AMDeepfakes? AMD Confirms 6-Pipe Wraith Prism Coolers Are Counterfeit

By Zhiye Liu
published

For a knockoff, the six-heat pipe Wraith Prism sure looks real.

Fake AMD Wraith Prism Cooler (Image credit: XFastest)

AMD has confirmed that the Wraith Prism cooler with six heat pipes that recently showed up on XFastest is a knockoff. At the current time, the chipmaker has no plans to release a revised version of the Wraith Prism.

Whoever is making these fake Wraith Prism coolers obviously has decent production capabilities: The two additional heat pipes are implemented perfectly into AMD's original design. The cooler looks very elaborate so it likely didn't come out of some random guy's garage, but most plants that work with copper tubing and vapor plates could probably produce such a cooler. In either case, copper heat pipes aren't easy to make - that is, of course, assuming they are functional and not just there for trickery.

Image 1 of 6
Fake AMD Wraith Prism Cooler
Fake AMD Wraith Prism Cooler (Image credit: XFastest)

While consumers might be tempted to pick up the cooler, AMD advises against doing so because it hasn't tested and validated the cooler. It's also unknown if the counterfeit cooler utilizes heat pipes with a vapor chamber. If the heat pipes are not manufactured properly, the coolant could leak out of the heat pipes onto your hardware. Assuming the vapor chambers are manufactured correctly, there should be very little coolant inside. However, with a counterfeit, all bets are off.

Cooler Master makes the Wraith Prism coolers for AMD, so we've also reached out to the manufacturer to see if it can shed some light on the counterfeit cooler. In the meantime, here's AMD's official statement on the matter:

"AMD is pleased to offer market-leading premium Wraith Cooler thermal solutions for Socket AM4 and AMD Ryzen processors. Our current solutions, the details of which can be found at AMD Wraith cooling solutions, use four heat pipes and AMD has no plans at this time to introduce a new AMD Wraith Prism cooler with additional heat pipes. 

"It has come to our attention that third-party coolers using six heat pipes that are designed to look like an official AMD Wraith Prism solution, including the illegitimate use of AMD branding, are now entering the market. Please be aware that those solutions are not genuine AMD products and have not been tested and validated by AMD to meet our build quality and performance requirements. 

"We are actively investigating the source of these products and will take necessary actions to enforce our rights to ensure users receive genuine AMD products. If you have any questions about the origin of a cooler, please verify the solution here."

Zhiye Liu
Zhiye Liu
RAM Reviewer and News Editor

Zhiye Liu is a Freelance News Writer at Tom’s Hardware US. Although he loves everything that’s hardware, he has a soft spot for CPUs, GPUs, and RAM.

18 Comments Comment from the forums
  • velocityg4
    Six heat pipes. If properly manufactured. It would be hilarious if the counterfeit was better than the original.
    Reply
  • cryoburner
    These coolers are likely made in China, so it wouldn't surprise me if they were being manufactured in the same factory, using the same equipment, and are just being sold under the table.

    And it's very possible that this was one of multiple possible designs for the Wraith Prism, but AMD might have gone with the four heatpipe version after deciding that the other two weren't necessary to provide adequate cooling.
    Reply
  • jimmysmitty
    velocityg4 said:
    Six heat pipes. If properly manufactured. It would be hilarious if the counterfeit was better than the original.

    The only issue I see with it is the dissipating capacity of the fins and fan. If its the same it may not make any difference if the fins cannot dissipate the additional heat being brought by the additional heat pipes.

    Most coolers that have better cooling capacity tend to have more heatpipes and a larger heatfink with more fins and a larger surface area overall. They don't normally just add more heatpipes into an existing design.
    Reply
  • Makaveli
    What I find really funny is how the previous story was posted without being validated by AMD.

    However this is the way the world works now just post the story and get the facts later!
    Reply
  • USAFRet
    "MOAR PIPES BETTAR!!"

    Or so some people will think.
    Any bets on how long until we see a user here with one of those?
    Reply
  • cryoburner
    Makaveli said:
    What I find really funny is how the previous story was posted without being validated by AMD.

    However this is the way the world works now just post the story and get the facts later!
    If it were a leak for an unannounced piece of hardware, I suspect AMD would likely not comment on it anyway. So, waiting for verification from them would probably be a bit pointless.
    Reply
  • jimmysmitty
    cryoburner said:
    If it were a leak for an unannounced piece of hardware, I suspect AMD would likely not comment on it anyway. So, waiting for verification from them would probably be a bit pointless.

    I would assume they would want to comment on it to make sure people know its not theirs. You know, make sure there is no liability.
    Reply
  • exroofer
    Hmmm. And the last time some cloned/improved an Intel stock cooler was..............
    Oh, right. That would be never.
    Reply
  • cfbcfb
    Ehhhh....anyone else notice the huge # of complaints over the last 6-9 months about AMD high end cpu's running really hot with the wraith prism? I bought a 3700x and it hits 85c at full tilt. I think its a real AMD cooler, but AMD is saying it isn't so they don't have to replace old Wraiths.
    Reply
  • cfbcfb
    exroofer said:
    Hmmm. And the last time some cloned/improved an Intel stock cooler was..............
    Oh, right. That would be never.

    Well, they don't need much. I have an HP with an i7-6700 in it, and HP's crap heatsink and fan. Runs cool. My 3700x with the Wraith cooler (four pipe) hits 85c when pressed.
    Reply