Be aware - careful when buying a used RTX4090

[LucShep]

There's the old saying "If something looks too good to be true, it most certainly is".  And it often applies to used GPUs.

This happens for years now, IIRC it goes back to when used 2080Ti crazy deals with tempting prices appeared (maybe even before that).
Also with AMD RX6000 and Nvidia RTX30 series, during the GPU mining boom era.
But, it seems, never at this scale.

Now with the AI market explosion, especially in the far East region of the globe, and the plethora of RTX4090 models being overused by those in that business, there are some clever scammers taking advantage of naive people who are (still) desperate to get them.

There are two ways these people are working:

1.  They reuse the board and cooler from a RTX4090, and swap the core and memory chips taken from something else that can fit in it.
   Even laser printing the model code in those parts, to make it appear as if it was the real thing (but it's not, they're fake parts!). 
   And then resell them as any normal RTX4090 (cheaper than others, but not cheap!), either as fully working or just needing a minor repair.....
    
2. This one is technically not a scam but, still....
   They sell the board and cooler from a RTX4090, without the core and memory chips. With that info not imediately visible in the page details.
   Unaware buyers run to make the offer, skipping the details (not reading it), thinking they're getting a fully working RTX4090 at a really low price.....

Either way, there's no way to know unless you dismount the whole thing. (then already too late!)

Be aware.
 

 

Edited April 3 by LucShep
added videos

[LucShep]

With the "AI fake frames" discussion so prevalent with upcoming RTX5000 series, the RTX4090 will still be relevant and hold its own value. 

People looking into a RTX4090 from the second hand market (and why shouldn't you, it's a fantastic GPU) really need to be extra careful.

This stuff is still happening, and more than ever, it seems...
 

 

Edited January 12 by LucShep

[The_Nephilim]

hey guys another trend I seen on fleabay was they are selling "PICS" of 4090 and state that in the description and making hundreds of dollars in Bids..

 

So People are paying near $1000 for a "Picture" of a 4090 BUYER BEWARE..

[Dogmanbird]

the pic thing was initially to try and make things harder for the scalpers / bots etc 

[kksnowbear]

Stupid.  Stupid, stupid, stupid.

All this is incredibly easy to avoid:  Deal with reputable people who offer decent, clean, professionally tested stuff at a fair price, who back it up, and who have a demonstrable, verifiable history of taking care of their clients.  Simple.

Yes, I am planning to sell a 4090.  No, not because I am buying *anything* in the 50 series.  Yes, I can provide references.

[Dragon1-1]

Or at the very least, actually read the description of what's being sold. In countries with functional customer protection, at least, if the seller ships something different than what he said he's selling, you can get your money back, especially when going through a platform of some sort. However, if you buy something that's openly stated to be a picture, spare cooler or whatever, you've got no one to blame but yourself. Turns out that reading, especially when paired with comprehension, is a useful skill to have. It's perfectly possible to get a good deal with some random gamer who is simply upgrading to the 50 series, but it requires some due diligence.

I wouldn't mind if it was only scalper bots getting caught on this sort of thing, but the picture scam, at least, has a long history, maybe as long as online auction services. I remember that story being told about cars at one point long ago. It seems that every time there's something expensive that's in high demand, that sort of people come out of the woodwork.

[LucShep]