Buzz
A user from China named Harukaze5719 shared on Baidu Teiba that they've stumbled upon a counterfeit 2TB 980 Pro SSD. Notably, the astonishing imitation can deceive even Samsung Magician software. Only upon removing the label on top can one recognize all the signs of the counterfeit product.
The enigmatic SSD employs the Maxio MAP1602A PCIe 4.0 controller, akin to the one found in Acer Predator GM7. Manufactured on a 12nm process by TSMC and lacking DRAM. In contrast, Samsung, the South Korean brand, utilizes its own controller and NAND chip.
In the case of Samsung 980 Pro, the product boasts an 8nm Elpis controller design accompanied by DRAM. Furthermore, Samsung's controllers are relatively larger compared to their competing counterparts.
Additionally, the Samsung 980 Pro only offers a single memory option: TLC 3D V-NAND 128-layer. Counterfeit Samsung 980 Pro SSDs also utilize the same memory option but from the YMTC brand, manufactured with China's Xtacking 2.0 technology.
Counterfeit SSDs with different controllers and NAND memory cannot match the performance of genuine ones. Users reported that counterfeit products only achieve sequential read and write speeds of 4.8GBps and 4.5GBps in CrystalDiskmark, and 4.2GBps and 3.9GBps in AS SSD.
In contrast, genuine versions provide significantly higher speeds in sequential read and write tests, reaching 7GBps and 5GBps respectively.
Counterfeit Samsung 980 Pro SSDs are sold on Xiaoyun, a second-hand market on Taobao, for approximately $127.77 USD, equivalent to around 3 million VND. Despite being carefully packaged with the Samsung brand name, the price alone indicates its counterfeit nature, as the official price in the US market is $169.99 USD, around 4 million VND.
Furthermore, the affected individuals mentioned that due to infrequent computer usage, they failed to update their knowledge. Additionally, this individual didn't have access to a PC to check for up to 10 days thereafter.
With this information, you should exercise more caution when starting to purchase used hardware in the Chinese market. Even reputable e-commerce platforms like AliExpress and Taobao harbor significant risks. Moreover, similar incidents have occurred in the US market, such as a 30TB portable SSD priced at $39 USD, around 900,000 VND on Walmart, or a 16TB SSD priced at $100 USD, equivalent to 2.3 million VND on Amazon.
In summary, regardless of where you buy from, you should be cautious about the price of the product. There's never a case of getting high-quality items for a low price.
