Iskandar Souza (Brazilian YouTuber) and Paulo Gomes (computer tech expert) found that Chinese video card sellers are not always truthful when they claim that their graphics accelerators have “completely new” capabilities. “.
After the collapse in video card mining, miners began to search for efficient and profitable ways to sell their accumulated graphics accelerators. If some sellers sell used video cards from mining at substantial discounts and show that they were actually used in mining, then other miners began passing them off as new graphics accelerators in an attempt to win the maximum jackpot.
Paulo Gomez explained how to identify a card that was most likely in a mining system by looking at the initial signs. Most commonly, stickers are found missing from video cards. These stickers are placed by the manufacturer on cooling system mounts. If no stickers are found, it is likely that the card has been removed from its mounts. Sometimes, however, even with a visual inspection of the card, it can look like new. Experts say that most of these video cards look brand new and are custom-prepared.
When subject to significant loads, both the graphics processor and memory chip can alter their colors and darken. The inscriptions found on the same memory chip become less easily readable and distinguishable. Even if the GPU is not affected, miners can repaint memory chips from used video cards. They also lighten the chip markings to make them look newer.
If the miner did nothing to paint the memory chips, you need to pay close attention. A yellowish tint could indicate a chip that has been resoldering (possibly from another card) or extended heat exposure during mining. Even if the card appears new from the outside, the yellowish tint immediately indicates that it’s not. Paolo provided many examples of how GPUs look after being mined.
These memory chips can show different degrees or degradation.
An identical investigation was done by the TecLab YouTube Channel a year ago. The case of a Brazilian company selling video cards that were used in mining was then investigated. The epoxy glue used to hold the graphics processor on the substrate was yellowish-dark for accelerators that were in mining. The GPU substrate had the exact same color. Other vendors implemented new video cards and the graphics chip was lighter. Iskandar Souza & Paolo Gomez quickly realized that Chinese graphics cards could have been already mined and sold to unsuspecting customers under the guise “new”.