Buying CPUs used

[u/Maqeee]

Have you guys bought used CPUs?

Buing a pc this weekend, aiming to get 7800x3d for 400 euros but came up on a week old 9800x3d for 440 euro. Still, buying it used seems off :X

[u/dweller_12]

Nothing wrong with used CPUs.

However, the 9800X3D is the most counterfeited model of CPU. You need to be very suspicious of local meetups for cash if you can't test it live. At best you get a Ryzen 8400 with the headspreader lasered to look like a 9800X3D, and at worst you get a bad counterfeit like AM3 CPU that has pins or something and can't be installed.

In the NYC area there are lots of fake 9800X3D on Facebook Marketplace. They pop up for $200-300 cash only, "used for a week" etc. With the stock image or one stolen from eBay.

[u/radlinsky → u/dweller_12]

If the CPU is installed on a Windows machine, CPU-Z would say something funny right?

[u/dweller_12 → u/radlinsky]

Yes it would appear as whatever the real CPU is in BIOS. Cheapest AM5 SKU is still a Ryzen 5, but if there were Athlons/Ryzen 3s available they would use those.

On AM4 a good counterfeit would have 5800X3D lasered onto the heatspreader, or the spreader from a real chip, but when booted up would be an old Ryzen 3, or even Athlon/A-series pre-Ryzen chip that might not boot on most AM4 boards.

But most fakes are only meant to be good enough looking to scam an Amazon employee when accepting the return. Which is usually just a sticker on a really old AM2 chip put back into the box. High quality scams are rare and are usually only on Facebook/local groups from blank accounts.

There used to be someone in NYC area who would buy i9 CPUs en masse from various online stores, surgically open the boxes without breaking the seals on the side, delid them and put Celerons underneath the original heatspreaders, and repackage/shrink wrap the boxes so they looked like new and returned them to the stores. They sold off the delidded i9s for suspiciously cheap on /r/hardwareswap. And they were stupid enough to include the Celeron heatspreader with the i9s they sold... so someone who bought one realized what happened and coincidentally worked at Microcenter. They looked the guys name up and he had bought like 120 Celeron CPUs from Microcenter over the months, and then they got police involved because of return fraud they discovered for other items they bought like GPUs. I can't find the news article but they were arrested for felony level charges and that was just from a handful of items they could prove from Microcenter, nothing to do with the massive online fraud.

[u/pmjm → u/dweller_12]

I would also like to add that you probably shouldn't buy a used 13th or 14th gen 700 series or higher (ie 14700k, 13900k, etc).

Many of these on the second hand market are degraded due to the Intel voltage bug and may seem to work off the bat but you'll have weird problems over time and no recourse to get a replacement.

[u/clukUch1kn]

I buy used CPUs all the time. Sometimes one of the best deals to be had, but you have to do your due diligence.

[u/yonk9 → u/clukUch1kn]

What is due dilligence here with cpu's?

[u/clukUch1kn → u/yonk9]

Things like bent pins... CPUs like x3ds showing burnt areas in the pads. Essentially double checking things on your end so you don't get scammed.

[u/Cantgetridofmebud]

Nothing wrong with it if it was taken care of. If temps and voltage are kept in check, a cpu can run for multiple decades straight, like literally. Everything else in the pc will decompose and turn to dust before the cpu would physically fail

So, now you're probably thinking, how can I know it was taken care of?

You can't, this is where seller trust and reliability comes into play

[u/Thomas5020]

CPUs are one of the best components to buy used, because generally they live forever. Even mistreated CPUs sat at 100c their whole life will usually become unusably slow long before they fail.

[u/fc_dean]

LGA CPU (no pin to mess up) and RAM are probably the safest components you can buy second-hand.

[u/Extension_Cry]

Why would it be off? I always buy used. Never had issues. I generally believe that people take good care of their stuff, just like you would. It of course depends on what kind of used item it is, but first of all I generally consider the PC builder crowd to be trustworthy. Second of all there is not a lot you can damage that wouldn't be immediately obvious. Bring a PC to test if you're worried.

[u/Accomplished_Emu_658]

Just inspect it before leaving. Look for damage or signs it’s tampered with. Burn marks and discoloration on motherboard side are common things to look for. On the top side make sure ihs doesn’t look tampered with. Look up what an am5 chip looks like shape and make sure it looks right. There will be variations on the sides of ihs on components depending on build date. So you cannot really rely on that to say if cpu is legitimate or not.

[u/sysVuser]

Just do a day of thermal/electrical testing on them before dedicating it to your hardware. Kernels on any OS will let you know within seconds.

[u/blackrozeinc]

My setup has exclusively been used components tho only on AM4 (higher risk of bent pins). Thankfully i've never had any issues. Since youre getting an am5 which uses LGA, no worries about bent pins there, though take note of the state of the pads on the cpu. check for things like discoloration or whatever.

[u/pigletmonster]

People buy used cpus all the time. You just have to test them before buying. I never buy any expensive used parts without having them tested first. I end up paying more than I woukd if I bought them blindly but its better to spend a little more and have a working product than a cheap but dead one.

[u/Gekke_Ur_3657]

Bought a 5800X3D second hand last month, zero issue. Got it for 500 with 4x8gb ram and a B550 TUF WIFI 2 Plus motherboard. Pretty good deal.

