Roughly 300 people recently unboxed their brand-new Intel Core i7-920 chips from NewEgg only to find that they were fake.
HardOCP first reported the news. Its sources say that 300 processors were counterfeit out of a 2,000 unit shipment. Reportedly, long-time NewEgg distributor D&H Distributing supplied the fake chips, though HardOCP offered no conclusive evidence to back that claim. D&H's lawyers were none too pleased with the report, and have sent cease and desist letters to HardOCP and Icrontic, which picked up the story.
There were plenty of clues that the processors, sold as standalone products rather than components of new PCs, were fake. The packaging included several spelling errors, such as "sochet" instead of "socket," and an accompanying manual had only blank pages inside. Also, the accompanying heat sink and fan were plastic molds.
Intel is investigating the case. The chip maker told PC World that buyers who get a fake processor should contact their retailer for a replacement and call local law enforcement of the retailer refuses.
NewEgg is replacing the counterfeit products with the real deal. I doubt the reputable retailer knew the products were fake when they shipped, though it's not clear who's to blame for the slip-up. Somewhere down the line, there should've been some quality assurance.
