Buying a Used CPU? It Could Come With a Valorant Ban
A Valorant player was banned after buying a used Ryzen 7 5800X3D from a cheater. How CPU hardware bans work, what Riot says, and how to buy safely.
A used processor can come with its previous owner's anti-cheat ban. XDA Developers reports that a player in Germany bought a second-hand AMD Ryzen 7 5800X3D from a classifieds site and was banned from Valorant the first time he launched the game, because Riot's Vanguard anti-cheat had blacklisted that specific chip.
What Riot says about hardware bans
Vanguard identifies hardware such as the CPU by its unique ID, so a ban tied to a chip moves with it when it is resold. Riot's head of anti-cheat, Phillip Koskinas, says these bans last at most four months, apply only to the game where the cheating happened, and do not extend to the rest of the PC. The buyer says his motherboard and drives were flagged too, which Koskinas called "pretty unlikely".
How to buy a CPU without inheriting a ban
- Buy new if you play competitive online games.A new, boxed CPU has never been registered by an anti-cheat system and comes with the manufacturer's warranty.
- If you buy used, keep a way back. Pick a seller with a return window and launch your anti-cheat games straight away, while you can still send the chip back.
- Ask the seller why they're selling. An upgrade is the usual answer. Vague answers on a cheap high-end gaming chip are a reason to walk away.
New alternatives to a used 5800X3D
For an AM4 board, the new Ryzen 7 5800XT and Ryzen 5 5600Xdrop into the same socket. If you're building on AM5, the Ryzen 7 7800X3D and Ryzen 7 9800X3D carry the same 3D V-Cache design that made the 5800X3D popular for gaming. Every processor we track is ranked on our CPU rankings.
Frequently Asked Questions
Can a used CPU get you banned in Valorant?
Yes. Riot's Vanguard anti-cheat can block a processor by its hardware ID after its previous owner was caught cheating, and the ban follows the chip to its new owner. A player who bought a used Ryzen 7 5800X3D was banned the first time he launched the game.
How long does a Valorant hardware ban last?
Riot's head of anti-cheat, Phillip Koskinas, says hardware bans last at most four months and apply only to the game where the cheating happened.
Does a hardware ban affect other games?
According to Riot, no. Its hardware bans are game-specific. Other games with kernel-level anti-cheat run their own systems and may handle banned hardware differently.
