Incorrect CPU identified in BIOS following upgrade

[Cysero]

I upgraded an Intel Pentium T2080 to an Intel Core 2 Duo T7600 and it booted to Windows Vista 32 Bit first time. Upon further inspection the BIOS and all software is identifying the CPU as a Core 2 Duo T5200. Strange?

 

System Specification: HP G5056EA, Intel Core 2 Duo T7600, Hewlett Packard 30C6 (BIOS Version: F.25 07/09/2007), 2.5GB (2GB + 500MB) DDR2 SODIMM RAM, Seagate Momentus ST9120822AS 5400rpm HDD (120GB), Windows Vista 32-bit.

 

I flashed the bios from version F.14 to F.25 a number of weeks ago in readiness for the new CPU. The CPU had a couple of slightly bent pins towards one corner that prevented it from being placed into the socket easily. The bent pins were not all grouped together and were not on the outer edge which was odd. I spent a half hour or so straightening the two or three pins with a scalpel and eased it into the socket. Powered it on and then found out I'm apparently running a T5200?

 

I ordered it from an eBay seller based in China which I know generally have a sketchy reputation but the price and availability was right. Due to the age of the CPU there were none on sale in the UK and the few I did find outside the UK and China were ridiculously priced. Not sure whether it's a problem with the CPU pins, the BIOS or just a sketchy 'refurbished/rebadged' CPU.

 

To confirm there are examples of this laptop model that were successfully upgraded with the T7200/T7400/T7600 being correctly identified aswell.

[XR6]

Sounds like a sketchy CPU then. Download CPU-Z and post what the CPU shows as here. 

 

[Cysero]

19 minutes ago, 1kv said:

Sounds like a sketchy CPU then. Download CPU-Z and post what the CPU shows as here. 

 

 

[XR6]

1 minute ago, Cysero said:

 

Yeah that's a sketchy CPU then. 

[Cysero]

13 minutes ago, 1kv said:

Yeah that's a sketchy CPU then. 

I'll try another BIOS which is confirmed as working with the T7*** CPUs and if nothing changes I'll take the CPU out and check the pins again. It doesn't look good.

 

 

[XR6]

18 minutes ago, Cysero said:

I'll try another BIOS which is confirmed as working with the T7*** CPUs and if nothing changes I'll take the CPU out and check the pins again. It doesn't look good.

 

 

It might be the BIOS. There's only one way to find out though. 

 

[Cysero]

1 hour ago, 1kv said:

It might be the BIOS. There's only one way to find out though. 

 

Just reverted the BIOS to F.24a using the Pentium T2080. Put the T7600 back in and it still identifies as a T5200 There's one other system I can test it on but probably not much point.

[XR6]

1 minute ago, Cysero said:

Just reverted the BIOS to F.24a using the Pentium T2080. Put the T7600 back in and it still identifies as a T5200 There's one other system I can test it on but probably not much point.

Yeah, I'm convinced it's a sketchy CPU now. Try to return it if you can. 

[Cysero]

48 minutes ago, 1kv said:

Yeah, I'm convinced it's a sketchy CPU now. Try to return it if you can. 

Under a magnifying glass it looks as if a couple of the CPU pins have been reballed because the solder balls are not all uniform like those on the Pentium T2080. Could some missed pin connections be the reason it is not firing on all cylinders and being wrongly identified as a T5200?

[XR6]

15 minutes ago, Cysero said:

Under a magnifying glass it looks as if a couple of the CPU pins have been reballed because the solder balls are not all uniform like those on the Pentium T2080. Could some missed pin connections be the reason it is not firing on all cylinders and being wrongly identified as a T5200?

I doubt it. Even with some missed pin connectors it should be the processor it says it is. The T2080, T5200 and T7600 are all the same socket so I doubt it'd make the CPU into a T5200 if some connections were missing.

 

[Cysero]

1 hour ago, 1kv said:

I doubt it. Even with some missed pin connectors it should be the processor it says it is. The T2080, T5200 and T7600 are all the same socket so I doubt it'd make the CPU into a T5200 if some connections were missing.

 

So it would be justified to suggest this is just a rebranded T5200? Putting the two CPUs alongside each other there are very slight differences in the character spacing, alignment and typeface used. Images of the T7600 on google images confirm this as well.

[XR6]

1 hour ago, Cysero said:

So it would be justified to suggest this is just a rebranded T5200? Putting the two CPUs alongside each other there are very slight differences in the character spacing, alignment and typeface used. Images of the T7600 on google images confirm this as well.

