Question Buying used/open-box Ryzen 5950x

[pakotlar]

I have an opportunity to buy a 5950x (open-box) locally. Comes with original receipt, box. Anything to watch out for in particular? If the processor goes bad, will I be able to RMA it through AMD?

 

[thigobr]

There are long threads going on o some forums/reddit/etc around WHEA errors and reboots for the Ryzen 5000 series. I myself got a 5950X around christmas last year initially it was running well but I soon found out some WHEAs were being logged on the background and then I faced some resets. Testing all core loads never got any errors but trying single core and assigning affinity to each core revealed my core #0 would always fail probably because it was boosting to high... I am in the the RMA process right now. So would probably be better to test the CPU before closing the deal or at least make sure AMD honors the warranty for second hand items.

This is the tool I used, cycling threads over each core will probably net you better results than throwing an all thread load:

Releases · sp00n/corecycler

Stability test script for PBO & Curve Optimizer stability testing on AMD Ryzen processors - sp00n/corecycler

github.com

CoreCycler - Tool zum Testen der Curve Optimizer Einstellungen

Über die letzten Tage bzw. Wochen habe ich mich näher mit dem Curve Optimizer bei Ryzen beschäftigt, hatte aber keine Möglichkeit gefunden, die Einstellungen vernünftig auf Stabilität zu testen. CineBench Singlethread lief eigentlich so gut wie immer durch, Prime95 mit Belastung auf allen Kernen...

www.computerbase.de

 

[pakotlar]

Yeah unfortunately AMDs official policy is not to, but I don’t know that they’re strict about it and am trying to understand that, especially given that I will have all original packaging/box and receipt.

 

[thigobr]

I can only share my experience with the RMA. The receipt I shared with them didn't have my name but it had my address. I am not sure if they checked/confirmed. But with just the address you can't conclude it's the same person as you could easily have moved to a new place... So I would say they don't enforce that but if it's written on their official policy they can start enforcing that anytime.

Anyways, I see stock levels are slowly improving. Last week 5900/5950 were available at amd.com and some other stores (Best Buy/Microcenter). So maybe it's a better bet to just wait few more weeks in order to get a new CPU.

 

[BonzaiDuck]

Used and Open Box CPUs -- I'm a Luddite Intel Bigot by the way -- are something I try and avoid. I don't "do" AMD builds because I'm starting to lose brain cells and it would add complexity to my very overburdened life -- totally-funded retirement notwithstanding.

Somewhere recently I read that OC'ing Hot-Dawgs such as many of us are (more or less) will buy one processor after another for the same make and model, test them and then return them within the 30-day reseller limit. Supposedly these processors, which didn't meet the unreasonably high standards of the purchasers, are then sold to someone else.

I will be taunted about my spend-thrifty behavior in the wake of my dead-motherboard disaster of January. I had a perfectly good Skylake with four years of mileage and no signs of deterioration. But I just had to buy that retail-box Kaby Lake. And -- it WAS an unopened, direct-from-intel sealed retail box. For the unnecessary indulgence of my curiosity, I have been rewarded. If all 100% of those CPUs will clock to 4.8Ghz at 1.4V, I'm almost over-volted at 1.35.

Now . . . if it were a matter of building a server or a system for a mainstreamer friend or relative, I'd save them money and buy an OEM-tray processor, or a "pull" from a demonstration or test system -- call them reliable or used-but-still good.

I suppose it depends on your expectations and plans for the resulting system. AMDs are supposed to be less expensive anyway, or that had been the prevailing myth that was probably also true. I don't keep up with the price-performance comparisons on any regular basis. And then, as has already been discussed to some extent, your decision depends on the reliability of AMD's warranty and RMA policies. Perfect information could lead you to take a gamble on the open-box.

 

[VirtualLarry]

Hmm, I'm a bit like you, I'm not really sure that I'd buy an "open-box" CPU, unless it was something REALLY cheap on ebay, that was like 6-10 years old, for an older mobo, where reliability was no longer a primary concern, mostly.

If the CPU in question was likely to have been "hot-dogged" by someone overclocking to the max, and failing to either be stable, or be degraded, NO WAY would I want that CPU.

 

[fleshconsumed]

Hmm, I'm a bit like you, I'm not really sure that I'd buy an "open-box" CPU, unless it was something REALLY cheap on ebay, that was like 6-10 years old, for an older mobo, where reliability was no longer a primary concern, mostly.

If the CPU in question was likely to have been "hot-dogged" by someone overclocking to the max, and failing to either be stable, or be degraded, NO WAY would I want that CPU.

Eh, the CPU is typically the most reliable part of the computer. They've got no moving parts and rarely if ever fail. Normally I'd have very little concern about buying open box or used. In fact most of my CPUs lately have been either open box from Microcenter or used from local market. The 5000 series however is unique in this respect as it appears AMD is not properly validating them coming from factory as documented in the second post in this thread. I would indeed be very cautious buying used 5000 CPU and would probably only buy if I knew I could return it if it fails testing.

