Repair channel buys ASUS RTX 4090 for $222 and finds plastic die with fake NVIDIA markings

RTX 4090 scams on Chinese second-hand markets are nothing new, but a repair channel on Bilibili has uncovered one that is a little too "plastic." Chinese repair channel Brother Zhang purchased a broken ASUS GeForce RTX 4090 for 1,500 RMB and tore it down to discover, unlike some previous scams using older GPU dies, this one used a piece of plastic made to resemble the GPU core.

The graphics card carried markings meant to resemble an NVIDIA AD102-300-A1 GPU, and it looks real for the most part, unless you start tearing it apart. UNIKO's Hardware on X noted that the markings did not follow NVIDIA's actual nomenclature, and the date code on the die suggested the chip was manufactured in 2030, which is obviously impossible for a retail RTX 4090. The substrate also lacked the usual QR code in the bottom-left corner, and the surrounding capacitors were in the wrong positions compared to a real AD102 layout.

When Brother Zhang physically touched the die and cleaned off the thermal paste, the difference in texture was immediately apparent. What looked like a GPU was a plastic piece with fake markings etched onto the surface. There was no silicon underneath at all, meaning the card had zero functional compute capability and could not even output a display signal.

The memory packages on the PCB were equally useless. They were scrap chips placed on the board purely to make the card look complete. None of the GDDR6X memory was real or functional. Previous RTX 4090 scams have involved cards with no GPU at all, or modified RTX 3080, 3080 Ti, or 3090 silicon with laser-engraved markings to pass them off as newer chips. This approach does not even use repurposed semiconductor material.

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That being said, the 1,500 RMB (around $222) price tag is the biggest warning sign for anyone about to fall for this scam, as RTX 4090 cards still sell for well above their $1,500 MSRP. While second-hand marketplaces without return policies or working tests have always carried risks, we'd advise buyers to stay cautious even with official retailers, as there have been user reports of GPU boxes arriving with nothing but rocks or other filler items inside.