Externally, the card looked like a new Palit RTX 4090: no scratches or signs of forgery. However, when it was disassembled, it turned out that inside was the GA102 chip from the RTX 3090, not the AD102 that should be in the 4090. Scammers erased the old markings on the chip and engraved new ones to make it look genuine.
Even the arrangement of small components around the chip matched the RTX 3090, not the 4090. The memory also appeared suspicious—with no labeling and most likely non-functional.
This isn’t the first case: old chips are easily fitted onto the boards of new models because they are similar in size and connections. The buyer paid but ended up with a useless piece of hardware. Experts advise checking video cards before purchasing, especially if the price seems too good to be true. Installing Nvidia drivers is a simple way to find out what’s inside.