 

[pakotlar]

Yeah my CPU seems fine. No WHEA errors (including silent ones in Event Viewer), stable under mild overclock. From what I've read, failure rates are max 6% (likely lower), and the CPU was (supposedly) validated to be ok in advance. I would have preferred a new CPU, but shortages are what they are, and did get a receipt from the original buyer.

 

[killster1]

Used and Open Box CPUs -- I'm a Luddite Intel Bigot by the way -- are something I try and avoid. I don't "do" AMD builds because I'm starting to lose brain cells and it would add complexity to my very overburdened life -- totally-funded retirement notwithstanding.

Somewhere recently I read that OC'ing Hot-Dawgs such as many of us are (more or less) will buy one processor after another for the same make and model, test them and then return them within the 30-day reseller limit. Supposedly these processors, which didn't meet the unreasonably high standards of the purchasers, are then sold to someone else.

I will be taunted about my spend-thrifty behavior in the wake of my dead-motherboard disaster of January. I had a perfectly good Skylake with four years of mileage and no signs of deterioration. But I just had to buy that retail-box Kaby Lake. And -- it WAS an unopened, direct-from-intel sealed retail box. For the unnecessary indulgence of my curiosity, I have been rewarded. If all 100% of those CPUs will clock to 4.8Ghz at 1.4V, I'm almost over-volted at 1.35.

Now . . . if it were a matter of building a server or a system for a mainstreamer friend or relative, I'd save them money and buy an OEM-tray processor, or a "pull" from a demonstration or test system -- call them reliable or used-but-still good.

I suppose it depends on your expectations and plans for the resulting system. AMDs are supposed to be less expensive anyway, or that had been the prevailing myth that was probably also true. I don't keep up with the price-performance comparisons on any regular basis. And then, as has already been discussed to some extent, your decision depends on the reliability of AMD's warranty and RMA policies. Perfect information could lead you to take a gamble on the open-box.

they asked about warranty/rma.,. we are "ocing hot-dawgs" HAHAHAH i dont think 5% of us even overclock nowdays, its just not worth anything but the last 1fps gain.

Eh, the CPU is typically the most reliable part of the computer. They've got no moving parts and rarely if ever fail. Normally I'd have very little concern about buying open box or used. In fact most of my CPUs lately have been either open box from Microcenter or used from local market. The 5000 series however is unique in this respect as it appears AMD is not properly validating them coming from factory as documented in the second post in this thread. I would indeed be very cautious buying used 5000 CPU and would probably only buy if I knew I could return it if it fails testing.

yea that sucks, i had no idea about any amd bug until i just read it here, i know my boy has had a few crashes in cyberpunk2077 but i havnt asked about anything else stability wise. the cpu doesnt break 65C even while benching / gaming with a wraith prism. I dont have a receipt a invoice nothing, im going to be pissed if they dont rma and something is defective. Never rma'd a cpu before.

 

[BonzaiDuck]

they asked about warranty/rma.,. we are "ocing hot-dawgs" HAHAHAH i dont think 5% of us even overclock nowdays, its just not worth anything but the last 1fps gain.

Do you think they might change the name of this forum to "CPUs & Whatever"?

I suppose if it has fallen out of fashion, justifiably perhaps for offering little gains, I'm less worried about it than my concerns about "when to buy an electric car and can I have one like the gas-powered unit I'm now driving?"

Truth is -- said it before somewhere -- I wouldn't be poking around here again and attending to my hardware issues if it weren't for the vaping-pen-USB accident. But . . . here I am. Wha-a-a-? No Over-clocking?!

OK -- I've finished the most of it. I'll talk about other things . . .

 

[killster1]

Do you think they might change the name of this forum to "CPUs & Whatever"?

I suppose if it has fallen out of fashion, justifiably perhaps for offering little gains, I'm less worried about it than my concerns about "when to buy an electric car and can I have one like the gas-powered unit I'm now driving?"

Truth is -- said it before somewhere -- I wouldn't be poking around here again and attending to my hardware issues if it weren't for the vaping-pen-USB accident. But . . . here I am. Wha-a-a-? No Over-clocking?!

OK -- I've finished the most of it. I'll talk about other things . . .

just a waste of electricity 99% of the time. Sounds like you dont even use your computer for anything worth while either, you stated a 10600k would be your max needed cpu. Nothing wrong with that but just no way "most of us are hardcore overclockers" now you 15 years ago YES HELL YES overclock but the cpu manufactures got smart they stopped offering the same cpu cut down and started binning them (maybe they did this before too on a smaller scale?) but almost no room to overclock, unlike my opteron 165 which undervolted and boosted way more than a ghz overclock.

 

[moinmoin]

Do you think they might change the name of this forum to "CPUs & Whatever"?

I propose "CPUs and Underclocking". Especially desktop chips are so close to the limit at stock that underclocking can significantly increase power efficiency without losing much performance.