Beware of 'surprisingly cheap' RTX 4090 graphics cards

Nvidia's high-end RTX 4090 graphics card has just fallen victim to counterfeiters.

According to TechSpot , a case of counterfeiting high-end RTX 4090 graphics cards has just been exposed on Chinese social networks, showing the alarming level of sophistication of scammers. The fake Palit RTX 4090 card looks real, but inside is hidden an older RTX 3090 GPU, and is sold for only about 530 USD (13.5 million VND) - a clear warning sign that buyers have ignored.

RTX 4090 graphics card falls victim to counterfeiting scam

PHOTO: TECHSPOT SCREENSHOT

RTX 4090's Unusually Low Price and the Sophistication of Thieves

According to a video shared on the Bilibili platform, a user unboxed and then 'dissected' the newly purchased Palit RTX 4090 graphics card. From the outside, the card looked perfect as if it had just left the factory, with no signs of tampering.

However, when removing the cooling system for a closer inspection, the harsh truth was revealed. Instead of using the AD102 GPU, this card is equipped with the GA102 GPU, which is the chip used in the previous graphics cards such as RTX 3090 Ti, RTX 3090 and RTX 3080 Ti. This swap is possible in part because the two GPUs have similar sizes and are compatible in terms of pins.

Fake GPUs are cleverly swapped inside 'fake' RTX 4090 cards

PHOTO: SCREENSHOT X

The most obvious and overlooked sign is the low price tag. Buyers will have to pay just 3,800 yuan (about $530), which is a huge discount compared to the thousands of dollars a genuine RTX 4090 can cost on the market, especially when the card is still in high demand.

What is alarming is that the counterfeiting methods are becoming more and more sophisticated. The fraudsters not only swap the GPU but also try to professionally hide their actions. The surface of the GA102 chip has been polished to remove the original symbols, then laser-engraved with the exact same parameters and codes as a real AD102 chip.

It wasn’t until hardware experts got involved that other anomalies were pointed out: the placement of a capacitor next to the GPU was off the AD102 standard, the arrangement of the surrounding multi-layer ceramic capacitors (MLCCs) was similar to the RTX 3090 standard, and the memory chips on the board lacked the necessary labeling. These are details that are difficult for the average user to detect.

Typically, counterfeit cards can be spotted by poor performance or an inability to install Nvidia drivers, but this fake RTX 4090 won't even boot, making software testing useless.

This is not an isolated incident. The market has seen many cases of counterfeit graphics cards using patched components, often referred to as 'Frankenstein' cards. Last year, a fake Asus TUF RTX 4090 with a GA102 GPU was discovered. There have even been cases of empty RTX 4090 cards being sold or cards using lower-end GPUs with defective components.

Source: https://thanhnien.vn/canh-giac-voi-card-do-hoa-rtx-4090-gia-re-bat-ngo-185250327215424675.htm