Retailer sells cherry-picked Intel Core i9-9900KS chips for $1200

[HEXUS]

This pre-binned and re-binned CPU is capable of a stable 5.2GHz on all cores at 1.325V.

Read more.

[cheesemp]

"Its pricing includes a limited one year warranty that offers a one-time replacement as long as you don't use any gallium (AKA 'liquid metal') or diamond-based thermal interface material to the chip."

Anyone know why these TIMs are being excluded? I thought diamond-based TIM was supposed to be pretty good...

[gagaga]

'member when Intel would only add power usage of 1% if it boosted performance by 2%?

[philehidiot]

Anyone know why these TIMs are being excluded? I thought diamond-based TIM was supposed to be pretty good...

I was just wondering that. I used diamond when I built my last PC and the temperatures are always silly low. How much is due to that TIM, I dunno. Never had any problems - is it potentially conductive of electricity?

[cheesemp]

I was just wondering that. I used diamond when I built my last PC and the temperatures are always silly low. How much is due to that TIM, I dunno. Never had any problems - is it potentially conductive of electricity?

That was all I could think of but surely you'd just say no conductive TIMs as there must be other metal based TIMs???

[Tabbykatze]

This just sounds like scalping with extra steps...

[kalniel]

"Its pricing includes a limited one year warranty that offers a one-time replacement as long as you don't use any gallium (AKA 'liquid metal') or diamond-based thermal interface material to the chip."

Anyone know why these TIMs are being excluded? I thought diamond-based TIM was supposed to be pretty good...

Probably it's more that they can't resell the chip that you return (as a normal KS) because you're damaging the top later of the HIS. I presume delidding has the same condition.

[blokeinkent]

I was just wondering that. I used diamond when I built my last PC and the temperatures are always silly low. How much is due to that TIM, I dunno. Never had any problems - is it potentially conductive of electricity?

That was all I could think of but surely you'd just say no conductive TIMs as there must be other metal based TIMs???

Could it be the delidding that would invalid a warranty anyway I believe.

[Friesiansam]

This just sounds like scalping with extra steps...

Doubling the price seems excessive but, they can only do it because there are nutters out there prepared to pay and, pay they do it appears.

[MonkFish]

Can we assume the ones which don't make the grade are now sold at less than cost as they are second hand and have been pushed beyond their warranty limits from Intel?

[Tabbykatze]

Doubling the price seems excessive but, they can only do it because there are nutters out there prepared to pay and, pay they do it appears.

I can get it for stocks and financial gambling companies, they need every attosecond advantage they can get. But it's just crazy that the general public think they need (or want, even) this.

Oh well, that's why Intel is still the big boy, there are enough of those idi...people out there

Can we assume the ones which don't make the grade are now sold at less than cost as they are second hand and have been pushed beyond their warranty limits from Intel?

You'd be lucky.

[globalwarning]

Um... why is this news? Why is this controversial? They sell binned CPUS for all the best processors, and have for years...

[PMMEASURES]

"Its pricing includes a limited one year warranty that offers a one-time replacement as long as you don't use any gallium (AKA 'liquid metal') or diamond-based thermal interface material to the chip."

Anyone know why these TIMs are being excluded? I thought diamond-based TIM was supposed to be pretty good...

Scratching on movement of heatsink against CPU lid with the diamond content TIM still quite abrasive enough to wear off the print on the CPU lid.

[Tabbykatze]

Um... why is this news? Why is this controversial? They sell binned CPUS for all the best processors, and have for years...

Anything gougey and Intel related is controversial and newsworthy.

[cheesemp]

Scratching on movement of heatsink against CPU lid with the diamond content TIM still quite abrasive enough to wear off the print on the CPU lid.

That makes sense - diamond powered is an abrasive compound! I guess the risk with Gallium is its going to be liquid at CPU temps and therefore risk of it running out and shorting the chip is quite high...

[Xlucine]

I could see traces of gallium hanging around on the heatspreader, ready to mess up the aluminium heatsink used by the next user

Can we assume the ones which don't make the grade are now sold at less than cost as they are second hand and have been pushed beyond their warranty limits from Intel?

You get the same warranty, only from silicon lottery rather than intel (technically a bit better than intel)