Original URL: https://www.theregister.com/1998/12/01/mendocino_the_culprit_in_pentium/

Mendocino the culprit in Pentium II scam

Watch out for substitution

By Mike Magee

Posted in On-Prem, 1st December 1998 12:39 GMT

End users are being warned that a scam where Pentium II processors are substituted for Celeron Mendocino chips could dent their expectations. According to the report, unscrupulous Taiwanese manufacturers are inserting 333MHz Mendocino chips into Slot One cartridges and passing them off as PII/333 parts. A UK source, who declined to be named, said: "The Mendocino is more powerful, speed for speed and spec for spec than the equivalent PII. If it had 256K cache on it, it would outperform the Pentium II." Once in the case and with some additional circuitry, the processor is practically unidentifiable, he claimed. The price delta between the 333MHz Celeron part and the PII/333 processor is around $20, giving additional margin, he said. An Intel representative said: "We recommend that people only buy through approved channels. We frown upon such practices. Re-marking is a bad thing generally." ®