On: 7nm AMD EPYC “Rome” CPU with 64C/128T to Cost $8K (56 Core Intel Xeon: $25K-50K)

[_ugfj]

OP said "QS" these are grey market chips, QS means Qualification Sample, Intel sends them to various manufacturers to test with motherboards and then they leak into the grey market. They are not retail so frequency and other characteristics might differ -- but even their stability might not be as high as a retail one. Although QS is usually better at this, it's ES (Engineering Sample) which can be very dicey.

[Tuna-Fish → _ugfj]

Black market, not grey market. QS are loaned on terms that explicitly prohibit resale. If you buy them, you are purchasing stolen goods.

[_ugfj → Tuna-Fish]

You might be right -- https://www.intel.com/content/www/us/en/support/articles/000... says

> [...] are the sole property of Intel [...] Are not for sale or resale.

So, whoever sells ES/QS chips is selling the property of someone else without authorization to do so.

[FireBeyond → Tuna-Fish]

No, you are not.

You voiding your contract with Intel does not make me a criminal. At best this is a civil tort.

[Tuna-Fish → FireBeyond]

Now that you know that they are all property of Intel, yes it does.

Trafficking in stolen property is illegal in all 50 states, although the severity and specifics vary. If you buy them across state lines, 18 U.S. Code § 2315 also applies, making it a federal crime.

And taking and selling the QS/ES chips is not "voiding your contract". It is theft, and given the value of the chips, would qualify as a felony.

[fgonzag → FireBeyond]

The person selling you the chip is not the owner of the chip, they were loned to them by Intel, and they didn't pay a dime. You are buying stolen merchandise.

It's exactly the same as if I were to lend you my bike and you were to sell it to someone else. That someone else is buying stolen merchandise.