GeCube Warns Against Counterfeit Graphics Cards

[btarunr]

You read it. There are elements in Asia using the GeCube brand name to sell counterfeit graphics cards based on the ATI Radeon HD 4000 series graphics processors. Large inventories of counterfeit GeCube graphics cards have reportedly made it to the market and threten to dilute GeCube's market position and its image as a reputed AMD add-in board partner.

GeCube has released a few guidelines to help consumers spot these counterfeits and report them to the authorities. In the picture below, GeCube points out distict features found on genuine GeCube graphics cards that consumers should inspect at the time of purchase. A list of GeCube graphics cards certified by AMD can be found here. The press statement GeCube issued can be read here.



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[eidairaman1]

no wonder they have been rated poorly on performance and reliability, im surprised they dont get this stuff handled quicker.

 

[From_Nowhere]

Are these counterfeit cards real working cards as well?

 

[FreedomEclipse]

how the hell did counterfiters manage to steal schematics & blue prints to make these?? not to mention the pcb that the gpu is on before they install all the resistors n other stuff???

sounds like an inside job to me......

 

[Rebo&Zooty]

dosnt need to be, if its made in china, somebody could just walk in, copy the plans, findout whos making the pcb's for gecubes cards, and buy some, ati sell them the gpu and they stick cheap ass parts ont he card to save cost, who cares about fail rate when you cant track down who really made it?

 

[btarunr]

What puzzles me the most is, doesn't surely AMD keeps a track of who it's selling GPUs to, why didn't they zero in on the clowns already?

 

[Rebo&Zooty]

because amd didnt care, probbly where chips sold to XX company in bulk then resold to other companys, more common then you may think.

U want funny tho, back in the day some of the counterfit cards where BETTER then the legit ones, mostly because dispite the caps being CHEAP they where better then the counterfits the namebrand companys got ahold of.

 

[Baum]

i've seen some china retailer for BGA GPU's in trays and they could supply 200+ units, that means getting the gpu might be easy, (Onboard Laptop GPU ;-P ) but for the PCB it looks like they've done it on their own right? as the size doesn't match orig. cards....

i would like to get one of those as a diy kit maybe with some SMD already in place but it would be fun to use your own caps and resistors to build one.
;-P good for Modding it may be with RGB out? for my htpc

 

[DrPepper]

Instead of making counterfeit ones why not make your own brand one's and make more money

 

[kenkickr]

What puzzles me the most is, doesn't surely AMD keeps a track of who it's selling GPUs to, why didn't they zero in on the clowns already?

I would say if they are getting money their really not gonna care, they need as much as they can get.

 

[TheMailMan78]

Ok I see a bigger difference in the cards than a tracking sticker. Did anyone notice the missing brace for the heat sink on the counterfeit version?

What puzzles me the most is, doesn't surely AMD keeps a track of who it's selling GPUs to, why didn't they zero in on the clowns already?

The same reason they cant catch counterfeit iPhone makers and such. China authorities couldn't care less. It wasn't until people got lead sickness before they stopped using lead paint. I work in the apparel industry and I can tell you from working with customs they NEED more regulation. I think its awesome they have been able to grow like they have. Its just they need to be more careful and follow the "rules" a little better. We all do for that matter

 

[Rebo&Zooty]

Ok I see a bigger difference in the cards than a tracking sticker. Did anyone notice the missing brace for the heat sink on the counterfeit version?

The same reason they cant catch counterfeit iPhone makers and such. China authorities couldn't care less. It wasn't until people got lead sickness before they stopped using lead paint. I work in the apparel industry and I can tell you from working with customs they NEED more regulation. I think its awesome they have been able to grow like they have. Its just they need to be more careful and follow the "rules" a little better. We all do for that matter

had anybody get sick/a rash from cloths treated with formaldehyde yet?

seen that happen plenty of times with cloths from china, they treat it so that if it gets wet in the shiping container it wont mold.......

 

[btarunr]

Ok I see a bigger difference in the cards than a tracking sticker. Did anyone notice the missing brace for the heat sink on the counterfeit version?

We all know they aren't the same cards. What GeCube is getting at is what stickers and labels and distinct brand-marks you should be looking for.

