Intels next-gen Arrow Lake CPUs are already on sale but you shouldnt buy one of these illegal chips

Date:
Tue, 30 Apr 2024 11:57:35 +0000

Description:
A next-gen processor for $14? There are plenty of reasons not to be tempted here besides that youd be breaking the law.

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Intels Arrow Lake processors are already on sale, it seems well, kind of,
or at least pre-release samples of the silicon are being sold illegally.

As youre doubtless aware, Arrow Lake is Intels next-gen range of desktop
chips that wont be out until much later in 2024 ( or indeed 2025 ), but so-called engineering samples early working versions of the CPUs are up for grabs in China.

Toms Hardware reports that Yuuki_AnS on X (formerly Twitter) highlighted
that Chinese outlet Xianyu is selling such engineering chips (via Sohu) that it has managed to get hold of somehow. hmmmDoes anyone want to buy the CPU of ArrowLake-S LGA1851?MechSample---About 100 CNY or $14 each April 29, 2024
See more

If you want an Arrow Lake desktop processor thats probably an old sample at this point, then itll set you back the princely sum of $14. Yes, we didnt
miss a zero off there, and as you might guess, these arent chips that are going to set the world alight with best CPU -level performance based on this not-much-more-than-ten-bucks price tag (and there are more issues besides, including the mentioned legality which well come back to in a moment).

Meanwhile, elsewhere in the world of Arrow Lake, other spillage reported by Wccftech from leaker Xinoassassin1 (again on X) indicates that Intel will run with two main dies for the desktop CPUs.

Therell be an eight performance cores + 16 efficiency cores die (the fullest version of which will be the Arrow Lake flagship, of course), and six performance cores + eight efficiency cores with a bunch of variants therein on those dies. This is nothing that hasnt already been floated on the rumor mill, mind. Analysis: A chip off the very old block

Coming back to those Arrow Lake sample chips, despite the very low price, there are good reasons nobody should be tempted to buy them. Firstly, as noted, they are very old samples no doubt indeed as Toms points out, the
chip labels suggest they were produced over half a year ago. These might be the first functional test versions of the next-gen CPUs produced by Intel for all we know, or not far off it.

Before taking a punt on one of these CPUs, any would-be buyers should also bear in mind that theyd be engaging in illegal activity (though its the vendor, of course, running the biggest risks here admittedly). And finally, with no supporting motherboard Arrow Lake uses a new socket (LGA 1851) the chip couldnt be used anyway. Any buyer would need to get hold of a test motherboard to pair the Arrow Lake CPU with, as existing motherboards wont work.

So, this is an odd one all-round, though it isnt the first time pre-release samples have been sold online, and it doubtless wont be the last. However,
the seller may well be hearing from Intels lawyers very soon You might also like We've chosen all the best student laptops Best gaming CPU: 5 top processors reviewed and rated Here are the best cheap processor deals right now



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Link to news story: https://www.techradar.com/computing/cpu/intels-next-gen-arrow-lake-cpus-are-al ready-on-sale-but-you-shouldnt-buy-one-of-these-illegal-chips


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