My CPU Was stolen!

O

osalcido

[H]ard|Gawd
Joined
Nov 10, 2005
Messages
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My dad is an avid porn surfer with his 2004ish HP desktop and so its constantly ridden with spyware/porn what have you. Usually Im the one that removes all the malware.

Well ... I went away to college a year and a half ago...and so he had to pay a couple guys to do the same thing while I was away.

Anyway fast forward to today... I sit down ready to upgrade his system to vista to keep the spyware out because as usual he's complaining that its "slower and slower". I try it out for a while and it is EXTREMELY slow and the funny thing is there is NO spyware on it. I shrugged it off and reach for the Vista DVD and start installing...
5 HOURS later the fucking thing just finishes.... now at this point Im beginning to suspect hardware failure of somesort so I check around the BIOS and to my surprise...

His 2.66 Ghz Pentium 4-Northwood core with H/T has been jacked! In its place is a PIECE OF CRAP Celeron 2.3Ghz with 128kb Cache (I dont even know what core it is! Probably Williamette)

We got JACKED!

I have to talk to him when he gets home from work tomorrow about who has been doing what while I was away...

Can someone link me to some comparisons between a Celery 2.3 and a p4c 2.66.. I really want to blow his mind when he gets home.
And for a twist to the story...

Tomorrow I have an interview with the last guys that "fixed" his system. So what the hell do we do? I dont think it'd be good if I go in and start accusing them of robbing us....

edit: its a northwood

celery.JPG
 
It's a Northwood. There weren't any Willamette Celerons at that speed (if at all). But the 128k cache really cripples Netburst architecture. Take away 366mhz core speed, 400MT/s on the FSB, 3.2 GB/s memory bandwidth, and hyperthreading. It's a significant hit. In reality though, the P4C 2.66 is only worth about $30 (except at Newegg's price gouging site). The Celeron 2.3 about $15. It'd not really worth the money to pursue this.

edit: argggg, you posted the CPUz info after I started to reply. So my stating that's it's a Northwood seems kinda rediculous now :D
 
ryan_975 said:
It's a Northwood. There weren't any Willamette Celerons at that speed (if at all). But the 128k cache really cripples Netburst architecture. Take away 366mhz core speed, 400MT/s on the FSB, 3.2 GB/s memory bandwidth, and hyperthreading. It's a significant hit.

edit: argggg, you posted the CPUz info after I started to reply. So my stating that's it's a Northwood seems kinda rediculous now :D
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I googled tom's old CPU Charts and I'm seeing an average of -25% performance on all applications

jus move on with your life
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haha no.

I decided I dont really care if they hire me or not. I'd rather not work with a bunch of crooks. I'll be having a talk personally with them
 
osalcido said:
I googled tom's old CPU Charts and I'm seeing an average of -25% performance on all applications



haha no.

I decided I dont really care if they hire me or not. I'd rather not work with a bunch of crooks. I'll be having a talk personally with them
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Make sure to talk to your dad about it, It could very easily have been a deal where the CPU got fried and the only 478 they had on hand was the Celeron. We are talking about a 5+ year old CPU here.
 
ryan_975 said:
Make sure to talk to your dad about it, It could very easily have been a deal where the CPU got fried and the only 478 they had on hand was the Celeron. We are talking about a 5+ year old CPU here.
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yes I just started thinking about that but I am almost positive he wouldve told me if something like that had happened.
oh well we'll see tomorrow , thanks though
 
osalcido said:
yes I just started thinking about that but I am almost positive he wouldve told me if something like that had happened.
oh well we'll see tomorrow , thanks though
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That's assuming he knew what in the world they were talking about.
 
ryan_975 said:
That's assuming he knew what in the world they were talking about.
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there's only one reason to downgrade a cpu... and that's if it dies. my dad is computer illiterate but I think he'd know if his computer died
 
Make sure that you have proof that the system came with and had a P4 2.66Ghz Northwood BEFORE those guys "fixed" it.
 
talked with my dad

the cpu neither fried/died nor did he agree to any type of switch

we were flat out robbed
 
Both processors are pretty horrible for todays standards, why would someone steal either...you can always pick up another one for $30, or upgrade and get one twice as good for uunder $100.
 
Chaoticon said:
Both processors are pretty horrible for todays standards, why would someone steal either...you can always pick up another one for $30, or upgrade and get one twice as good for uunder $100.
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This is what I don't understand. Why would you steal a Pentium 4 Northwood of any speed? They are pretty slow by today's standards.
 
