Fake Ryzen 7 9800X3D Chips Appear on the Market: How to Detect?

When people want to buy powerful PC hardware at a bargain price, there will always be counterfeiters. Fake AMD Ryzen 7 9800X3D chips are reportedly flooding the Chinese market, so if you want to buy a cheap chip, make sure you buy from a legitimate seller.

How to avoid buying fake AMD Ryzen 7 9800X3D chip

According to Chinese website Uniko's Hardware, there are reports that bad guys are buying legitimate AMD CPUs, repackaging them with counterfeit chips, and selling them at full price on the secondhand market. If you buy and install one of these counterfeit chips, your PC will not boot.

So far, it seems that only the fake Ryzen 7 9800X3D chip has been reported. It's unclear whether any other AMD chips have been similarly affected by knockoffs when they hit the market (though it's unlikely that scammers will target weaker variants, as they're sold at a cheaper price and make less profit per sale).

Luckily, there are ways to spot these fake chips. As Uniko's Hardware explains:

The PCB number of AMD 9000 series R7 9800X3D is 33050. The fake PCB is 32546, which comes from Ryzen 7000 R7 or R9. Also, the sticker on the side of the PCB does not match the Ryzen 9000 series. The PCB color should be blue, not dark green.

If you really don't want to inspect the chip or ask a third-party seller for photos, Uniko's Hardware recommends avoiding the second-hand market altogether and buying chips from trusted, verified sellers. If you still want to buy second-hand, make sure you shop smart to avoid getting scammed. Be sure to check out our common e-commerce scams and how to spot a trustworthy seller for some helpful tips!