Used Processor from Ebay

Hi Guys,

I am planning to upgrade my laptop CPU to C2Duo T9900 (for the curious, 3.06GHz, 1066MHz FSB, 6MB L2 cache).

However I have never purchased an open-box CPU before. Is there anything that I should be careful of? If there happens to be a problem (say, after 3 months) will Intel take care of it? Has any of you ever had a problem with used CPUs?

Thanks in advance,

ps. The seller seems to be a reliable person with several positive feedbacks. I will be paying w/ paypal and the CPU is not an engineering sample (ES). It is a retail OEM.


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For starters make sure that by replacing the CPU it doesn't void your laptops warrenty.

 

Rule of thumb, and something you no doubt have heard ad nauseum by now: if it sounds too good to be true, it probably is.

With that said, I personally don't care if a person has a 100% positive feedback rating. Buying computer hardware on eBay can be extremely hit or miss. Often times, there are no return policies, and product warranties have expired.

My personal opinion? Forget buying the processor on eBay. Computer hardware OEM parts have different warranty guidelines versus their retail cousins, and since it is used and you are not 100% sure it hasn't been OC'd or abused (or if the guy is just plain lying), I'd say you are due a lemon.

Impossible. The processor is either OEM or it is retail, but not both.

 

@wackydude1234,
Yeah, I have already voided the warranty before...

@garetjax,
Sorry, that was a typo. He said "it is OEM". Thanks for your comments. I will not risk $425 for a CPU that I don't know how it has been used before..


Your reps are on the way..

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I've never had a problem getting CPUs off ebay.

 

The T9500 that's been running in my Studio 1535 came from eBay. The guy who sold it says he got his laptop with it (non-ES/QS), used it for about a week, and later ended up getting a free upgrade to an X9000 thanks to some customer service error, so he had this one just sitting around. I got it for almost $100 less than even the cheapest eBay listing for an ES version of the same processor.

To this day, it's been performing flawlessly.

Make sure you're familiar with your seller's return policy, and get to know the background on the processor, and why it's being sold.

 

theres honestly no problem with used processor, its not like they wear really, could probably go forever. As long as it wasnt volt modded, or had the voltage raised on a regular basis, it should perform as new.

 

It should? Or will it? Again, there's no telling if the guy is lying or not, feedback be damned.

 

I got my x9100 off of ebay, and I have had no problems with it. Personally i would use the persons feedback/powerseller status as a indicator of trustworthiness. and look and see if the person sells this type of item regularly, if they do and they have good feedback on the other ones its a pretty good bet that you will get a good proc.

 

I always read the negative feedback. Why did he get negative feedback, How did he respond, etc.

 

From my experience make sure to always get an OEM over an ES processor otherwise you are golden. Even if the processor has been overclocked how many intel processors have you seen die after many years of heavy use especially the newer ones.

 

And also, how long are you planning on keeping your system? You don't need 10 years of CPU life if you're only using the notebook for 4.

 

I have used ebay gear alot...never a problem really.

 

I have bought over 5 mobile cpu's from ebay and never had a problem. All of them intels . ( if you really want to know t5300 t7100ES t8100 t1350 pentium M )