As Black Friday approaches, you might be ready to snatch up a great deal on Amazon. But, be warned: scammers will take advantage of the heavy shopping traffic by putting fakes out there, particularly of popular products. The latest AMD desktop processor is no exception, with fakes cropping up all over Amazon at make-believe prices.
Why You Should Look Twice Over Your AMD 9800X3D Purchase
At the end of October 2024, AMD unveiled theRyzen 7 9800X3D, its next generation desktop processor. Since then, users have been raving over its CPU, particularly for its performance in gaming. All the hype led to the processor flying off the shelves and vendors like Amazon starting to go out of stock.
Unfortunately, in its place, fake listings have cropped up. Although the release MSRP of the Ryzen 7 9800X3D is $479, fake vendors are advertising the processor for $200. With the prevalence of Black Friday tech deals, it’s easy to think this is just a special holiday price. But if you look closely, you’ll see that these are most likely bots—not AMD, the true manufacturer.
How to Spot a 9800X3D Fake
There are a couple of simple ways to avoid purchasing a fake, and this not only goes for the Ryzen 7 9800X3D but also for any product on Amazon.
Manufacturer
Typically, when it comes to tech, you should default to buying directly from the manufacturer, when possible. If this isn’t an option, verify you’re still purchasing from a trusted seller. In this case, the manufacturer is AMD, so on the verifiedAmazon listing for the Ryzen 7 9800X3D, you’ll see AMD named as the brandunder the product name and underProduct information.
you’re able to also checkSold byandShipped by, located under the Add to Cart and Buy Now buttons.Most of the time, the seller and shipper will be Amazon, and that’s good—that means you’ll have Amazon’s A-z Guarantee to protect you in case anything goes awry. If it’s a seller you don’t recognize, you can click on the name and Amazon will show you the vendor’s customer reviews. Check those out, and if there are no reviews at all—don’t trust it.
With the processor fakes, we’re seeing brand names like “423634fx” and sellers like “Huangwenjie12334.” When I went to that seller’s page, there were no reviews, which reeks of bot behavior.
Specifications
If you’re more familiar with computers and what specifications are normal for processors, you might also notice errors or made-up numbers. You also might observe abridged or a lack of specs.
In this case, you may always find theofficial AMD product pageand cross-reference its specifications.
It’s important to be vigilant toavoid Black Friday scams. Unfortunately, the internet is ripe with them this time of year. As Amazon seems particularly susceptible to bot-fueled listings, you can always check out thesealternatives for Black Friday tech deals. A good rule of thumb is: if it seems like a total steal, well, it probably is. And the steal is from you.
