Watch out for counterfeit AMD Ryzen processors circulating in the market. In a recent video, German YouTuber der8auer disassembled a fake Ryzen 7 7800X3D CPU, sent to him by a viewer, and highlighted key indicators to help others avoid being deceived. While the forgery is convincing at first glance, it has several noticeable flaws.
The viewer purchased the counterfeit AMD CPU from a Romanian third-party site called OLX for around €300 ($330), a tempting discount compared to the current EU price for a genuine 7800X3D, one of the best gaming CPUs available. However, the fake processor failed to boot, and a quick test with a multimeter confirmed it was unusable.
Even before attempting to boot, there are clear signs that this isn’t an authentic AMD chip. In his video, der8auer points out several red flags, starting with the color of the board’s substrate, which appears more blue than the expected green of a real Ryzen processor.
Other manufacturing details are also off. The capacitors between the integrated heatspreader’s legs lack protective resin, and der8auer’s measurements show the PCB is thinner than that of a genuine X3D processor—0.964mm compared to 1.308mm. The shape of the IHS (integrated heatspreader) doesn’t match, and the engravings on it differ when compared with a real processor, which der8auer demonstrates by overlaying photos in Photoshop. When he delidded the CPU, the final proof emerged: there was no silicon under the heatspreader, explaining why the chip didn’t boot.
To the average consumer, this fake looks nearly identical to any other Ryzen X3D processor. The packaging appears legitimate, and many of the visible features are close replicas, with some aspects, like the IHS, even earning praise for having fewer manufacturing defects than the real thing. However, only when compared side by side with a genuine 7800X3D does the counterfeit CPU fail under scrutiny.
This case serves as a stark reminder that buying from third-party sellers can be risky. Der8auer reimbursed his viewer the full €300 so they could purchase a real CPU, but not everyone will be as fortunate.
