Got my supposedly brand new Crucial RAM sticks today. Bought on Amazon from one of their 3rd party SUPPLIERS. The sticks were not in original retail packaging which concerned me but I figured they bought in bulk and repackaged. Then I looked carefully at the contacts and I could easily see SCRATCHES which looked very much like these sticks have been installed. Then I wondered if perhaps the sticks were installed in a test rig at the factory for quality control purposes. Amazon is going to take the sticks back and supply me directly with replacements which they assure me are brand new genuine Crucial sticks. Question: Should I be able to see installation scratches on a brand new RAM stick?Pieces of RAM are randomly selected for testing beyond the normal automated tests (which can test only the electrical properties). In order to perform a thorough test it is placed into a SYSTEM and real-life tests are performed. That RAM is still considered to be new and put back in with the rest. Of course there's no GUARANTEE that this is what happened to your specific examples, so you may or may not have new pieces.
Quote from: Salmon Trout on April 23, 2014, 03:46:33 PM

Pieces of RAM are randomly selected for testing beyond the normal automated tests (which can test only the electrical properties). In order to perform a thorough test it is placed into a system and real-life tests are performed. That RAM is still considered to be new and put back in with the rest. Of course there's no guarantee that this is what happened to your specific examples, so you may or may not have new pieces.