I’ve always wanted to build my own computer from scratch.  You know, go through a list of components, purchase each bit myself, assemble it all together, and then install my operating system.  I have the knowledge to do it, but the patience might be my big concern.  One of the reasons why I’ve got the urge to do it myself is because that’s really the only way you can be sure your computer is full of quality components and not counterfeit parts and junk.  Your computer might be, as Orson Welles would put it, F For Fake.

I had no idea that knockoff computer parts were such big business.  As the article cites, a two week crackdown in December yielded over $1.3 billion in counterfeit name brand electronics equipment from over 40 major brands.  I knew China was a hotbed of pirated movies, software, and video game systems, but apparently there’s nothing that can’t be counterfeited in that country.

I’ve had a lot of computers, and I’ve bought a lot of parts online.  There’s an old saying my dad always tells me, “You get what you pay for.”  If you find Intel chips for pennies on the dollar, they’re probably not as advertised.  They might be fakes, they might be overclocked older chips, or they might just be scrap metal soldered together to look fancy.  If something’s too good to be true, then it probably is.

If you’re going to spent a few hundred dollars to put together a throwaway computer for an elderly relative or a neophyte, that’s one thing.  If you’re wanting to build something that you can upgrade and that will last, that’s something else entirely.  I can’t stress quality parts from reputable sources enough, even if you’re buying an off-the-shelf computer.

Tags: computers, personal computer, counterfeit, buyer beware, stolen parts, counterfeit parts

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