Buying one of the best processors from a retailer like Amazon seems like a safe bet, but that isn’t always the case. A hardware reviewer just bought an AMD Ryzen 7 9800X3D CPU on Amazon only to find out that it was fake. The box looked convincing enough, but the hardware found inside had nothing to do with the beastly CPU you’d expect to find. The worst part? I found fake listings on Amazon right now for that same CPU.
Crmaris from HWBusters is the unlucky shopper. He needed an extra Ryzen 7 9800X3D CPU for testing purposes, so he ordered one from Amazon Germany. The reviewer claims that the CPU was sold directly by Amazon and was brand new, which should imply that it’d arrive in good condition.
Well, it may have been in good condition, but it certainly wasn’t a 9800X3D.
The difference was glaringly obvious just as soon as Crmaris opened the box, which looked legit. Inside, there was a CPU that had some semi-dodgy lettering that claimed it was a Ryzen 7 9800X3D. It also said it was diffused in the U.S. and in Taiwan, but made in China. The sketchy-looking front was just one of the problems; it also had a different heatspreader and entirely different pins.
The text on the heatspreader turned out to be a sticker. When the sticker was peeled off, the CPU turned out to be an old AMD FX processor from 2011. Needless to say, it wouldn’t fit into an AM5 socket motherboard, and it certainly wouldn’t perform like the Ryzen 7 9800X3D.
Seeing as this was sold directly by Amazon and wasn’t a returned product (where the previous buyer could’ve replaced the CPU in the box), a deeper investigation needs to follow on Amazon’s part. The reviewer asked for a refund and will need to wait up to three weeks for the money to be returned to his account.
This story prompted me to check out Amazon U.S., and lo and behold, the first listing I found was suspiciously good. It’s a sponsored listing, so it appears right at the top of the search. It’s sold by a third-party company, not Amazon, and has no reviews. The most telling part is that it’s sold for $429. Checking Newegg tells me that price isn’t right — the CPU is listed for $589 , which is much more in line with its current price. (Unfortunately, due to availability issues, the 9800X3D is pricey even months after launch).
Long story short, it’s important to be careful when buying components online, and if something doesn’t feel right, go ahead and get a refund — people will sell fakes just about anywhere.
