How do I install this weird looking i9 9900KF I bought?

I bought an Intel i9 9900KF, or specifically from the Amazon item title:

"Intel BX80684I99900KF Intel Core i9-9900KF Desktop Processor 8 Cores up to 5.0 GHz Turbo Unlocked Without Processor Graphics LGA1151 300 Series 95W"

I thought, “Oh, no graphics, but I’m getting a GPU and this version is a little cheaper, so it’s good.”

But what arrived does not look like the processor I’m used to seeing at all, and it didn't even arrive in an Intel box.

I haven’t received my motherboard yet to try it, but will I be able to mount this without buying some other clasps or something? This card looks sketchy.

john doe

Posted 2019-12-07T15:51:15.857

Reputation: 659

From the second die I'd suspect that the processor you have there has a GPU, and the dimples on the underside look like BGA soldering pads rather than the LGA contacts you'd expect to see. You should expect to see something more like https://www.pcgamesn.com/intel-core-i9-9900ks-review-benchmarks-limited-edition

– Mokubai – 2019-12-07T16:03:35.867

91That isn’t a 9900KF. That’s not a LGA1151 Processor. You have been scammed.. – Ramhound – 2019-12-07T16:32:33.577

4Also the 9900K ships in a plastic polygonal thing retail. I suppose it could be an OEM and Interestingly the plastic packaging looks correct for a tray for a 9900K - its not meant for that chip, though in bulk I guess they just buy em in trays and repack. – Journeyman Geek – 2019-12-08T03:29:09.517

1@JourneymanGeek - It’s a Intel tray package for a CPU but not 9900KF – Ramhound – 2019-12-08T03:43:45.623

3or the chip that's in it – Journeyman Geek – 2019-12-08T03:48:46.793

It looks like you aren't alone: Amazon Customer Questions

– VL-80 – 2019-12-08T15:48:26.200

@VL-80 It looks so weird though, because the Amazon page looks genuine. It even says "by Intel", and not "by Shenzen Chips Ltd". If I had to guess, some factory must have accidently shipped the completely wrong stuff out. – MechMK1 – 2019-12-08T21:52:50.433

1@MechMK1, "shipped the completely wrong stuff...". I doubt it. People have reported that they received various items: old i3 processor, a 10 year old model(Core 2 DUo), just some small circuit board. It looks like this was intentional. – VL-80 – 2019-12-09T00:55:42.730

You should report the item and report the seller. Getting into ideas of intent on the seller’s part is really the equivalent of mind-reading. The action is they have sold you something other than what was listed and they need to make good. I this case, this might fall under Amazon’s fraud policy and you can report them and — hopefully — you will get your money back while Amazon investigates the seller and the item. Protect yourself and do yourself right. Report them.

– JakeGould – 2019-12-09T02:38:19.713

1almost all the 1 star comments are reporting the same issue. – njzk2 – 2019-12-09T05:21:42.967

1@MechMK1 The paper package says that it is an i9 9900KF. This was intentional. – Ismael Miguel – 2019-12-09T10:32:02.330

@IsmaelMiguel Judging intent is difficult. Don't get me wrong, I also believe that it's a scam aimed at Amazon. But you can't say for sure if something was intentional or not. – MechMK1 – 2019-12-09T10:35:26.350

@MechMK1 There's a lot that had to be ignored. 1- the cpu identification doesn't match the package, 2- the cpu doesn't fit at all on the cpu plastic thingy. 3- the thing came in a paper bag, not an i9 box. 4- the box had already a sticker. That's too much to not be intentional. – Ismael Miguel – 2019-12-09T10:39:04.883

@IsmaelMiguel Even if we assume the packaging was done by a robot with no oversight, since people are reporting receiving different junk chips it almost has to be intentional. I guess it's possible that Intel has a bin for junk vaguely CPU-sized chips in their warehouse and that bin was accidentally sent to the robot for packaging 9900KFs. However that seems extremely far-fetched, especially given the non-standard packaging. – SamYonnou – 2019-12-09T16:14:21.537

@SamYonnou That can happen. But it's more likely to be malice than stupidity. In my extremelly biased opinion, that is. – Ismael Miguel – 2019-12-09T16:18:51.803

Took a look at the page, it lists the product as an Intel product, but it is not shipped my Intel or Amazon If you look at the page for the 9900K you'll see it says "Ships from and sold by Amazon.com" under the "Buy now" button. The KF, on the other hand, is being sold by a third party, you choose one by clicking the "See all buying options" button. Sounds like one of those third party sellers are running a scam, check who you bought it from.

