News Fake Ryzen 7 9800X3D bought from Amazon was actually an old AMD FX chip disguised by IHS sticker

[Admin]

A TechTuber and hardware reviewer has shared images of a counterfeit AMD Ryzen 7 9800X3D and its packaging - bought new and direct from Amazon.

Fake Ryzen 7 9800X3D bought from Amazon was actually an old AMD FX chip disguised by IHS sticker : Read more

 

[Gururu]

Someday the knock offs will be as good as the real thing.

 

[Pegaroo]

The IHS isn't even right shape

 

[Alvar "Miles" Udell]

Something tells me this was not sold and shipped by Amazon.

 

[Adaneshade]

IHS shape and the fact that the old FX series PGA socket, not LGA like the newer Ryzens.... The pins sticking out of the bottom of the CPU should be an obvious issue.

 

[Pegaroo]

Something tells me this was not sold and shipped by Amazon.

Well that's the thing, Amazon is a market place not a retailer and they let any Tom, Dick or Harry sell on it

 

[Eximo]

Something tells me this was not sold and shipped by Amazon.

"Aris says that this 9800X3D was bought new, not used or returned, from Amazon direct, rather than a third-party seller. The sealed packaging seemed genuine to him."

 

[Eximo]

I would bet on a return and a package reseal.

 

[bigdragon]

I've received enough "new" items from Amazon that were clearly not in the new condition that I find myself going to Micro Center and Best Buy physical stores for my tech purchases. Likewise, I've also received several things advertised to be the US product that were actually from some other region. Amazon cannot be trusted. They used to have good customer service, but now they hang you out to dry for weeks when they make a mistake.

The other nice thing about those physical stores is that they usually have price protection policies. Amazon doesn't do that even if your item hasn't shipped yet. So seriously, stop buying tech stuff from Amazon. I know it's convenient, but you're going to get screwed at some point.

 

[beyondlogic]

i stopped buying from amazon for this reason for pc parts. like processors.

 

[stuff and nonesense]

I've received enough "new" items from Amazon that were clearly not in the new condition that I find myself going to Micro Center and Best Buy physical stores for my tech purchases. Likewise, I've also received several things advertised to be the US product that were actually from some other region. Amazon cannot be trusted. They used to have good customer service, but now they hang you out to dry for weeks when they make a mistake.

The other nice thing about those physical stores is that they usually have price protection policies. Amazon doesn't do that even if your item hasn't shipped yet. So seriously, stop buying tech stuff from Amazon. I know it's convenient, but you're going to get screwed at some point.

I agree about bricks and mortar, if it’s your local mom and pop store you might even negotiate a discount too.

 

[DingusDog]

Amazon is a scammers paradise there are a ton of 3rd party sellers who've scamming people for years sending defective/incorrect items then charging ludicrous restocking fees when you return the item and Amazon lets them keep doing it because they get a slice of the pie.

 

[ThereAndBackAgain]

"Aris says that this 9800X3D was bought new, not used or returned, from Amazon direct, rather than a third-party seller. The sealed packaging seemed genuine to him."

Yet I find that hard to believe. What series of events would lead to Amazon itself, knowingly or unknowingly, packaging, selling, and shipping an FX chip disguised as a high-end Ryzen? My guess is that he bought it from a third-party seller but was unaware that he did. Amazon has a nasty habit of setting a third-party seller as the first and primary option when you open a product page, even when they themselves also sell and ship the item. I learned of this website (I'm not affiliated with it) that allows you to search specifically and only for products sold and shipped directly by Amazon.com, to avoid potentially being swindled by a third-party seller, or for any other reason.

Although now that I think about it, I suppose it could have happened by Amazon accepting a returned 9800X3D and not doing due diligence to ensure the returned item was legitimate. But it seems weird for them to sell a returned item as new and not open-box.

 

[Eximo]

Although now that I think about it, I suppose it could have happened by Amazon accepting a returned 9800X3D and not doing due diligence to ensure the returned item was legitimate. But it seems weird for them to sell a returned item as new and not open-box.

Well, the only odd thing would be bothering to make the sticker in the first place if the plan was to return a sealed box. But if it were re-sealed convincingly, Amazon wouldn't crack it open and could resell it as new believing it was a simple return.

The other possibility is that, while purchased from Amazon, the picked item was from another vendor's inventory. So that could be an illegitimate seller having their warehousing with Amazon. Amazon oversells an item, but has the same item in stock, they might play loose with the fulfillment to keep any same day or next day delivery promises.

 

[HardwiredWireless]

Lol
No it wasn't, some kid put the sticker on it as a prank or to try to return it to Amazon as the real one they bought. There is ah huge difference between a plastic sticker and a printed metal HS. No one would be fooled for a second.

 

[King_V]

If only there was some way, somehow, that this might've been avoided. If only Amazon perhaps kept the Sold & Shipped by Amazon separate from the same products from 3rd parties. If only they could have rigorous screening of their suppliers.

