Don't Copy That...CPU

Unfortunately, such problematic parts aren't completely a thing of the past. Just before New Year's, Taiwanese law-enforcement authorities raided four businesses suspected of illegally relabeling AMD processors. AMD says it's cooperating with the investigation.

The raids followed reports circulating in the Asian press, claiming that some 60,000 defective processors were stolen from AMD's packaging and assembly plants in Taiwan and were being relabeled by thieves as working chips for sale in Europe.

As a result of the raids, AMD has assured its customers that the errant processors won't make it to the European and domestic markets. But to avoid being burned in the future, AMD is working overtime to ensure that its systems builders can be confident they're getting the CPUs they pay for.

AMD's efforts center on an education campaign focused on the security features of its retail processors, which are marketed under the Processor-in-a-Box (PIB) moniker.

To stay safe, AMD recommends that VARs buy only from authorized distributors and resellers. It also points out that valid processors carry unique serial numbers, which can be checked with the company. And AMD's PIB products come with holograms as part of the consumer packaging.

For its part, Intel also is intent on stamping out illicit processors.

"We've pretty much killed remarking of our parts," says Steve Dallman, Intel's director of North American distribution and channel marketing. "A few years ago, that was a concern of everybody. However, the boxed processor programs that we've done as part of developing the channel have done a lot toward securing the quality of the product, so people can count on [the CPU] being from Intel."