– Calvin Li – 2019-12-09T21:58:06.473

@MonkeyZeus, why did you bring that link back? I think we should not link to a known scam. – SQB – 2019-12-10T12:38:28.827

1If you've landed on this question and then decide to buy the CPU then it's just natural selection at that point. The link is important because if you would be so kind as to report that item to Amazon and/or Intel then maybe it would get taken down faster. – MonkeyZeus – 2019-12-10T15:05:15.910

Answers

You’ve been scammed, plain and simple.

What you have here appears to be a ball grid array (for soldering) laptop CPU. It could be a i3-5005U, which is offered here on eBay:

It could also be a non-functional mockup.

Either way: Return it if you can.

Daniel B

Posted 2019-12-07T15:51:15.857

Reputation: 40 502

23Thanks, called Amazon and when I suggested they investigate a probable scam they claimed this shipped straight from the manufacturer or through them but not a middle seller. I guess a factory or warehouse worker in China just got a new i9 – john doe – 2019-12-07T17:11:25.360

35@john doe: It's also possible that the shipper just made a mistake. I'd try that route first before proclaiming a scam. – jamesqf – 2019-12-08T01:03:26.480

20@jamesqf read the comments on that particular item to find out that it happens A LOT. this is not a simple mistake. Unless the product is labelled wrong, but wrong labelled product with wrong info, wrong pics, and plenty of reviews that tell that once the proper item was shipped, this seems like scam more than anything else. – LPChip – 2019-12-08T13:07:02.343

@Michael - If only a fraction of the customers don’t realize the difference, they make a huge profit, they are betting on that. However, it really doesn’t matter, there is absolutely no doubt the CPU the author is asked about isn’t a 9900KF – Ramhound – 2019-12-09T02:17:34.193

@LPChip It seems to be happening a lot, but this does seem to be a direct from manufacturer sale. I wouldn't say it's a simple mistake; but I would say it's more likely a mistake/poor practices than it is an actual scam. They would have to be hurting for money pretty hard to try to get away with that I would think. They could do a lot of brand damage by shipping the wrong products. – JMac – 2019-12-09T14:20:05.603

7@Ramhound, I think almost all customers are going to realize when the chip doesn't physically fit in their motherboard. – JPhi1618 – 2019-12-09T15:28:30.040

3@JPhi1618 - There are customers that exist which would simply write off the purchase. – Ramhound – 2019-12-09T17:04:38.133

1It's absolutely inconceivable to me that third-party sellers are able to sell on Amazon purporting to be a brand like Intel. The implication is obvious for consumers, and it's shocking to me that Amazon have done nothing about this, and equally as shocking that manufacturers like Intel care so little about their reputation that they haven't torn Amazon a new one over it. – Hashim – 2019-12-09T20:12:37.397

1@Ramhound, I get what you're saying and understand the concept, but this is a $400+ processor that is obviously wrong. Not a $30 item thats "too much of a hassle to return". – JPhi1618 – 2019-12-09T21:03:08.097

@JPhi1618 - Why exactly did you reply to my original comment? Somebody else asked the reason somebody would attempt to perform this scam. These scams are built on the fact people are actually pretty lazy. – Ramhound – 2019-12-09T21:34:23.410

1Because I'm saying this is not one of those scams. That is a common scam, but expecting people to not notice a physical incompatibility or roll over and take a $400 loss doesn't make sense. It doesn't explain this instance of fraud. – JPhi1618 – 2019-12-09T21:37:54.417

