Fake Nvidia Graphics Card - Amazon Scam Warning GTX 1050 GPU & How to Tell
297In this video I give an account of a recent fake Nvidia graphics card that I unwittingly bought from Amazon. The graphics card in question was what I thought to be an Nvidia GTX 1050.
The Nvidia GPU come in a box that was for an older Nvidia graphics card and an install disc that had Windows Vista drivers as its most recent. While these two discrepancies rung some alarm bells, I was prepared to accept that the GPU had simply been incorrectly packaged.
After installing the latest Nvidia driver, the GPU didn't load but instead remained in the basic Windows resolution. This is when I first seriously started thinking that I'd been subject to an Amazon scam.
After trying a number of older Nvidia GTX 1050 drivers directly from the Nvidia driver site and their archive driver section, I eventually stumbled on a set that worked.
Now here is how I found the card was definitely a fake and scam. While this process may not work for other fraudulent graphics cards and GPUs, it is one possible solution for trying to work out if a GPU is fake and may hopefully help others to check if they've also been subject to a scam and ended up with a graphics card that is fake and a fraudulent transaction.
In the Nvidia control panel I simply ran the system information option and it reported that although my card was recognised as a GTX 1050, it only had 192 Cuda cores, which was proof enough that it was a fake, there where also other specifications that confirmed I'd been scammed.
Like I said, this may not work for other instances of possible fake cards, but if you feel that you've also been subject to a scam and received a fake graphics card from an Amazon or eBay seller then it may well be worth checking using this method.
The problem with my GPU is that the scammer has reprogrammed or flashed the bios and/or firmware on the GPU to make it look like something that it isn't. I'd imagine that this is how most of these fake graphics cards are done.
My big issue with all this is that while I was aware that this type of stuff happens on eBay and other places, it's the first time that I've experienced or heard of it on Amazon. This is very worrying as I've gradually used eBay less because of similar issues and bought more from Amazon due it being safer, until now.
Anyway, here is the second of my emails to the Amazon seller who sold me the card, if I have any issues whatsoever getting a refund I will report back with another video.
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Hi
Thank you for the quick reply. Unfortunately, on further inspection, I've now found the reason for all the problems, this graphics card is a scam. I'm not saying that your Amazon shop is a scam, but the people who supply your cards are supplying you fraudulent and fake cards.
The card that you supplied is not a GTX 1050. The card is a much older Nvidia card that has had its bios/firmware altered so that it identifies itself as a GTX 1050 on the system it's connected to.
I found an old driver pack that worked with the card. Once installed I used the Nvidia software to show me the card's configuration. The Nvidia software reported the card as being a GTX 1050 but with only 192 cuda cores and not the 640 cuda cores that all GTX 1050s have. Which was the first indicator that this card was fraudulent.
Other aspects of the card are also totally wrong, GPU clock speeds, memory bandwidth, memory clock speeds etc.
I will be making a video for my YouTube channel to warn others that these cards exist. After I've uploaded the video I'll also be using it to show Amazon along with a complaint about Amazon's UK store being used to scam buyers into buying fraudulent Nvidia graphics cards.
I will also have to leave an appropriate warning in my Amazon review for this card for past and present purchasers. While I appreciate that your Amazon store may not have knowingly been selling fraudulent Nvidia graphics cards, I'm sure you'll understand that I'll have to leave an appropriate response that describes this issue on your seller feedback. This will be to make other purchasers, past and present, aware of this potential issue.
How do I go about getting a refund for this item as I'm unsure of the procedure as this wasn't a Prime purchase. Also, I sincerely hope that I'm not expected to pay for the return postage costs.
Sincerely,
David Harry.
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Here's a link to the card that I bought on Amazon. DO NOT BUY THIS CARD, THIS LINK IS ONLY HERE FOR INFORMATIONAL PURPOSES ONLY. I WILL RECEIVE A COMMISSION FOR ANYTHING BOUGHT ON AMAZON WHEN USING MY LINKS.
https://amzn.to/2Rg3gKq
I hope this video has been of help and hopefully helps others to avoid the issue of buying a fake graphics card from Amazon.
Thank you very much for watching this video, take care and goodbye now.
Cheers,
Dave.
http://www.DavidHarry.com
YouTube@DavidHarry.com