A Reddit user showed off their damaged 9800X3D, but a closer look at the story points to a likely user error, rather than a design flaw.

AMD’s Ryzen 9800X3D has been very well-received, but the problem with the CPU is that keen PC gamers who want to buy the chip aren’t able to – amidst scalping woes – and if a new rumor is right, they could be waiting for quite some time for an opportunity to pull the trigger on a purchase.

The AMD Ryzen 7 9800X3D is the best gaming processor currently on the market and a much better option than the new Intel Core Ultra 9 285K. If you're waiting for a discount on this processor for Black Friday, though, don't hold your breath. There is the slimmest of slim chances that anyone will drop the price of this hot commodity before 2025.

A damaged AMD Ryzen 7 9800X3D CPU has garnered significant attention on Reddit. The issue was first reported by a user in the large PC Master Race subreddit. The user shared several images showing the compromised CPU,

The two Ryzen 7 9800X3D owners shared photographs of the CPU with burned contacts and the AM5 socket with burned pines. The pictures suggest that improper CPU installation was the

AMD Ryzen 7 9800X3D processor and AM5 socket burned to a crisp, both physically damaged either due to a fault, or a user error during installation.

Installing a Socket AM5 CPU isn't difficult, but it's important to be careful about aligning it correctly, and also making sure to avoid dropping a corner of it into the socket forcefully. The LGA pins are very delicate, and it's all-too easy to ruin a motherboard by fumbling the CPU.

AMD has dominated PC gaming CPU performance for more than two years. Its X3D chips have provided a boost that Intel has been unable to match, and its new $479 Ryzen 7 9800X3D goes a step further to not only improve gaming performance but also day-to-day tasks and creative workloads.

The new eight-core processor with 3D V-cache is sold out everywhere, and it looks as though stock isn't going to improve any time soon.