Now the second-hand hardware market has really begun to enter an era where even memories can be turned into props.
Recently, a batch of very outrageous fake DDR5 SO-DIMM memory modules have begun to appear on Japanese second-hand platforms. The most exaggerated thing is that they look almost completely normal, but the memory chips inside are actually not real DRAM at all.
They are fake props, and they are also very technical.
It looks normal on the outside, but after cutting it open, it turns out it’s fake inside.
This incident was first disclosed by Japanese X user TAKI.
According to him, a friend bought a DDR5 SO-DIMM laptop memory that looked completely normal, but after taking apart one of the chips, he found that there was no real DRAM silicon chip inside.
TAKI even thought it was plastic at first, but later revised his statement and said the material was more like fiberglass board.
In other words, the outer memory package is actually just a fake shell.
The fakes even have the Samsung label
What’s even more troubling is that these fake DDR5 modules are not fake at first glance.
It even has a Samsung label on it and looks just like normal OEM memory.
But players later discovered that the PCB actually had many strange details, including:
- PCB
- PMIC
In addition, some players have found similar products on Yahoo Auctions and Mercari. This product may have begun to flow into the Japanese second-hand market.
It is easier to detect problems with laptop memory
TAKI also mentioned that the reason why it is easier to find this time is because the chips of SO-DIMM laptop memory are originally exposed, but many desktop DDR5 computers now have heat sinks. Once covered, it is actually more difficult for consumers to inspect the PCB and DRAM packages.
This also means that buying second-hand DDR5 is actually becoming more and more dangerous now. Especially products with unknown origins, too low prices, and unable to compare with the original PCB arrangement, you have to be especially careful now.
In fact, this is not the first time that DDR5 fakes have appeared
And this kind of incident is actually becoming more and more common recently.
There have been cases before where “DDR5 packaging actually contains DDR2”, and there have been cases where DDR4 was disguised as DDR5.
Corsair even adjusted some of the packaging methods of Vengeance DDR5 earlier this year in order to reduce the problem of “returns and exchanges” and counterfeit products.
In the past, people were afraid of mining cards when buying second-hand graphics cards, but now they may even start to worry about whether the RAM is hollow.