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Doubts emerge over Intel chip tracking

...because Intel admitted earlier this year it tracked everything.

Published Monday 5th July 1999 15:35 GMT

The massive haul of Intel Pentiums that the Chinese (HK) government caught last week should be trackable by Intel itself, it has emerged. Earlier this year, Intel admitted that processor serial numbers (PSNs) were embedded in Pentium IIs and Celerons as well. And earlier today, facts and figures emerged from Hong Kong about the level of Intel counterfeiting going on. Making it important. Intel has always and forever denied grey market activity. (Story: Unique serial number exists in all .25 micron chips, Intel admits) That begs questions as to why Intel has not yet delivered to its distributors, OEMs, and dealers, the method to tell whether one or other of the chips is a counterfeit. Earlier today, we reported that Chinese government police in Hong Kong had nabbed a whole nest of re-marked processors. While Intel, earlier this year, admitted that Celerons and Pentium IIs also have an ID mark, it is difficult to tell how to do it. In our humble opinion at The Register, this will make things very difficult, indeed. Intel said: "The difference is this. Although there were IDs in earlier revisions, the Pentium III allows you to determine the speed of the CPU too." Said a representive: "The software makes all of the difference." Now is that Microsoft or Intel software, we wonder... ®

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