Beware of the fake DDR5 RAM kits that are now being sold on major retailers. It's possible that your RAM might not be what it appears on the outside.
Redditor Buys Corsair Vengeance DDR5 RAM From Amazon — Discovers DDR4 Modules Underneath the Heatsinks
It's not just fake CPUs or GPUs that often go unnoticed in the supply chain. While the reports of fake hardware getting sold are occasional, these incidents can happen for multiple reasons. High demand and low supply is one of those, and it looks like scammers have just found a new component to exploit the market again.
A Reddit user u/Leading-Growth-8361 appears to be one of the first victims of "Fake" RAM. He posted in the r/pcmasterrace subreddit that he bought a DDR5 RAM kit (two modules) from Amazon, but he found the heatsink casing on the modules loose. Nevertheless, he continued his PC assembly, but couldn't fit those on his motherboard. It is clear from the pictures he provided that the cutout isn't near the middle, as we see on DDR5 RAM sticks.
These are DDR4 RAM sticks since the cutout is a bit far from the middle of the goldfinger. The user says that both sticks appear to be the same, and when he detached the heatsink, he found an "unknown kind of RAM". It's interesting since he didn't buy it from a third-party seller, since the RAM was sold by Amazon. But we know from previous reports how such scams may happen early on in the supply chain.
There was a series of incidents when a lot of fake ZOTAC RTX 5090s were being sold via major retailers like Micro Center. In many cases, the components aren’t being swapped inside the retailer’s warehouse at all; it’s someone further up the supply chain taking advantage. Similar to the RTX 5090, a lot of fake Ryzen 7 9800X3D were being circulated in the supply chain earlier this year.
Since DDR5 RAM is now one of the most expensive pieces of hardware, it's obvious that scammers will try to take advantage of such situations. This case is a clear instance where the scammer sold the actual DDR5 modules before sticking their outer casing to older DDR4 sticks. Since the RAM kit was sold and fulfilled by Amazon, the user has received a refund, but he will now have to pay a lot more for newer sticks, as the prices are continuously rising every day.
News Sources: Reddit, Via @unikoshardware
About the author: Sarfraz Khan is a hardware reporter with a focus on PC components and the builder community. With years of experience writing about PC hardware and laptops, his work has been featured on several reputable technology publications. Sarfraz's hands-on experience is demonstrated through his first-person accounts of using and comparing different hardware configurations, providing practical and relatable insights for everyday users. His technical analysis is respected by peers in the enthusiast community and has been cited by specialized hardware sites such as Germany's Igor's Lab.
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