Leaked Video Exposes Chinese Factories Dismantling Thousands of RTX 5090s to Build AI Servers
6 Sources
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Leaked video exposes how industrial-scale Chinese factories are dismantling RTX 5090s by the thousands to fuel AI servers -- GPU die and memory desoldered and transplanted to blower designs; custom cards to Nvidia Founders Editions on the chopping block
If you are wondering why the GeForce RTX 5090, despite being one of the best graphics cards, has evaporated from retail shelves, the answer lies in China's industrial conversion factories. A newly surfaced video reveals the staggering scale of the country's grey-market AI operations, showing
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Leaked Video Shows China Taking Apart Thousands of RTX 5090s and Turning Them Into Zombie AI Servers
The rise of AI has caused the price of PC components to skyrocket, infuriating anybody looking to make a new purchase or upgrade their gear. Graphics cards have become such a hot commodity that they've become completely unaffordable -- and higher-end one's, like Nvidia's sought-after RTX 5090, are
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Leaked video shows hundreds, possibly thousands of brand-new RTX 5090s being dismantled for AI server usage in Chinese factory
Consumer RTX 5090 stock in the US (and many other countries) seems to be virtually non-existent at the moment, despite Nvidia's claims that production is still ongoing. So, what's happening to all those brand new consumer cards? A leaked video reportedly taken from inside a Chinese factory may
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HKEPC Footage Shows RTX 5090 Cards Being Rebuilt for AI Systems in China
Footage shared by Hong Kong hardware outlet HKEPC appears to show GeForce RTX 5090 cards being dismantled at Chinese workshops, with GPU dies and memory chips removed for use on custom accelerator boards. The cards shown include retail products from multiple vendors, according to reporting that
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Leaked footage shows Chinese factories stripping hundreds of RTX 5090s for AI use
Footage shows Chinese factories removing GB202 chips and GDDR7 memory from hundreds of NVIDIA RTX 5090 cards to build dual-slot GPUs for AI servers. We already know just how much of a troublemaker the RTX 5090 has been lately. Prices have skyrocketed on NVIDIA's flagship, and rumors say retailers
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The RTX 5090 Isn't Gone, It's In Chinese Labs, Where Technicians Rip Off Its Die And 32GB VRAM For AI Servers
If you thought the RTX 5090 was really discontinued, then you need to see what's going on in these Chinese labs. Huge Inventory of RTX 5090 GPUs Appear in a Chinese Factory, Where Technicians Remove Their GPU Chip and VRAM to Deploy on Custom Boards This isn't new. We have already seen a huge
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Leaked footage reveals industrial-scale Chinese factories systematically dismantling hundreds of brand-new RTX 5090 graphics cards, desoldering GB202 silicon and GDDR7 memory chips to transplant them onto custom blower designs for AI server racks. The grey-market operation helps explain why Nvidia's flagship GPU has vanished from retail shelves while prices soar past $8,500.
Industrial-Scale Operations Convert Consumer GPUs for AI Infrastructure
A leaked video has exposed the staggering scale of grey-market operations in Chinese factories, where workers systematically dismantle brand-new RTX 5090 graphics cards by the hundreds—possibly thousands—to repurpose them for AI servers
1
. The footage, shared by Hong Kong hardware outlet HKEPC, reveals skilled technicians meticulously desoldering the GB202 silicon and GDDR7 memory chips from consumer cards, then transplanting these components onto custom PCBs with dual-slot blower designs tailored for high-density AI compute clusters3
. These industrial-scale Chinese factories process shipments that include both Nvidia's custom partner models and the highly coveted Founders Edition cards1
.
Source: Guru3D
The conversion process operates at remarkable efficiency. After dismantling RTX 5090s and removing their three-fan coolers and heatsinks, workers stack the PCBs for conversion to server-suitable form factors
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. Once converted, these modified cards undergo testing on vast arrays of benchmarking rigs before being repackaged and shipped to clients—likely data centers or AI labs1
. These grey market facilities are scattered throughout China, operating at full speed to meet AI hardware demand1
.Why RTX 5090s Are Being Repurposed for AI Servers
The RTX 5090 has become a prime target for conversion because it offers substantial compute power and 32GB of VRAM at a fraction of the cost of tightly restricted enterprise accelerators
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. Companies would rather purchase consumer GPUs for AI workloads than invest in $16,000 RTX PRO 6000 workstation cards5
. The converted cards meet the high-density arrangement requirements of AI server chassis, with each card occupying less space than a consumer-grade version2
. Modified versions fetch roughly $8,500 to nearly $10,000 on secondary and regional markets, making the grey market highly lucrative since cards sold to AI labs command far more than those sold to gamers5
.
Source: Futurism
The RTX 5090 is subject to US export restrictions affecting China, yet reports indicate substantial quantities still reach the region
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. Nvidia has offered a lower-performance RTX 5090D variant for the Chinese market, but the full RTX 5090 remains restricted4
. Middlemen in these grey-market supply chains constantly hunt for RTX 5090 stock globally to fuel these operations, suggesting buyers are sourcing cards in bulk and converting them locally1
5
.Related Stories
GPU Shortage Devastates Gaming Market as Prices Soar
The combination of aggressive grey-market recycling and redirected supply has nearly wiped out RTX 5090 stock from US retailers
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. Custom RTX 5090 graphics cards now start at an eye-watering $8,500, with some off-the-shelf versions costing well past $10,000—multiples higher than the official MSRP of $1,9991
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. Even Nvidia's own online marketplace doesn't currently list the card2
.Nvidia has reportedly halted RTX 5090 production and is redirecting the valuable silicon to higher-margin professional GPUs like the RTX Pro 6000 Blackwell
1
5
. While Nvidia has maintained that the RTX 5090 is "alive" and that production hasn't ceased, senior vice president Jeff Fisher acknowledged the card faces supply-chain constraints2
. Consumer RTX 5090 stock in the US and many other countries appears virtually non-existent3
.
Source: PC Gamer
A new workaround has emerged to sidestep inflated prices: prebuilt gaming systems. Sometimes these RTX 5090 prebuilts cost less than a standalone RTX 5090, while offering a fully assembled system with a manufacturer's warranty
1
. In today's chaotic market, prebuilt systems often deliver better value than standalone gaming GPUs1
. The losers are PC builders and gamers, who are left to scrounge for years-old components that aren't powerful enough to be caught up in the AI gold rush2
. As more high-end hardware gets cannibalized into server equipment, building a top-tier gaming rig keeps getting more expensive5
.References
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