Did I get spiffed?

[CMH]

I bought what I thought was a 2.4Ghz P4, but when I put it into my Asus m/b, I found that it automatically runs at 2.0 Ghz.

Of course I can overclock it to 2.4, but thats beside the point.

I got someone I know I can trust 100%, but he knows little about computers, and therefore just bought what he thought was what I eneded. With a nice box saying it was what he thought he was buying.

Of course, me being an *****, didn't really realise its not working as I thought till a year later.

Is there anything I can do to check for sure what is the rated clock speed on this chip?

 

[Justin]

You definately got "spiffed". The board should be automatically detecting it as a 2.4ghz, but even if it didn't, there is no multiplier/FSB solution that can produce 2.0ghz and 2.4ghz on an Intel processor. The only other possibility is that your BIOS is out of date and is not properly recognizing your CPU, though even then it would still be running at 2.4ghz. Double-check the CPU speed inside the OS. If that also shows 2.0 I suggest you go return that CPU, if you still can after a year. AT www.intel.com they have a CPUID utility that will tell you the true clockspeed of that CPU, as well as many other cpuid programs (such as CPU_Z) that can tell you. If you use linux, you can use 'cat /proc/cpuinfo' from the commandline to do the same thing.

 

[CMH]

Aww great. New note to self: go pick up computer items yourself.

 

[CMH]

I got cheated sooo badly. How did I not detect this?!??

At the moment, I thought I bought: 2.4ghz with Hyper Threading.

Didn't get 2.4Ghz.
Didn't get HT.
Didn't get nuts for my money.

Can't return it tho

 

[Justin]

You can learn from your mistake, like I did and I am sure that many others here did.


My personal piece of advice when it comes to buying hardware: WARRANTY WARRANTY WARRANTY.

 

[Phantasm66]

Try to find someone you trust to sell you hardware, and try to build up a good relationship with that seller. What I do is buy about 99% of my stuff from a local store here, they have just about everything I need. I have a good relationship with them, and they know me as a good customer. I would get no problems whatsoever if I returned something.

 

[CMH]

Now I feel so ashamed

Okay: here's what happened.

I got someone to pick up that CPU for me (which he did).
I stuck it into my comp, and it works.
After a year or so, I got 2 brand new P4 comps, a 2.0 and 2.8HT. (prolly guessed what happened now ehh?)
Had problems with the 2.4, swapped stuff around to pinpoint problem.
Found to be M/B problems, sent back for warranty (M/B only)

Apparently I didn't swap the 2.0 back into the other comp. But this leaves me with another problem: I don't remember buying this 2.0! I have no reasons why I'd buy anything so low ended (no HT neither), so I still might have been spiffed. But due to moving and stuff, I can't trace anything, so I'm leaving at that.

And yes, I have always bought my stuff and already been friendly with a computer shop owner. That was before moving. If I was spiffed, its probably from sending the computer for diagnosis when the 2.4 mobo died. Had to send it to another shop, couldn't diagnose it myself cos it wasn't even booting. No beeps, nothing. Shop didn't help neither (said it was the RAM), and still had to pay them $50 for that lie. Of course, they didn't know I had 5x512 (All exactly the same) lying around in the house, and its probably impossible that no 2 sticks are compatible with the mobo....

Plus its already some time since that happened, at least 1 year ago, so I can't be stuffed raising an issue with these incompetent guys.

 

[Samstoned]

My friend had this happen to him dealer was gone in less than 6 months
(1year warrenty on pc )?
as I tried to see what was up found wrong memory wrong sound card and a printer that never worked out of the box
oh ya drive was wrong size
all on the receipt.
Its hard to do ,but pc customers ,like any other, should take time and study what there buying and from whom.
as for finding trusty dealer ,well ,just let them know you know your stuff.
I had one sales rep tell me intel did not make a pci network card only
3com did and of course there instore brand.
gotcha

 

[CMH]

Yeah, I usually buy the items myself, from sealed boxes. Not too easy to do that all the time though, so I had to ask someone pick it up.

And yeah, I used to have a computer shop I can trust, but since moving overseas, I don't. It is a good idea to build up a relationship with a shop, they give good advice, and also a good discout .

Some tips for others reading: try to build computers for your other not-so-tech-savvy friends, and introduce them to the same shop. I found that buying 5-6 computers in as many months help alot in getting discounts later . This will also give the impression that you know what you're doing (assuming you know at least some basics) and they'd probably hesitate to give you wrong advice, or cheat you. They'd obviously want your business, and by cheating you, it'll never come to any good....