Fake Ryzen 7 9800X3D CPUs are circulating in China — MSI China alerts buyers of new Zen 5 scam

According to user forum posts, fake AMD Ryzen 7 9800X3D chips are circulating in China. Japan’s Uniko’s Hardware found these ChipHell-sourced tales and highlighted what appears to be an MSI China social media post warning about AMD CPU shenanigans and outlining anti-counterfeit measures users can take. Sadly, we couldn’t track down the MSI China notice, which has been screen-captured for ChipHell, to verify it (even after looking through all its Weibo posts from January, December, and November).

A machine translation of the MSI China notice reads: “Recently, there have been many cases of AMD CPUs being opened and replaced by customers. Dealers, please pay attention. In case of returns or malfunctions, the CPU must carefully check whether there are any abnormalities between the cover and the PCB, and report to the police in time to avoid losses!”

This discussion of counterfeit CPUs centers on a purported AMD after-sales service inspection report for a fake Ryzen 7 9800X3D, also from ChipHell. Despite the counterfeiters’ efforts, there are some noticeable differences between the fake and genuine chips, at least in this instance.

We’ve reproduced the warning images next to the original color image. The genuine AMD Ryzen 7 9800X3D is placed above the fake in these images.

Firstly, the PCB numbers don’t match. According to the inspection report, a genuine AMD Ryzen 7 9800X3D will be marked 22050. Meanwhile, the fake/copy bears the number 32546, which is from a Ryzen 7000 series R7 or R9 chip, it is explained. If you have good color vision, you will also observe the different PCB colors, with the genuine one being a shade of blue, not green.

Reports concerning faked PC components are all too standard, and half-convincing counterfeits are likely attractive to fly-by-night sellers on social networks and loosely regulated online marketplaces. Back in November, we reported on Amazon US being flooded with fake AMD Ryzen 9 9800X3D listings at an unbelievable $199, so this type of fakery isn’t even new to this particular SKU. In this case, the unrealistically pitched price should have meant few takers before the listings were removed.

In September, we covered a similar tale involving fake AMD Ryzen 7 7800X3D chips. Even though this is an older chip, that story is worth revisiting for the deep dive into the fakery provided by OC expert Der8auer (video embedded).

The AMD Ryzen 7 9800X3D is a highly desirable CPU, especially for gamers, thanks to its cost/performance ratio. To buy a genuine sample, it is probably best to keep an eye on our deals posts, which highlight deals from reputable outlets. We even have a post dedicated to the 9800X3D hunters out there.