Buying a CPU from ebay...is it safe?

[MacFanUK]

I know this is a mac forum and my question is 'pc' related but please help me out.

I am looking for a processor for my new hackintosh and the one I'm looking at is around £150 for the retail version. However, I've just seen one on ebay for £120 buy it now with a best offer option and the seller has feedback for selling one of these cpu's for £100.

Apart from this cpu being OEM (without box, fan, etc) what are the risks of going for the one off ebay?

Any advice would be fab.

 

[Hellhammer]

CPUs rarely fail so I don't think there is issues with that. Plenty of people do it, especially with Mac Pros. BTW, is it new or used? Any warranty left?

 

[MacFanUK]

CPUs rarely fail so I don't think there is issues with that. Plenty of people do it, especially with Mac Pros. BTW, is it new or used? Any warranty left?

The listing claims it's new and as it's got no box or anything, I'm assuming it's an oem version which carries a 1 year warranty.

I was just worried about it being one of these if it's too good to be true... scenarios but then they have positive feedback for selling one of them (and they have 10 for sale in total) but the seller only has 20 feedback and 2 negatives.

 

[steviem]

I guess the only thing to worry about is if it's a fake.

 

[MacFanUK]

I guess the only thing to worry about is if it's a fake.

Any idea how I'd be able to tell?

 

[Hellhammer]

The listing claims it's new and as it's got no box or anything, I'm assuming it's an oem version which carries a 1 year warranty.

I was just worried about it being one of these if it's too good to be true... scenarios but then they have positive feedback for selling one of them (and they have 10 for sale in total) but the seller only has 20 feedback and 2 negatives.

Well, it's only 100£ so even if it was a scam, it wouldn't be the end of the world.

Best case scenario: It works and you save 50£.
Worst case scenario: It doesn't work and you lose 100£.

It's up to you, do you think 50£ is worth the risk? Also, PayPal is pretty good in these situations so in case it's a fake, just contact PayPal and you should get your money back

 

[twerk]

ebay is safe if you buy from a reliable seller. You can tell that from their seller score which is on the listing. And if i remember corrently hackint0sh only works with certain pc configs right? I tried a while ago on a acer pc and I ran into problems with hardware. Might want to double check?!

 

[RedReplicant]

You're going to be fine.

 

[Angelo95210]

CPU are very reliable parts. You can go for it.

 

[maflynn]

Personally, if its without the box, I'd be leery of saving a little money and potentially needing to buy another boxed cpu because the ebay purchased failed to work as expected.

I mean on the flip side, is saving 50 pounds really worth the chance, personally, I'd buy one that's new, boxed and has a warranty.

 

[mutantteenager]

Agree with the posts here, but you must be sure that your seller has good feedback.

It's often hard to spot fakes until you have them in your hand, and then trying to get your money back can be an absolute nightmare.

I would try some of the established resellers like Tekheads or Overclockers, you may not save a massive amount, but you will have a warranty and recourse if there are issues with your CPU. A good reseller will also be able to offer some advice if things aren't connected up properly.

For £50, I wouldn't bother.

 

[Anonymous Freak]

One warning on the 1-year warranty: It's a warranty through the OEM. If the eBay seller says no guarantee, then you have no warranty.

OEM parts are cheaper specifically because the OEM that bought the product has to take all responsibility for warranty service. Only after the OEM "proves" that the part is defective can the OEM pursue a warranty claim directly with the actual hardware manufacturer. (I worked for Intel's Enterprise Server Group doing exactly that level of support. I'd handle when Dell/Gateway/etc called in with a broken piece of equipment they had gotten from their own customer that they had confirmed was a problem worthy of Intel's attention.)