1@Hashim Manufacturers like Intel are used to it, and combating it, from times long before Amazon. This happened even with physical shops :) Amazon itself is trickier - it's part store, part aggregator, and the difference is quite subtle. I wouldn't be surprised if the two were pretty much separate departments. It's a pretty bad state of affairs, but there's still the point that Amazon is the trust provider - you got the wrong thing, which is bad; but you still get the usual refund policy. They presumably do something about these cases, but some always slip through. – Luaan – 2019-12-10T12:05:21.930

@JPhi1618 so you're saying i can't just hammer it in there? – hanshenrik – 2019-12-10T21:25:38.813

1@hanshenrik, I mean, you could probably hammer just about any chip in there. I don't think you'd be happy with the performance of the system after that tho. – JPhi1618 – 2019-12-10T21:27:32.043

There is a page on Amazon for an Intel BX80684I99900KF Intel Core i9-9900KF Desktop Processor 8 Cores up to 5.0 GHz Turbo Unlocked Without Processor Graphics LGA1151 300 Series 95W. There are 15 customer reviews on the same page stating that the "Intel Core i9 9900K processor" that arrived from Amazon is a green PCB wafer that looks in the reviewers' photos like the PCB in the question. The first fake Intel Core i9 9900K processor customer review was posted almost 2 months ago on October 11, 2019, but the scam still continues fueled by a BX80684I99900KF Intel Core i9 9900K · Save $40 meme that was posted on the https://me.me meme website.

The item you received from Amazon doesn't look like an Intel Core i9 9900K.

karel

Posted 2019-12-07T15:51:15.857

Reputation: 11 374

43Important to note the reviews as well. This isn't the only person it's happening to; there's over a dozen other reviews stating that they received exactly what OP did. Whoever is supplying these to Amazon is either scamming them, or submitted them to Amazon as the wrong product. Been going on for a while too, apparently; the first review mentioning it was October 11th, which makes me lean more towards scam. – Baron – 2019-12-08T02:17:57.837

7@Baron's comment tells you how important it is to ALWAYS read the reviews before making a purchase. That way you know something fishy is going on and can avoid it. – LPChip – 2019-12-08T13:05:36.947

@Baron The strange thing is that this seems to be direct from Intel. It seems strange to try to run a scam under your own brand name. At the same time, they should also know their own products well enough to put the right product in the package. It at least says something about their quality control. – JMac – 2019-12-09T14:39:31.307

5@JMac - Intel does not sell their product through Amazon themselves. Amazon or a third-party would be the seller. I don't care what a Amazon customer representative claimed was the case, they are not typically that informed, I had to deal with an issue surrounding my own 9900k a year ago. Much what they told me about my order turned out to be incorrect. – Ramhound – 2019-12-09T17:07:27.757

1I'm not getting how a screenshot with an honest question on it is considered a "meme" ? How is that relevant? – JPhi1618 – 2019-12-09T17:07:44.910

At the very least, that is NOT a desktop CPU. How this came to be is anyone's guess.

Along the lines of how, I have an important question to add.

How was the outside of the shipped packing marked? It looks to me like the name of the item was right on the box!? What shipping service did you/they use?

Basically... if I was a shady perp who's the least bit computer literate, and I was working for a shipping company, and I saw $500+ processors moving through the lines, I'd be tempted to set up a system where I swap it out for a cheaper unit before it got to the destination.

Most people working in menial package delivery services get paid dirt. Just a thought.

No matter how it happened, bottom line, Amazon owes you your money back.

Charlie

Posted 2019-12-07T15:51:15.857

Reputation: 141

4Amazon reviews on the item show that this is an Amazon level issue. Over a dozen people across the country have received this exact item in place of the CPU they ordered. It's not a simple theft by a single underpaid delivery driver; it goes higher than that. – Baron – 2019-12-09T12:32:17.290

When you put it that way, that makes the most sense. +1 – Charlie – 2019-12-09T18:51:06.523