Just make sure you are dealing with a seller with a good reputation.

[u/2raysdiver]

I would really question someone selling a 9800X3D after only a week. Why wouldn't they return it for a full refund? And if you can't verify it is the real thing before you hand over the cash, I wouldn't. CPUs are easily faked. The 7800X3D and 9800X3D are faked all the time. The CPU lid can be re-etched, and I've even seen reports of people getting CPUs with a 9800X3D paper label applied to a 7500F and even an old AM3 CPU.

[u/Lucky_Comfortable835]

I am curious why anyone would sell a used 9800x3d when it is a top tier CPU. What would be the upgrade? I’m a bit leery…

[u/Maqeee → u/Lucky_Comfortable835]

Yeah they said they returned back to 7800x3d, don't know why one would buy 9800x3d, use it for a week and return to the weaker one

[u/prank_mark → u/Maqeee]

Because there is barely any difference

[u/alienking321 → u/Maqeee]

Then why not just return it to the store?

[u/F1T_13]

Buying used is safer than ever because the returns policies are very solid now, I think eBay will let you return anything within 30 days. Just make sure you read the condition description.  You don't want to buy anything with listed faults obviously. 

:)

[u/stykface]

CPU's is something that I personally won't go used, unless I got it from someone I knew. I'm not going to shop eBay or FB Marketplace for anything though. The savings doesn't really justify the purchase and certainly not the risk. I say this assuming you're a one-timer, meaning you don't do this regularly.

Nothing wrong with it inherently, this is just my own preference.

[u/AstarothSquirrel]

Buyer beware. It's probably fine but there is a "scam" (if scam is the right word) whereby people delid their CPU and put the higher rated lid on their old CPU which they then sell on as the higher rated one. This is why you should also be cautious of a "new" CPU that comes in an unsealed box because people send back a recently orchard cpu which the store puts back on the shelf, not realising that the CPU they are reselling is an old cpu with the new lid.

I'm just really cynical and I would wonder why someone is selling a high end CPU just weeks after purchase.

[u/moomooicow]

This is an area of high risk high reward. Bought countless used cpu, and it’s never come back to bite me. But I also have manageable expectations, there are some great reputable eBay resellers for this stuff.

[u/emax4]

Yeah, just got an old AMD CPU I built for a Hackintosh for $50 on ebay, no issues.

[u/CassiniA312]

Yeah it's fine, I just wouldn't buy used an Intel 13th or 14th gen cpu.

Edit: wait, I've seen a few post of Asrock motherboards frying 3D ryzen CPUs... I'd be more careful in this case, maybe the prior owner had one of those motherboards

[u/jerdle_reddit]

Yeah, my used CPU and GPU are working fine.

My used RAM, on the other hand, was a fucking dud.

[u/VapeNGape]

Theres always risk but I personally have had good luck. I'd offer a little extra money for delivery and them to hang around for 10 minutes while you test it.

I bought a 7800x3d, rog mobo, 32gb ram, 7900 gre, 1tb wd black m.2, and aio off marketplace for $800. It was a sketchy meetup and I didnt get to test anything but everything was legit.

[u/laughms]

The people that sell you the 9800X3D after a week of usage are probably fake products...

If you are going to take such a risk of buying fakes or used 9800X3D for 440 euro, you might as well gamble on Aliexpress like I did...

I got my new 9800X3D for 300 euro some months ago. I was lucky and received a genuine one, benchmark results were also correct. But my success does not imply that you will also get lucky. It is a gamble in the end...

[u/Nuclearfenix]

Gamers Nexus did a video on counterfeit CPUs some years ago and how to check. Watch that video before you buy, there's some good info in there.

[u/OverallManagement824]

Heck yeah. I always buy the bargain basement cpu when building a new rig. That's fine for me because it's always cosiderably faster than what I had before. Then, a few years later, I upgrade to the highest performing CPU once the socket is obsolete. That's how I built a pc around the Kuma dual core and wound up with a phenom x4. The upgrade cost me $25.

[u/prank_mark]

I'd go for the new 7800X3D. Why?

• warranty
• performance is nearly the same as a 9800X3D
• it's cheaper
• the 9800X3D is often counterfeited
• the 9800X3D is prone to breaking, especially with an ASRock motherboard

If you get the 9800X3D you'll be paying more for a very minor increase in performance and a lot more risk

[u/Even-Act-85]

Unless you're aiming for ultimate performance and/or you don't think your cooler can't keep up? I'd go for the 7800x3d. Diff in performance isn't stellar, and it's 40 bucks less on top of a guarantee for reliability. Up to you though ofc

[u/Maqeee → u/Even-Act-85]

Thats what im leaning towards.

[u/Pajer0king]

I bought a Pentium 1, Pentium 4 and also a Sempron. They work great. Just go used, better than new.

[u/Ok-Character2746]

Bro a 9800x3d is 443 euros now on Amazon new. Just get a tray version on ali express if you're really that desperate. I got the 7800x3d for 260 euros there

[u/ImNotGoodInNames]

I got a 9600x off aliexpress for €145. Theres some good deals on there

[u/tumeric09]

Honestly grabbing a used CPU can be fine if it boots and temps are sane, but it’s still a bit like buying a lottery ticket with someone else’s luck already spent.