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Mislabelled AMD APUs are being sold on Amazon UK say reports

by Mark Tyson on 10 February 2015, 10:35

Tags: Amazon (NASDAQ:AMZN), AMD (NYSE:AMD)

Quick Link: HEXUS.net/qacou6

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There are reports that some fake, or at least mislabelled, AMD processors are being sold via Amazon in the UK. ComputerBase (via Tom's Hardware) says customers are being sold older/cheaper AMD processors with the heatspreader or lid from the desired processor stuck upon them. If the dodgy trader is hoping the purchaser won't notice they aren't doing such a good job as some unlucky buyers say that the fake processors don't even have the correct pins to interface with an FM2+ socket. Forcing an incompatible processor/socket marriage could be very bad for both sides of the union.

Faked AMD A8-7600 APU (left) real AMD A8-7600 APU (right)

The target of this fakery right now seems to be the AMD A8-7600 APU. When ordering this processor a number of Amazon buyers have been sent a re-lidded Athlon 64 X2 5200+ AM2 processor, it seems. Looking though the listings there are a very limited number of reports of fakery, just two out of the five people who were bothered to review their purchase complained about the dupe attempt.

Computerbase reports that the AMD A8-7600 APUs as sold were in full official looking packaging including a holographic seal. It adds that the heatspreader replacement was done in a way that a layman wouldn't see any evidence of tampering.

An AMD A8-7600 APU from Hexus labs (left) and one of the Amazon fakes (right)

In a statement to Tom's Hardware AMD described this fakery as an "isolated incident". The chipmaker said it would investigate further to find the source of the products and use any legal means to put a halt to this dodgy trading. It is working with Amazon and UK police "to conclude this incident quickly and ensure that the rigorous quality and reliability standards that AMD is known for are maintained".

If you have bought an AMD product you can check its authenticity, even before you open the box, by following AMD's guide here. It's also good to buy from an established (e)retailer you trust with a good reputation for hassle free returns.



HEXUS Forums :: 14 Comments

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I wouldn't be surprised if this was the same place, based in Oxford that sold me a dodgy Antec PSU and after returning it I never heard from them again, and I never did get my money back from amazon or the seller for it !
DemonHighwayman
I wouldn't be surprised if this was the same place, based in Oxford that sold me a dodgy Antec PSU and after returning it I never heard from them again, and I never did get my money back from amazon or the seller for it !

So Amazon weren't any help to you, given that you bought the PSU from a seller on their website?

I had a similar problem (not with Amazon) after buying a monitor once. I paid by Paypal though, & I was able to get a refund from them.
DemonHighwayman
I wouldn't be surprised if this was the same place, based in Oxford that sold me a dodgy Antec PSU and after returning it I never heard from them again, and I never did get my money back from amazon or the seller for it !

MrJim
So Amazon weren't any help to you, given that you bought the PSU from a seller on their website?

I had a similar problem (not with Amazon) after buying a monitor once. I paid by Paypal though, & I was able to get a refund from them.

This just totally reinforces my constant use of a credit when dealing with big corporate entities.

The only real way you will beat a large corporation is set your own large corporation on them. (In this instance my bank!).

Amazon don't care that you're out £100 quid because it's just one person out of millions in the UK. Amazon do have a problem when a bank is attempting a charge back to them though! And the truly sad bit about this is Amazon is one of the better companies.
I had this exact problem a few years back (top label correct, pins didn't match) but that was over Ebay, where you're semi-wary of these things. I think if Amazon (marketplace) doesn't want to be downgraded to Ebay status (in that people are currently willing to pay more for the same item over AM than Ebay as it is seen as more reliable/trustworthy), they need to be seen to come down hard on these dubious traders, both to deter others and to reassure the customers.
Jowsey
This just totally reinforces my constant use of a credit when dealing with big corporate entities.

The only real way you will beat a large corporation is set your own large corporation on them. (In this instance my bank!).

Amazon don't care that you're out £100 quid because it's just one person out of millions in the UK. Amazon do have a problem when a bank is attempting a charge back to them though! And the truly sad bit about this is Amazon is one of the better companies.

I didn't even think of getting in touch with the bank, doh! Amazon kept giving me the run around I called 3 times over about 3 months and every time they said they would credit me and that for some reason it hadn't gone through the system the previous time, I just gave up after that. I still use amazon sometimes but am careful to never buy from the traders on it now.
What really annoyed me was that I was out of pocket and didn't even have the faulty PSU which I possibly could have repaired if it had just had some blown capacitors or something simple.