AMD’s best and most popular CPU is currently the Ryzen 7 9800X3D. This has also caught the attention of fraudsters who want to take advantage of the demand. Now, some retailers are warning about nasty counterfeits that can cost you not only money.
What kind of CPU is it? AMD’s Ryzen 7 9800X3D is considered the fastest and best processor on the market right now if you are looking for an upgrade for your gaming PC. However, the CPU is constantly sold out, which according to AMD also has to do with weak competition from Intel. It is not surprising that fraudsters want to take advantage of the high demand.
The English magazine TomsHardware reports that several fake AMD processors are currently in circulation. This concerns the brand new processors of the 7000 series, specifically the Ryzen 7 7800X3D. Currently, retailers and buyers are warned to carefully check the products they purchased. TomsHardware translates a Chinese source roughly as follows:
Recently, there have been many cases where AMD CPUs have been opened and exchanged by customers. Retailers, please be vigilant. In the event of returns or malfunctions, the CPU must be carefully checked for any anomalies between the cover and the circuit board, and reported to the police in a timely manner to avoid losses!
How many are affected? The source only talks about “many cases,” and no concrete number of counterfeits or problems is mentioned. It is also unknown in how many countries users of counterfeits are actually affected. However, a scarcity of the Ryzen 7 9800X3D is observed worldwide.
Fake CPUs look very similar to the genuine processors
What is the problem? On one hand, there is the problem that the fake models are supposed to not boot at all. This means your computer won’t turn on. In the past, there have also been fake CPUs where you received a significantly cheaper CPU that at least allowed the computer to start.
On the other hand, the counterfeits are surprisingly well-made, and only experienced users and experts can recognize the differences from the original:
- The PCB numbers between the original and the counterfeit do not match. According to the inspection report, a genuine AMD Ryzen 7 9800X3D is labeled 22050.
- Additionally, one can recognize that the color of the chip is slightly different: The genuine processor has a blue hue, while the counterfeit model is more green.
Can you protect yourself against such fraud? In most cases, using common sense when shopping online helps a lot. For example, TomsHardware reports that shortly after the release of the Ryzen 7 9800X3D, offers were already available for around 200 euros – but these were scammers selling either counterfeits, junk, or both.
So if you see a fantastically looking deal for a Ryzen 7 9800X3D, it’s best to stay away from it. Currently, the market price is around 590 euros (via geizhals.de).
If you do receive a counterfeit product from an official source, contact the seller immediately. Typically, such problems can be resolved relatively quickly. Except in the case of a father who wanted to buy a new graphics card for his son’s PC. Here, Amazon thought that the father had packed the fake product in the box: Gamer buys graphics card on Amazon, receives fake product – retailer denies refund until the “real” item is returned
