Be careful: scammers are increasingly selling DDR4 RAM as DDR5

Unfair sellers are already taking advantage of the global RAM shortage and selling DDR4 modules as and at the price of new DDR5 — information about a second such case appeared online.

What is known

A Reddit user reported ordering a Corsair Vengeance DDR5 stick but was unable to install it in their motherboard because the module wouldn't fit into the slot. After a detailed inspection of the purchase, it turned out that the seller sent the buyer DDR4 memory hidden under heat sinks styled as DDR5.

The buyer managed to assert their rights and get a refund, but we provide recommendations from the UNIKO's Hardware public page on how not to fall victim to such deception.

The simplest way to detect a fake is to check the position of the notch (key) on the gold contacts: for DDR4 and DDR5, it is located in different places. Additional signs of substitution can be found in the PCB layout: DDR4 is characterized by different distances between memory chips and typical placement of small components.

Experts recommend buying RAM only from official sellers, checking the key before installation, and after booting the system, verifying the module's specifications in utilities like CPU-Z or HWiNFO (memory type, frequencies, volume, model number).

Be careful! The shortage of RAM and other components will only worsen and could prolong for several years.

Sources: Reddit, @unikoshardware