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Retail box i5-6500 "unlocked" with only 5 months manufacturer's warranty? Is this legitimate? Please help.

BThom12
Beginner
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I found a reputable electronics store advertising the i5-6500. However, I am hesitant to buy it because of its suspicious product description. The store claims the i5-6500 is an "unlocked processor" and that it comes with only a 5 month manufacturer warranty.

I assumed it might be OEM, so I called their customer service department. The customer service operator maintained it was a Retail Box and not OEM. However, she didn't know what exactly the product description meant by calling the i5-6500 an "unlocked processor". She couldn't confirm/deny it was locked/unlocked.

Is there anyway they are actually selling "unlocked" i5-6500s? That seems kinda crazy to me.

She maintained the i5-6500 in question only has a 5 month manufacturer's warranty and that this warranty was provided by Intel.

I thought all Intel CPU Retail Boxes had 3 year warranties. Is the store just wrong here? Does the i5-6500 they sell still have the standard Intel 3 year warranty, but the store is just making a mistake and thinking its 5 months?

The operator didn't have any concrete answers. She suggested I contact Intel. What is going on here? Can Retail Box i5-6500s (or other intel CPUs) not have a 3 year warranty? Is it possible the i5-6500 is somehow unlocked?

Please let me know soon. The i5-6500 is listed at a $10 discount (don't know for how long) and I have store credit, so I might consider buying it if I can figure out what's going on. However, as it stands, it's a little too suspicious for me to feel comfortable. Thanks.

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