New RTX 5090 cards are getting harder to find, and a video circulating in recent days offers part of the explanation. According to Tom’s Hardware, reporting on October 24, 2026, Chinese workshops are dismantling these graphics cards on a large scale to reuse the chip and memory in cards built for AI servers. The video’s authenticity and the scale of the practice have not been independently verified.
RTX 5090: what the video shows
The footage shows technicians desoldering the GB202 chip and GDDR7 memory from brand-new RTX 5090 cards, then transplanting them onto a server-style board fitted with a dual-slot blower cooler. The original three-fan cooler is removed. The source cards include partner models as well as Nvidia Founders Edition cards. After testing, the modified cards are repackaged and shipped, likely to data centers or AI labs.
Tom’s Hardware suggests “probably thousands” of cards are converted daily. That is the writer’s estimate, not a sourced figure.
Why a blower instead of three fans?
The reason is mechanical. A three-fan RTX 5090 typically takes up three to four slots and exhausts hot air inside the case, which suits 4U servers and multi-card setups poorly. A blower pushes heat out the back of the chassis, improving cooling and density. According to another site, 3DTested, which relies on a Bilibili video, up to eight of these dual-slot cards fit in a single chassis.
An industrial pipeline, according to 3DTested
That second article describes, based on the Bilibili creator, a Shenzhen company called “CT.” It reportedly selects top-binned GB202 dies, reballs chips and memory on industrial BGA rework stations, then fits blower coolers, metal backplates and server-style I/O brackets. Each card supposedly goes through a 24-hour burn-in test. These details are the video author’s claims, which 3DTested does not verify. The site also does not say whether Nvidia condones the practice.
Shortage and prices: what is being claimed
Tom’s Hardware reports that Nvidia has reportedly halted RTX 5090 production, in all likelihood to redirect silicon to more profitable professional GPUs such as the RTX Pro 6000 Blackwell. It writes that this diversion, combined with grey-market buying, has nearly wiped out stock at US retailers.
- Custom models reportedly start at $8,500.
- A Chinese-language post mentions prices near $10,000, an unverified figure.
- Some prebuilt gaming PCs reportedly cost less than a standalone RTX 5090.
So caution is in order: these amounts are reported, not confirmed, and vary by country. The site also lists, among related headlines, a modified card with 96GB of memory offered on Alibaba and the theft of a $470,000 RTX 5090 shipment at a Brazilian airport, two stories we have not verified here.
What it means for gamers
For you as a gamer or creator, the lesson is simple: AI demand is now weighing on consumer parts, much as cryptocurrency mining once did. If you are eyeing an RTX 5090, expect tight stock and unstable prices, and be wary of unusually cheap offers on the used market. Should Nvidia do more to protect supply for gamers? Share your view in the comments.
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