A second-hand AMD Ryzen 7 5800X3D processor bought through the German classifieds site Kleinanzeigen has locked its new owner out of Valorant due to a pre-existing hardware ban linked to the previous user. Tweaktown reported that the buyer, Reddit user After-Cartoonist-196, took ownership of the chip on September 21, only to find themselves immediately booted from matches by Riot Games’ Vanguard anti-cheat system.
Hardware bans expire after four months
Riot Games anti-cheat lead Phillip Koskinas stated on X that hardware ID bans last a maximum of four months and apply exclusively to the specific game where cheats were detected. According to support communications cited by the buyer, the processor was blacklisted on August 12. Based on that timeline, the hardware restriction is set to expire in mid-December, freeing the processor for normal use in Valorant once again.
TechPowerUp noted that the processor does not report a unique serial number directly to Windows, so it is unclear how Vanguard identifies a specific Ryzen 7 5800X3D among thousands of identical units. The firmware Trusted Platform Module integrated inside the processor is the likely mechanism for tracking, especially since Vanguard’s newer On-Demand mode requires TPM 2.0 and Secure Boot enabled.
Disputed Claims Over Motherboard and Storage Drive Blacklists
The buyer claimed that Riot Support told them the motherboard and storage drive installed in the PC were also flagged alongside the processor, and that support employees refused to lift the restrictions manually. TechSpot reported that Koskinas disputed that account, stating that Vanguard does not add an entire system to its denylist simply because it detects a single banned component.
Koskinas also noted that inherited hardware bans are extremely rare, with Riot having encountered fewer than a dozen such cases across the second-hand hardware market. AMD relaunched the Ryzen 7 5800X3D at $350 in June, driving strong demand among AM4 platform owners looking for upgrades on the used market. However, buyers currently have no reliable way to verify a processor’s ban status prior to purchase, as Riot does not provide a public lookup tool for blacklisted hardware IDs.
How to check for Valorant hardware bans?
How can a buyer check a used Ryzen 7 5800X3D for an active Valorant ban before purchasing?
Buyers cannot independently check a processor’s ban status because Riot Games does not offer a public lookup tool for hardware IDs. The only practical protection is asking the seller directly before completing the transaction.
What options does a player have if Riot Support refuses to remove a hardware ban?
Riot Support will not manually remove restrictions tied to a flagged component, but hardware bans carry a strict four-month maximum duration from the date of the offense. Players can contact support to request the exact time remaining on the restriction.
Does a Vanguard hardware ban affect all games made by Riot Games?
Phillip Koskinas clarified that hardware ID bans apply exclusively to the specific game where the cheating behavior was originally detected, meaning other Riot titles remain accessible on unaffected system components.
Keep reading