also, hit them with bad
feedback! Most sellers would rather take back a bad processor and try
to unload it on someone else as opposed to getting a negative feedback
rating.
-CD
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