Ads watchdog underclocks reseller's 9.2GHz AMD CPU claim

Four cores at 2.3GHz != 9.2GHz

PC supplier Valatech - operator of website pconestopshop.com - has had its wrist slapped for claiming in an advertisement that a 2.3GHz quad-core processor runs at an overall speed fo 9.2GHz.

The ad drew a single complaint which maintained that a running speed of 9.2GHz was not technically possible to achieve with a 2.3GHz processor, in this case an AMD Phenom.

Valatech told the UK advertising watchdog, the Advertising Standards Authority, that "it was their understanding that overall clock speeds could be calculated based on the combined power of individual cores and that four 2.3GHz cores resulted in a combined speed of 9.2GHz".

However, the company told the organisation it was seeking clarification of this point from both AMD and Intel.

We shouldn't imagine it got the response it hoped for. Certainly, the ASA noted that Valatech was unable to provide documentary evidence to support the claim made in the advert.

"Although Valatech made reference to clock speeds, we considered that most consumers would understand that reference to 9.2GHz in the ad to be a statement about the overall operating speed of the computer," the ASA stated in its ruling.

"We considered that Valatech had not substantiated the claim that the computer operated at a speed of 9.2 GHz and concluded that the ad was likely to mislead."

The ASA said Valatech's ad had breached advertising code of practice rules on "substantiation" and "truthfulness", and told the company not to repeat the claim. ®