Up to 300 customers may have received counterfeit Intel Core i7 920 processors purchased from US retailer Newegg, and they're all understandably going to want answers.
Whilst Intel has already acknowledged the sale of the counterfeit chips, adding that it is "is working to identify how many and/or where they are being sold", Newegg has stepped up to clarify the widely-reported problems.
According to the retailer, the chips are indeed counterfeit products and were shipped to Newegg from supplier IPEX, who claims to have mistakenly shipped what it believed to be "demo units".
Having confirmed that the products are counterfeit, Newegg has swiftly ended its relationship with IPEX and is now working to resolve any outstanding issues with orders relating to the Core i7 920 part.
The retailer also adds that contrary to numerous reports, D&H Distributing did not supply the counterfeit products.
Newegg's complete statement reads:
Official update on the Intel Core i7-920 CPU situation
Newegg is currently conducting a thorough investigation surrounding recent shipments of questionable Intel Core i7-920 CPUs purchased from Newegg.com.
Initial information we received from our supplier, IPEX, stated that they had mistakenly shipped us "demo units." We have since come to discover the CPUs were counterfeit and are terminating our relationship with this supplier. Contrary to any speculation, D&H Distributing is not the vendor that supplied us with the Intel Core i7-920 CPUs in question.
Newegg’s top priority is to proactively reach out to all customers who may have been affected to ensure their absolute satisfaction. We have already sent out a number of replacement units and are doing everything in our power to resolve the matter promptly and with the least amount of inconvenience to our customers.
We have always taken pride in providing an exceptional experience for each customer, and we apologize for any inconvenience to our valued customers. We take matters like this extremely seriously, and are working in close cooperation with Intel and the appropriate law enforcement authorities to thoroughly investigate this incident.
