{"id":21181,"date":"2026-10-12T12:07:48","date_gmt":"2026-10-12T12:07:48","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/news.theck1.no\/?p=21181"},"modified":"2026-10-12T12:07:48","modified_gmt":"2026-10-12T12:07:48","slug":"buyer-pays-350-for-broken-rtx-4090-project-only-to-find-realistic-fake-gpu-die-and-swapped-memory-russian-repair-specialist-reveals-sophisticated-new-cam-using-dummy-pcbs","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/news.theck1.no\/?p=21181","title":{"rendered":"Buyer pays $350 for broken RTX 4090 project only to find realistic fake GPU die and swapped memory \u2014 Russian repair specialist reveals sophisticated new cam using dummy PCBs"},"content":{"rendered":"

AI-rewritten:<\/strong> This is a summary of an article from Tom’s Hardware, rewritten by AI (Qwen, running locally) to make it easier to read. The facts come from the original article – read it for the full story.<\/p>\n

Tom’s Hardware • Kunal Khullar • October 12, 2026<\/strong><\/div>\n\n

A Russian repair specialist named VIK-off discovered a sophisticated scam involving a counterfeit RTX 4090 graphics card purchased for 30,000 Rubles, or approximately $350. The buyer intended to use the bare printed circuit board (PCB) as a project, but the card contained dummy components designed to look realistic. VIK-off noted that while previous scams existed, this case was unique due to the high effort put into replicating details like labeling, chip markings, and the compound surrounding the processor. The fake GPU die was soldered onto the board using a ball grid array (BGA), a technique where tiny metal balls connect the chip to the circuit board, making it appear originally manufactured.<\/p>\n

<\/p>\n

Despite these convincing features, inconsistencies revealed the fraud during inspection. VIK-off observed differences in substrate color, surface reflections, and lettering. Upon removing the fake package, the contact area did not resemble a functional processor, and the solder mask deteriorated during cleaning. The memory chips also appeared genuine initially but were actually GDDR6 rather than the required GDDR6X chips found on real RTX 4090s. VIK-off suspects the PCB design might be based on an RTX 3090 Ti, though no conclusive proof exists yet.<\/p>\n

This is not the first time such a scam has occurred. In June, Chinese hardware shop owner Brother Zhang found a broken RTX 4090 bought for around $222 that featured a plastic imitation of Nvidia’s AD102 GPU die instead of real silicon. The card also bore a "TW 3043E2" marking suggesting it was manufactured in the year 2030. Experts warn that used high-end graphics cards, especially those sold as repairable or untested, carry significant risks. Buyers should request proof of functionality and test the hardware before paying, as convincing markings do not guarantee genuine components inside.<\/p>\n

\n

Source:<\/strong> Tom’s Hardware • Kunal Khullar • October 12, 2026<\/p>\n

Read the original article at Tom’s Hardware →<\/a><\/p>\n<\/div>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

AI-rewritten: This is a summary of an article from Tom’s Hardware, rewritten by AI (Qwen, running locally) to make it easier to read. The facts come from the original article – read it for the full story. Tom’s Hardware • Kunal Khullar • October 12, 2026 A Russian repair specialist named VIK-off discovered a sophisticated<\/p>\n

READ MORE<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[7],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-21181","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-it-hardware"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/news.theck1.no\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/21181","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/news.theck1.no\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/news.theck1.no\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/news.theck1.no\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/news.theck1.no\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=21181"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/news.theck1.no\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/21181\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/news.theck1.no\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=21181"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/news.theck1.no\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=21181"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/news.theck1.no\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=21181"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}