High-tech devices are the unplowed field for scammers and hobbyists to create fakes. And the more expensive the device is, the greater the joy craftsmen experience creating copies. A case in point is a Chinese iPhone, remember it, don’t you?
But in this article, we will talk about video cards, which, just like other high-tech devices, usually come with a rather high price tag attached and can be fake. Why, there are plenty of online shops, such as Joom, Ali and many others which are happy to sell these things to trusting customers. That’s why we recommend you buy only from trustworthy sellers, for example, here https://www.bestadvisor.com/best-graphics-cards, and keep in mind the key features that distinguish an original product from a fake one.
Signs of a Fake Video Card
Of course, if you are an experienced PC user, you will not have problems distinguishing a real card from a fake one. Various programs will not only show the wrong name, but other characteristics will not coincide with the real video card:
- there may be connectors on the card that real cards cannot have
- fake video memory will show itself in demanding games – they simply won’t start or will crash with an error
However, the very first “symptom” of the fact that the video card is fake is the following:
- Image distortion on the monitor;
- Changed screen resolution;
- Various twitches and other image distortions.
How to Verify the Authenticity of a Video Card
First of all, you need to install the latest drivers for it from the manufacturer’s official website. If the card is not fake, but the above unpleasant moments have a place to be, you need to disassemble the video card, clean it from dust and grease the chip with thermal grease.
If after this procedure the result has not changed, it is necessary to warm up the processor of the video card – there is a possibility that it has moved away from the board.
How to Detect a Fake Video Card Before Buying It
The simplest, but at the same time effective way to detect counterfeit video cards is the GPU-Z utility – it is able to determine the fake of almost all video cards.
You can use the GPU-Z directly in the store – if you have any doubts you need to run this utility. Yes, you will have to take the system unit with you, but it’s better to do an additional check once in this way than try to return the money for a fake. You will not get the money back, otherwise the meaning of such fraud is lost by itself.
Thus, the problem of how to verify the authenticity of a video card is solved by itself. We kindly urge you to be careful when buying any expensive devices and be sure to check the correctness of their work before buying. Feel free to ask the seller to show documents on the device, and carefully read the terms of return, warranty, delivery, and payment.
