With the restrictions on graphics card exports to China, we saw factories specializing in RTX 4090 conversions, stripping the cards of their GPUs and memory chips and re-soldering them onto standardized PCBs on which double-slot blower heatsinks were mounted. The aim? To be used in servers powering artificial intelligence models.
While this is a fine example of adapting to sanctions, it also creates a problem. Indeed, it also produces waste: empty PCBs and unused heatsinks. As we’ve seen in China, crooks were selling these as functional boards when in fact they were not.
RTX 4090s without GPUs or VRAM on sale in the USA – the phenomenon is growing!
Unfortunately, this phenomenon is starting to spread, and several people in the USA have been duped. The cards were purchased on Facebook Marketplace and were stripped of GPUs and memory chips… They were obviously non-functional.
The first user went to an after-sales boutique offering a $200 buy-back, which he refused… Only to discover that his graphics card was missing vital components. Finally, Northridge Fix doesn’t hesitate to talk about the situation, revealing a photo of a swindler who resold one of these cards.