Best thing you can do is have nothing more to do with the people that did this unless they stamp on your ground again.
They are clearly into conning people so wouldnt think twice about getting a bit of revenge on you if you piss them off.
Shit happens, keep your family and their property safe, dont invite further trouble round there.
 
the question I have is if they were hired to simply remove spyware ( which as far as I can think, has no possible reasoning in opening the chassis up, much less poking the hardware) did he not notice them with his case open and dicking around with the internals?

robf
 
If they werent seen replacing the CPU, there is no proof anything happened.
I can make up any excuse to do anything to a PC if I wanted (luckily for my clients I sit at the opposite end of that spectrum :))
You can be sure that shifty people have plenty of correct answers, confronting them will likely piss you off more than getting anything resolved.
You can also be sure they wont admit to stealing unless there is definitive proof.
 
robeph said:
the question I have is if they were hired to simply remove spyware ( which as far as I can think, has no possible reasoning in opening the chassis up, much less poking the hardware) did he not notice them with his case open and dicking around with the internals?

robf
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Seriously. It's common sense...seeing your son repair your porn/spyware infested computer a shit load of times, you'd figure that opening the case and dicking with the internal components was definitely not one of them.

All in all, it's your dads fault, simple as that, normally I'm not one to point the finger, but you're looking for a culprit...
 
RangerSVT said:
Seriously. It's common sense...seeing your son repair your porn/spyware infested computer a shit load of times, you'd figure that opening the case and dicking with the internal components was definitely not one of them.

All in all, it's your dads fault, simple as that, normally I'm not one to point the finger, but you're looking for a culprit...
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so you're a "blame the victim" type of guy.... i respectfully disagree with that.
How would you feel if you dropped your car off at the mechanics only to have it returned with a smaller engine? Would it be your fault?

Here's the full story as my dad told it to me.
1) He hired the guys to "make it fast again"
2) They opened it up allegedly to remove dust , which is a valid reason
and they finish up and leave and my dad notices that its slower than ever
3) He calls them back and they do some software thing and he finds that its a little better but still not what it used to be
4) They stop returning/answering his calls after that point. Now my dad is in the medical field and often works up to 80 hours a week... so its understandable that he didn't get around to pursuing this further


Now as for the reason... I have no idea it makes no sense. But I'm not of the criminal mind-set either... could very well just been simple greed. Offer a CPU upgrade to another customer for a quick 50 bucks and its pure profit using our chip.

And no I dont think a 2.66C Northwood is ancient as some of you are saying here.... the difference between that chip and this celery is night and day. It went from being pretty responsive when loaded with spyware to stuttering with a simple anti-virus on XP and a fresh install of Vista (With superfetch disabled mind you)

The 2.6C is a perfectly capable chip for today's needs and theyre still fetching a gooddeal of money at newegg

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produ...40000343+1050706985+1050906992&name=Northwood
 
Nenu said:
Best thing you can do is have nothing more to do with the people that did this unless they stamp on your ground again.
They are clearly into conning people so wouldnt think twice about getting a bit of revenge on you if you piss them off.
Shit happens, keep your family and their property safe, dont invite further trouble round there.
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The thing is theyre not middle aged ex-cons or anything
The worker that was sent is 17 and still in high school. I think he saw a chance to get away with something and he took it
 
I have your CPU and am holding it hostage. If you do not send 785 rupees by Midnight GMT February 17th, 2008, it will be executed live on Youtube!

Don't even think of calling Jack Bauer or anything. I even get a hint of Keifer Sutherlands involvement and the CPU gets it! :mad:
 
Chaoticon said:
Both processors are pretty horrible for todays standards, why would someone steal either...you can always pick up another one for $30, or upgrade and get one twice as good for uunder $100.
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There's nothing twice as good as a 2.66C for socket 478 though
 
NKDietrich said:
I have your CPU and am holding it hostage. If you do not send 785 rupees by Midnight GMT February 17th, 2008, it will be executed live on Youtube!

Don't even think of calling Jack Bauer or anything. I even get a hint of Keifer Sutherlands involvement and the CPU gets it! :mad:
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nice :)

Overall Im just shocked that a pc repair stooge would be ballsy enough to try something like this

but then again I do remember something about GeekSquad guys trying to photograph women in the houses they visited or something like that
 
NKDietrich said:
I have your CPU and am holding it hostage. If you do not send 785 rupees by Midnight GMT February 17th, 2008, it will be executed live on Youtube!

