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

What happened

A customer paid approximately $350 for what appeared to be a repairable RTX 4090, only to receive a fake GPU (a chip built for many calculations at once, used for graphics and AI) with components that were painstakingly designed to resemble the real thing. However, upon close inspection, it was revealed that the board was fitted with dummy components.

According to VIK-off (h/t VideoCardz ), the Russian repair specialist received the GPU from a customer who purchased the card as a bare printed circuit board (PCB). A GPU repair specialist has uncovered another GPU scam involving a counterfeit RTX 4090 , with a fake GPU die and memory chips designed to resemble genuine components.

The graphics card was purchased for 30,000 Rubles, or approximately $350, as a potential repair project. Since the original cooling system was missing, it was difficult to verify whether it actually worked before the purchase was made.