Yep that looks a bit off. I'm not sure whether it's supposed to look like that but I can also see that the alignment, typeface and spacing is different. One thing I've also noticed is the bronze circles in the corners look slightly different from the T2080. I've found the ones on the 'T7600' are bigger, but only by a little bit. They're also wider, but again only by a little bit.

If you want, I'll have a look around the seller's eBay page for you. Maybe I'll find something else like this on there.

[XR6]

You can also see that those patterns that resemble a QR code on the bottom are very different. 

Also from the two pictures I've noticed the alignment is off, especially at the top.

[Cysero]

7 minutes ago, 1kv said:

Yep that looks a bit off. I'm not sure whether it's supposed to look like that but I can also see that the alignment, typeface and spacing is different. One thing I've also noticed is the bronze circles in the corners look slightly different from the T2080. I've found the ones on the 'T7600' are bigger, but only by a little bit. They're also wider, but again only by a little bit.

If you want, I'll have a look around the seller's eBay page for you. Maybe I'll find something else like this on there.

https://www.ebay.co.uk/usr/hbr2015?_trksid=p2057872.m2749.l2754

I had never noticed before but that account follows a lot of other similar sellers which is an alarm sign so chances are it's the same person/group of people with the same suspect stock.

 

I will wait for their response which I imagine will not help me get a T7600 anytime soon then I'll start an appeal procedure to get a refund and probably look at a T7400 or T7200 from a UK seller. I'll just concede that a T7600 is not going to be an option.

 

 

 

[Cysero]

Contacted the seller and raised my concerns rather than accusing them of shipping a counterfeit item. They acknowledged the problem declaring they have never had an issue like it before...

 

I sent them a screenshot of CPU-Z identifying the CPU as a T5200. They wanted evidence from another monitoring software as "we recommend that you use another software test, because sometimes CPUZ is not compatible with the system will cause wrong information". I just went along with what they said and provided evidence from CPU-Z, HW Monitor, Intel Processor Identification Utility, System Properties, System Information and the BIOS menu. They wanted me to change BIOS so I flashed it back to the latest version and provided the same screenshots with the same result.

 

Today they conceded and offered me a replacement or refund with no real reluctance but they want me to return the item. I don't have a problem with this but the product description clearly states all products are fully tested before shipping. There is strong evidence suggesting this CPU is just a Core 2 Duo T5200 which has almost no value that has been re-labeled to imitate a Core 2 Duo T7600. If it was fully tested before shipping then surely the seller has knowingly sent me what they know is a dodgy item.

 

This raises concerns for me as I feel obligated to report a potentially fraudulent seller who could offload the same product on someone else. eBay is very unhelpful for concerns like this as there is no clear line of support for counterfeit items. Although eBay UK has a live chat option it is extremely hard to find but eventually I found it and asked how I can report suspected counterfeit items. The quick answer is that is not possible. There are offline fraud teams that trawl through return/refund requests to seek out suspect buyers/sellers but that relies on the aggrieved providing pretty damning evidence in the form of no more than 10 attached images that you have no obligation to provide. In theory if you choose to upload nothing you could return the item to the buyer and they could claim there was nothing wrong with the product and force eBay to make you cover the return shipping costs.

 

I understood the reputation of eBay resellers from China/Hong Kong dealing in computer parts beforehand but I thought I would try it for myself on a low value item I could not find anywhere else. The seller was polite but completely ignored and failed to address my concerns that this may be a counterfeit item and whether it had been tested prior to shipping as declared. They could have been completely oblivious to the facts or just acting. Nonetheless these sellers do list a lot of high ticket items especially Xeons and this is another example of why not to use them.

 

My other concerns were for the condition and performance of the item. These manifested themselves as slightly bent pins that needed re-aligning, what appeared to be some reballed CPU pins and the occasional but unmistakeable high pitched whining while running. I have researched that some resellers 'hack' and modify the CPU to identify as what they want it to when it is installed. Perhaps this CPU was a failed attempt at this or it was just a failing worthless CPU resurrected with some T7600 credentials stuck to it with the hope of fooling someone who would never check what it was once they installed it.

[Cysero]

A short follow up.

 

I decided to use a native seller and looked up some T7400 listings because the T7600 just does not come up on the market here. I purchased a T7400 and it didn't turn up so I  got a refund. I purchased another T7400 and it turned up within 48 hours, detected correctly and worked without a problem. The increased CPU performance has made the laptop useable for watching youtube videos at 720p and handling most websites. I imagine if I connected it to a higher res monitor it could easily play 1080p. With an SSD upgrade, OS upgrade and the max 5GB RAM installed it should be comfortable with any daily task apart from games and the latest creative/CAD software.