Don't even think of calling Jack Bauer or anything. I even get a hint of Keifer Sutherlands involvement and the CPU gets it! :mad:
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lol, but I hate 24
 
1. Not really worth it to pursue them legally, but it would be fun. I'd do it.
2. You REALLY need to show your dad the wonders of noscript.
 
buffbiff21 said:
1. Not really worth it to pursue them legally, but it would be fun. I'd do it.
2. You REALLY need to show your dad the wonders of noscript.
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lol the thing is.. they just hired me :\
as for 2 yeah the thing was back then there were somethings that he used frequently like yahoo music that had no support for firefox so he didnt want to switch
 
Sorry, but you're screwed. Unless your dad caught the guy in the act or something like that, you have no recourse. Also way too much time has passed - even if you could prove it.

Look at it another way. This gives you a good reason to upgrade. You can grab a 2x00 series CPU + mobo combo for ~$100 on a Fry's special, and 2x1GB of DDR2 for ~$40. A man that works 80 hours a week should certainly be able to afford that; hell as a (former?) college student you should be able to afford that. Then again, you'd probably have to get a new video card, PSU and so on. But IMHO it'd be worth it. Even a stock clocked e2140/e2160/e2180 would blow away that old (comparatively so) POS.

Too bad you now work for them... Your boss may not be involved, but if they hire those kinds of people it should kind of make you wonder about all the other stuff involved. If nothing else, you should be able to bring up the quality of work done by the company, and if I were you I'd keep an eye out for shenanigans, especially if the suspected thief still works there.
 
osalcido said:
lol the thing is.. they just hired me :\
as for 2 yeah the thing was back then there were somethings that he used frequently like yahoo music that had no support for firefox so he didnt want to switch
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They swapped out your dad's processor when he wasn't looking, and you then decided to work for them :confused:

Oh well, maybe you'll know find out which person did it :p
 
Setup a hidden camera. Setup a nice tempting machine... call the tech guys a few times (have your dad do it)... have him play stupid and say "can you guys make it fast or whatever you do"... basically make him as innocent as possible.

First call nothing may happen, second call or the third call you may get a bite.

Catch the crooks, call the cops. Problem solved.
 
Ockie said:
Setup a hidden camera. Setup a nice tempting machine... call the tech guys a few times (have your dad do it)... have him play stupid and say "can you guys make it fast or whatever you do"... basically make him as innocent as possible.

First call nothing may happen, second call or the third call you may get a bite.

Catch the crooks, call the cops. Problem solved.
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I like this plan.
 
Is a $30 processor really worth your time and effort? I think it would be easier to just cut your losses, tell your dad to get a girlfriend and have him pick up a Mac :rolleyes:
 
Agreed, just move on from this and just never bother with them again, trust me Karma will catch up to them. :D
 
osalcido said:
Here's the full story as my dad told it to me.
1) He hired the guys to "make it fast again"
2) They opened it up allegedly to remove dust , which is a valid reason
and they finish up and leave and my dad notices that its slower than ever
3) He calls them back and they do some software thing and he finds that its a little better but still not what it used to be
4) They stop returning/answering his calls after that point. Now my dad is in the medical field and often works up to 80 hours a week... so its understandable that he didn't get around to pursuing this further
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I retract my previous statement, remember man, we're basing our opinions off of the information you provide us.
 
Nenu said:
Sadly thats entrapment.
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uhm, no... entrapment is when you pressure someone into it without them choosing to do so on their own, ie if you were working with them for that company and you went to your dads house on a call and you kept telling your partner, hey man, steal that chip, put this one in, do it...do it...come on ... I mean that's how entrapment is preceded, putting something out there people may want and not protecting it, doesn't make it legal to steal.
 
kush said:
Look at it another way. This gives you a good reason to upgrade. You can grab a 2x00 series CPU + mobo combo for ~$100 on a Fry's special, and 2x1GB of DDR2 for ~$40. A man that works 80 hours a week should certainly be able to afford that;
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wow obviously you're missing the point.. yes my dad works hard and has money. that does not mean he should be financing every idiot that should decide to rip him off
 
robeph said:
uhm, no... entrapment is when you pressure someone into it without them choosing to do so on their own, ie if you were working with them for that company and you went to your dads house on a call and you kept telling your partner, hey man, steal that chip, put this one in, do it...do it...come on ... I mean that's how entrapment is preceded, putting something out there people may want and not protecting it, doesn't make it legal to steal.
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ah righty, thanks for the info.
 
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