Forgot password
Enter the email address you used when you joined and we'll send you instructions to reset your password.
If you used Apple or Google to create your account, this process will create a password for your existing account.
This site is protected by reCAPTCHA and the Google Privacy Policy and Terms of Service apply.
Reset password instructions sent. If you have an account with us, you will receive an email within a few minutes.
Something went wrong. Try again or contact support if the problem persists.
Real Ryzen and fake Ryzen side-by-side.
Category:
PC

Beware: Fake Ryzen AMD Processors Being Sold on Amazon

People have been buying AMD CPUs and receiving products with Intel inside.
Image of Brittany Vincent
Brittany Vincent
|

Published: Jul 17, 2017 09:04 pm

This article is over 7 years old and may contain outdated information

AMD’s new Ryzen processors offer quite a bit of bang for your buck, and have been a hot ticket item for the last few months. Unfortunately, scammers will find a way to take advantage people’s eagerness to get their hands on a product no matter what. Reports from at least two users have indicated that counterfeit AMD Ryzen processors are being sold by Amazon or Amazon retailers, and the processors customers are receiving aren’t even made by AMD at all.

Recommended Videos

Two users on Reddit, sh00ter999, and Yae_Ko have reported that when they ordered a Ryzen 7 1700 on Amazon the processor that came was, in fact, an Intel Celeron. At a glance, it’s easy to be fooled by the AMD Ryzen badging, but upon closer inspection, you can see that the heat spreader and notices don’t match a real Ryzen 7 1700. Additionally, instead of being etched on, the badging on the heat-spreader is a transparent decal.

Buying new Ryzen CPU

Of course, the easiest way to tell these aren’t AMD processors is the lack of pins on the bottom of the CPU. Current-gen Intel CPU sockets hold the pins that make contact with pads on the bottom of their CPUs. AMD CPUs work the exact opposite, the CPU has pins on the bottom that fit into an array of holes on the motherboard socket.

As of right now, there’s no indication of where the two counterfeit AMD processors have originated. A common scenario in previous CPU scams has been to order a unit, fabricate a transparent decal, and place it on a cheaper CPU and go through the RMA process. With how many items Amazon processes, it’s easy for the untrained eye to see the right decal on the CPU and keep it moving.

Regardless of whether it’s a shady Amazon retailer or a mass-RMA ring sending in counterfeit CPUs, it falls on Amazon to correct this. If you’re looking to buy an AMD Ryzen or any CPU for that matter, you can avoid this situation by purchasing new and making sure that the packaging is untampered with when your CPU arrives.

CHECK OUT MORE

Twinfinite is supported by our audience. When you purchase through links on our site, we may earn a small affiliate commission. Learn more about our Affiliate Policy
related content
Author
Image of Brittany Vincent
Brittany Vincent
Brittany Vincent is the former News Editor at Twinfinite who covered all the video games industry's goings on between June 2017 and August 2018. She's been covering video games, anime and tech for over a decade for publications like Otaku USA, G4, Maxim, Engadget, Playboy and more. Fueled by horror, rainbow-sugar-pixel-rushes, and video games, she’s a freelancer who survives on surrealism and ultraviolence. When she’s not writing, watching anime or gaming, she’s searching for the perfect successor to visual novel Saya no Uta.
twitter Link to brittanyvincent.com