As CPU prices continue to rise, buying a CPU in the future may require as much caution as buying a GPU! Recently, a ridiculous incident was reported overseas: a netizen ordered an AMD Ryzen 7 9850X3D processor online, only to find upon delivery that it had been swapped for a Core i3. He immediately decided to place another order, but unexpectedly, he again received a Core i3 that had been swapped in the same way.
More importantly, both of his orders were placed with Amazon’s official first-party store.
Image source: Reddit
Bought a Ryzen 7 9850X3D on Amazon and got burned twice in a row—both times I opened the box, it was a 14-year-old Core i3! Both boxes had been swapped out from the bottom.
According to Wccftech According to a report, Reddit user u/BitProfessional3792 recently shared the incredibly unlucky experience he had. He bought an AMD Ryzen 7 9850X3D processor and an MSI X870E Carbon motherboard at the same time on Amazon, and both were sold and shipped by Amazon.
In the first post, he said that to reward himself with his dream CPU and motherboard combo, he decided to buy an MSI X870E Carbon and 9850X3D on Amazon. Overnight delivery was even offered, and both the seller and shipper were Amazon itself, so it seemed quite safe. But after receiving it, he found that although the outer box was AMD, the CPU inside was completely wrong—not only had it turned into Intel, but the model was a 14-year-old i3-3000 series. He even quipped in the post: “Can’t wait to install this awesome brand-new Intel i3-3000 series.”
From the photo, the seal on the front of the box is intact. At first glance, it looks like a brand-new 9850X3D, but the CPU model inside is completely wrong:
Image source: Reddit
The cardboard at the bottom had been torn open, and the processor had clearly been swapped out from underneath:
Image source: Reddit
He immediately requested a return and refund, but without waiting for the money to be refunded, he placed another order right away, this time choosing same-day delivery.
In the second post, he mentioned that he had never encountered anything like this before, and at the time he thought it was probably just an isolated incident, so the second time should be fine. His best friend joked as he came downstairs, “What if they send another Intel?” That remark also made him decide to record the entire unboxing this time, just in case.
I got, got pt 2, the electric boogaloo.
byu/BitProfessional3792 incpu
It really did come in handy after all. Inside the box was another Core i3, and the bottom of the box had been torn open in the same way. The processor model is the Core i3-3220, an Ivy Bridge-generation processor Intel launched in September 2012: dual-core, four-thread, 3.30GHz, 3MB L3 cache, using the LGA1155 socket and paired with DDR3 memory. Its launch price back then was $117:
Image source: Reddit
His computer had already been completely torn down, ready for a new motherboard, CPU, and all-in-one liquid cooler, but he received a faulty CPU both times, so now it’s just sitting there waiting.
Of course, the AMD Ryzen 7 9850X3D processor purchased the second time can also be refunded. It’s just that spending $1,600 across two purchases only to end up with this result would make anyone want to cry.
As for why this happened, netizens speculated that the previous buyer likely received a genuine 9850X3D, opened it from the bottom of the box, took out the processor, stuffed in a worthless old i3, and then returned the box to Amazon. If return inspection only checks whether the front seal is still intact, it might be restocked as a good unit, and the next buyer would get stuck with it.
So, it’s not just GPUs. Nowadays, when buying a CPU online, it’s recommended to check it more thoroughly upon receipt, including:
- Before opening it, check all six sides of the box, especially the bottom and sides, for any signs of tearing or being re-glued.
- Watch for any extra barcodes or labels on the box; stickers like LPN mean it may be a returned item that has been restocked.
- Record the entire unboxing process on video, starting from the outer box.
- If you notice something wrong, stop, take photos, and request a return immediately. Do not install it on the motherboard to test.
Source: KOCPC Chinese