A new risk has been added to the things to consider when buying a used processor. A gamer living in Germany discovered that he was banned from Valorant with the AMD Ryzen 7 5800X3D processor he purchased.

This situation, shared on Reddit, shows how bans applied via hardware ID numbers affect new owners. The user stated that although he could run his computer without any problems, he was kicked out of the system as soon as he entered the game.

Hardware Ban and Vanguard System

The player contacted the Riot Games support team to resolve the issue. As a result of the investigations, it was that revealed the processor, purchased on September 21, 2026, was blacklisted by Vanguard on August 12, 2026.

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This situation means that the processor’s previous owner cheated in Valorant, and therefore the hardware was banned. The Vanguard system uses hardware IDs to detect cheating users, and this ban is applied to the processor.

Riot Games stated that the ban applied to the processor in question will last for four months. However, it is known that anti-cheat software in other games uses similar hardware ID systems to apply permanent bans.

Unknown Risks in the Secondhand Market

When buying secondhand hardware, there is no way to check whether the item has been banned by any anti-cheat software in the past. It does not seem technically possible to verify that the hardware is clean before purchasing.

Users encountering this type of situation have to contact game developers to find out why their hardware is banned. However, developers don’t always share this detailed information.

Hardware bans aren’t limited to processors; they can also apply to motherboards or other components. This makes it difficult to conduct safe transactions in the second-hand market.

Anti-cheat systems, especially those used in popular competitive games, enforce very strict rules to prevent cheaters. These rules can disadvantage new users when hardware is sold second-hand.

Hardware ID bans often focus on the main components of the system, and the ban continues unless these components are replaced. Replacing the processor or motherboard can sometimes help lift the ban.

However, as seen in this case, a processor-related ban directly affects the new user’s gaming experience. Players need to consider these kinds of risks when buying second-hand components.

What precautions do you think can be taken to protect against these types of bans when buying second-hand hardware?