From: pallison49@gmail.com   
      
    Paul wrote:   
   =========   
   >   
   > > Why are engineering sample CPUs illegal to sell?   
   >   
   > Due to the pre-production nature of the engineering sample processors,   
   > they are generally only loaned to OEMs, ODMs, and ISVs for pre-production   
   > test and evaluation work under specific contractual terms and conditions   
   > to assure the protection of assets and confidential information.   
   >   
   > Engineering sample processors are not made available   
   > to the general public by Intel."   
   >   
   > In effect, you're in possession of stolen goods.   
   >   
   > The whole idea is, no matter what happens, those goods are   
   > not to be circulating in the hands of the public. You could give   
   > them back to the local rep, and he could have them shredded.   
   > (Some factories shred their e-waste to prevent recovery by   
   > waste removal people.)   
   >   
   > Those samples could have defects, maybe they don't have   
   > a 100,000 hour operating life (early mortality). They might not   
   > even compute properly at full speed. Like an ES 3GHz processor,   
   > there might be an errata sheet in the box, stating you're supposed   
   > to run them at 2GHz.   
   >   
   > Intel could also mark them with sufficient information, to   
   > trace them back to who received them. To determine who is leaking   
   > them and violating a contract term.   
   >   
   > With other manufacturers, those parts are the equivalent of the   
   > "qual barrel". And the stuff in the qual barrel, is definitely   
   > not production quality.   
   >   
   > Not allowing them to be sold, is to protect *you* from receiving   
   > inferior goods.   
   >   
      
   ** True story:   
      
   A manufacturer here in Sydney ( Jands Electronics) made a  "pre-production"   
   batch of a new model power amplifier for professional use.   
   They wisely chose to road test it in the expected environment - on the road   
   with live bands.   
   They proved to be problematic in several respects and the design was heavily   
   revised for the production version.   
   The sample amps were fully labelled with the maker's logo and the same model   
   number as the later versions.   
   Think there were about 20 of them, put into storage for eventual disposal.   
      
   Then an enterprising staff member obtained them and decided he could sell them   
   all to a local second hand dealer -  letting him believe they were just like   
   the regular models on sale at the time - but for a very low price so giving   
   him a large mark up.   
      
   One soon wound up on my bench, biggest lemon I ever saw -  full of design   
   problems that no tech could fix.   
   I rang the manufacturer and spoke with the production manager ( Ed) whom I   
   knew.   
   He groaned when I described the amp and it's issues saying they should never   
   have left the factory.   
   " If that amp came back to us - we would refuse to accept it"  -  he remarked.   
      
   I had to explain this to the owner and the dodgy dealer -  neither of whom   
   were inclined to believe me.   
   Very nasty situation far any repair tech to be caught up in.   
   Other owners who had been scammed called me and I advised them to return the   
   amp/s to the same dealer for a refund.   
      
   Later I met up with the guy who had done the dirty deal,  what an utter   
   asshole.   
      
      
   ......   Phil   
      
   --- SoupGate-Win32 v1.05   
    * Origin: you cannot sedate... all the things you hate (1:229/2)