 

[Delta6326]

wait I'm confused so could my 4850 be counterfeit because i have been having some troubles with it, it cant even keep track of its rpm's but its a http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16814102802 and i don't think the one i have has back brace or anything on it's backside


Edit: Never mind Gecube is a company so my sapphire can not be a counterfeit my mistake

 

[TheMailMan78]

We all know they aren't the same cards. What GeCube is getting at is what stickers and labels and distinct brand-marks you should be looking for.

I know man but stickers I wouldn't think would be a big deal to copy. However adding a brace might be. They should mention that too don't ya think? I'm just thinking of all the non-TPU members out there.

 

[FreedomEclipse]

Instead of making counterfeit ones why not make your own brand one's and make more money

in a market thats already 'spoilt for choice' with the likes of Sapphire, HIS, Gainward. POV, Zotac, Asus, BFG, EVGA, PNY, Powercolour & Gigabyte???

sounds like you got your future planned. buy me a house when u can afford it.

 

[TheMailMan78]

in a market thats already 'spoilt for choice' with the likes of Sapphire, HIS, Gainward. POV, Zotac, Asus, BFG, EVGA, PNY, Powercolour & Gigabyte???

sounds like you got your future planned. buy me a house when u can afford it.

You left out MSI and Visiontek

 

[FreedomEclipse]

You left out MSI and Visiontek

you get my point....

On top of that. think of all the overhead costs. all the additional eletronic crap like, mem chips, transistors & mem chips. - even after all that you still need a box to put it in so u can sell it reguardless if the box is just a bank cardboard one or one thats doll'd up like the rest of the other brands. plan to market your product?? - more costs. to stand making any profit at all you'l need to hire personnel & floor space with the usual water, electricity & gas bills.

there is such things as building small business from your bedroom but this aint one of them.

 

[insider]

High tech computer components is the last thing I would have expected to be counterfeited!!!

Counterfeits are mostly/all funded by organised criminals, mobs/mafia/triads etc who are involved in all sorts of illegal trade like drugs and human trafficking, AMD must put heavy pressure on all their partners to stop this!

 

[Non]

The card in the picture above is HD4650 Palit design and rebranded as Gecube...so it's an actual working card..

 

[FreedomEclipse]

High tech computer components is the last thing I would have expected to be counterfeited!!!

hardly - they've been doing this for years. back in 2002 (or 03) while on a trip back to Hong Kong i saw a playstation knockoff called 'Polystation' I think it still played play station games though.

All major handheld consoles that run on cartridges - mainly the Nintendo Gameboy & supposedly DS can have the data inside the cartridges copied to another & sold on. but of course this is on a lower level compared to replicating a working graphics card....

 

[andhi_sg]

The Counterfeit version is from Indonesia distributor if i see the warranty sticker in there.

 

[cdawall]

i want some of the fakes just to test out and compare

 

[DrPepper]

in a market thats already 'spoilt for choice' with the likes of Sapphire, HIS, Gainward. POV, Zotac, Asus, BFG, EVGA, PNY, Powercolour & Gigabyte???

sounds like you got your future planned. buy me a house when u can afford it.

you get my point....

On top of that. think of all the overhead costs. all the additional eletronic crap like, mem chips, transistors & mem chips. - even after all that you still need a box to put it in so u can sell it reguardless if the box is just a bank cardboard one or one thats doll'd up like the rest of the other brands. plan to market your product?? - more costs. to stand making any profit at all you'l need to hire personnel & floor space with the usual water, electricity & gas bills.

there is such things as building small business from your bedroom but this aint one of them.

I didn't say I was going to do that I was saying that if they have the capability to make cheap gpu's why not just make a real company that sells them much cheaper than the others.

 

[FreedomEclipse]

I didn't say I was going to do that I was saying that if they have the capability to make cheap gpu's why not just make a real company that sells them much cheaper than the others.

because 'cheap' doesnt always mean that its 'good'

how often have you bought counterfeit goods only to have them fall apart as soon as you get home??

counterfeiters arent gonna use expensive tech to build the cards - its all about making a profit. no matter how cheap it is - Id rather buy a brand that i know & trust over a brand that has just suddenly appeard on the market offering stupidly cheaper components.

I dunno how they manage to obtain half the stuff they used to build the card anyway