Hey everyone! So, back in mid-May, I picked up a used Ryzen 9 5900X on eBay for $129 after upgrading from my Ryzen 5 3600. The seller mentioned he got it from a storage auction, so I took a bit of a gamble. At first, the CPU worked fine, but I noticed the temperatures spiking and eventually freezing my PC. With my CryOrig H7 Plus cooler, temps were usually around 58-65°C and peaking at 78°C after some Curve Optimization. But it kept freezing so much that I decided to buy a brand new R9 5900X for $250 from a reputable seller with 100% positive feedback. The new one runs around 69-70°C at idle and hits 88-89°C under full load without freezing issues. I noticed something odd, though: the old CPU only says it's "Made in China," while the new one (like my old 3600) states it's "Diffused in the US & Taiwan & made in Malaysia." Do you think I might have ended up with a fake CPU in the first place?
4 Answers
No, AMD has different production facilities, so seeing different country labels is normal. It doesn't mean it's fake.
Your original CPU's max temp of 78°C was actually fine, but if your idle temps are now hitting 70°C with the new one, there might be something up with your cooler. That said, 89°C under load is okay too—your CPU only thermal throttles at around 95°C. To check if it’s really a 5900X, try running Cinebench. You should see some solid scores if it is the real deal.
It’s really hard to make a functional fake CPU. If someone was that skilled, they’d likely be putting those talents to better use! It’s more likely your first CPU was defective instead.
Yeah, that crossed my mind too. Maybe it was heavily overclocked before and suffered from some degradation?
That’s interesting! Remember, the 5900X starts to throttle at 90°C, but it still has some room to boost below that. Make sure your cooler is seated properly to avoid those elevated temps.
Found that strange too—on the old CPU, I used MX-5 paste, and now I have MX-4. Do you think it could really make a noticeable difference?