Gamers nexus 3 hour investigative video on GPUs rtx 4090 becomes rtx 4090 48gb

[AngleOff66]

I am linking to the part where they turn a 4090 24gb into a 4090 48gb.

I think I read that they got the funding for the movie that they want to do. Wonder if team green mgmnt is even aware or cares? 

And finally, if a shop like this can add that vram to a 4090, why do we have to pay such premiums?(Sarcasm) 

Edited 21 hours ago by AngleOff66

[kksnowbear]

They don't "magically" turn a 24G 4090 into a 48G 4090.  It says so in the video.  At 2:38, he says "Because Nvidia doesn't make a  48G 4090, the repair shop has to source it's own PCB". (see image below)

They're not adding VRAM to a 24G 4090.   A 24G 4090 doesn't have the electrical features needed to do this, so you couldn't turn a 24G card into a 48G card no matter what. 

He states "it's a custom board, just for this."  At that point, it's no longer a 24G 4090.  They simply use the GPU and other 'donor' components from the original card. 

The electronics work necessary to do this also is not magic.  Anyone with the right tools and training can do it.  I have some of this equipment and military training, and I regularly work with surface mount devices in my shop.  Yet I have zero interest in doing something like this, because there's no real market for it, considering the costs.

The video says a 48G card sells for $2800 US, and from that you have to subtract the cost of the donor card plus additional components (including the custom PCB), as well as labor and the tools/equipment they're using (and that equipment isn't cheap, I can promise you).  Even if it's worth it to the shop in the video, it's only because part of that is earned back/financed by their other operations.  Not worth it otherwise, simply because there's no sustainable market for a 4090 that costs $2800 just because it's got 48G - especially considering that 'standard' 24G 4090s are selling for record high prices right now anyway.  (To be clear, I've sold 4090s recently, but unlike the b@stards who 'scalp'...I sold units at/near MSRP).

Nvidia doesn't care because it's not even remotely a credible threat to any concern of theirs.  The costs involved don't balance against the market.

Edited 2 hours ago by kksnowbear