If only such things were possible for a company with the size, money, and influence of Amazon.

 

[dwd999]

The shrink wrap is Amazon's weakness. I bought 4 Noctua NF-A14x25 G2 PWM Sx2-PP from Amazon-direct in November. 3 were the normal Noctua boxes, which are never shrink wrapped, Noctua just doesn't do that. The 4th box was shrink wrapped and sure enough, no fans, just a dead weight and some crumpled paper. So the fraudsters have figured out that if you shrink wrap something and return it to Amazon, you're home free. And the lesson is any time you get any package from Amazon, especially shrink wrapped, make an unboxing video to document your experience.

 

[HardwiredWireless]

If only there was some way, somehow, that this might've been avoided. If only Amazon perhaps kept the Sold & Shipped by Amazon separate from the same products from 3rd parties. If only they could have rigorous screening of their suppliers.

If only such things were possible for a company with the size, money, and influence of Amazon.

And wouldn't it be nice if people were not so gullible that they believed everything they saw on YouTube? If only if there was some way to educate them.

 

[HardwiredWireless]

The shrink wrap is Amazon's weakness. I bought 4 Noctua NF-A14x25 G2 PWM Sx2-PP from Amazon-direct in November. 3 were the normal Noctua boxes, which are never shrink wrapped, Noctua just doesn't do that. The 4th box was shrink wrapped and sure enough, no fans, just a dead weight and some crumpled paper. So the fraudsters have figured out that if you shrink wrap something and return it to Amazon, you're home free. And the lesson is any time you get any package from Amazon, especially shrink wrapped, make an unboxing video to document your experience.

You don't think there's a way that someone could buy a product from Amazon open it up swap it out shrink wrap it and fake and unboxing video? An unboxing video is nothing as far as proof goes. I've never had a problem returning anything to Amazon and I've never gotten anything that was the wrong product from Amazon. I generally buy new products but even the returned products that I have occasionally bought presented no issues.

 

[Confused_Counsel]

Well that's the thing, Amazon is a market place not a retailer and they let any Tom, Dick or Harry sell on it

And make a profit from the sales. I think it is 8% of the sale price for electronics and computer, but I may be wrong. Either way, Amazon and other marketplaces (BestBuy, eBay, New Egg, etc.) make money from these sales. That, in itself, is not a bad thing. After all, they are offering the online equivalent of retail space in a shopping mall. But if they want to keep goodwill, they need to police their sellers better or lose customers.

 

[jeremyj_83]

There are a TON of other things wrong with that sticker on the IHS. The print is blurry and not correct, the copyright doesn't have the cicled C and is from 2020, shows being diffused from 2 different locations, has Made In China printed (In 25 years of buying AMD CPUs I've only ever seen Made in Malaysia on them), etc...

 

[Confused_Counsel]

If only there was some way, somehow, that this might've been avoided. If only Amazon perhaps kept the Sold & Shipped by Amazon separate from the same products from 3rd parties. If only they could have rigorous screening of their suppliers.

If only such things were possible for a company with the size, money, and influence of Amazon.

Do I detect a hint of sarcasm. But yes, Amazon should do more. I think they got slapped, though, for giving their items priority when though marketplace sellers had the same item listed for a cheaper price or was it for not allowing marketplace sellers to sell items cheaper than Amazon, may have been both. The point is they can do more, but they have to tread cautiously or face the risk of lawsuits by the regulators and public. I am not excusing their behavior, just saying it is complicated.

 

[drinking12many]

I am surprised so many have had issues on Amazon, I have bought mountains of things and always gotten exactly what I ordered. Though I don't mess with open box etc. Though I have gotten a few refurb micro PCs

I just built a new PC 2 weeks ago AM5 9900x X870 MB DDR5 6400 and everything else (case, fans etc) everything was great and came in just a couple days easy peasy

 

[King_V]

You don't think there's a way that someone could buy a product from Amazon open it up swap it out shrink wrap it and fake and unboxing video? An unboxing video is nothing as far as proof goes. I've never had a problem returning anything to Amazon and I've never gotten anything that was the wrong product from Amazon. I generally buy new products but even the returned products that I have occasionally bought presented no issues.

I certainly do think such a thing is possible. But:

Aris Mpitziopoulos, the head honcho at Hardware Busters (and who you may also know for his in-depth power supply reviews here on Tom's Hardware), says that he received the CPU on March 4, but only got around to ripping away the shrink wrap on March 9, due to a hectic schedule.

Are you saying, specifically, that Aris Mpitziopoulos is engaging in faking an unboxing video? That, I find overwhelmingly difficult to believe.

 

[retroalli]

Time to stop buying PC components from Amazon. I purchased a 12700K from Amazon last week and it arrived with a broken factory sticker and the CPU was backwards in the box (pads facing out instead of IHS).