A recently shared an image of two processors purchased from that were intended to be AMD Ryzen 9 9950X3D2 chips. Despite the $889 retail price, the photo reveals two units with entirely different pin layouts on their undersides. One chip is clearly a fake, showing smudged or worn text on the top of the unit's casing.
The counterfeit unit features surface-mount device components bundled in the center of the underside, a design characteristic of chips rather than Ryzen hardware. Furthermore, the fake lacks the capacitors that should jut out from under the integrated heat spreader. Amazon currently lists returned products as new if they pass inspection.
Authentic AMD Ryzen 9 9950X3D2 chips are square-shaped and feature an integrated heat spreader with eight distinct jut-outs. In contrast, modern Intel chips are rectangular. This incident highlights risks in the supply chain, as the fake chip's internal components and physical dimensions do not match the specifications of the AMD Ryzen series.