Instead of a brand-new Ryzen 7 9800X3D, Amazon shipped an old-timer - the FX-4100 - noticed to deceive buyers.
There are plenty of scams on the Web. There are plenty of scams on platforms like Amazon, too, but things like what Hardware Busters reports are already a little rarer: the person behind this one really doesn't lack nerve! Relayed by the TechSpot website, the scam in question is basically a classic: a slightly older processor is sold alongside a similar, but much more recent model. Except that in this case, we're talking about a 15-year age difference.
In fact, when ordering AMD's latest Ryzen 7 9800X3D, Hardware Busters was unpleasantly surprised to receive an AMD chip launched in 2011: an FX-4100, which obviously has nothing to do with the coveted model. More embarrassingly, the scam was relatively elaborate, since the processor was sold directly by Amazon - not the infamous marketplace - and, more importantly, was sealed. However, a quick glance at the small window on the box revealed a strange chip marking. Hardware Busters only realized the deception when it opened the box.
A label had been awkwardly placed on the processor, with statements indicating just about anything: a processor " manufactured in China " and " distributed in the USA and Taiwan ", whereas the actual Ryzen 7 9800X3D marking only mentions the place of manufacture, Malaysia. Of course, it's on the back of the chip that the differences are most glaring: the FX-4100 is a PGA(pin grid array) processor, with its pins on the underside, while the Ryzen 7 9800X3D adopts the LGA(land grid array) design, with the pins offset on the motherboard socket. So it would seem that Amazon is taking a little more care with what it sends out and with its supplies.
