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9850X3D * RAM Shortage * Ryzen AI 400 * Vera Rubin * Win 10 EOL 1. PC Components 2. Storage 3. SSDs Fake Samsung 990 Pro passes basic checks but runs slower than a USB 2.0 drive -- counterfeit SSDs proliferate as NAND shortage creates the perfect storm for bogus deals News By Zhiye Liu published 2 February 2026 SSD clones are so good nowadays that you can't tell the difference by just looking at them. When you purchase through links on our site, we may earn an affiliate commission. Here's how it works. Fake Samsung 990 Pro SSD (Image credit: Reddit/xox-lover) Share Share by: * Copy link * Facebook * X * Whatsapp * Reddit * Pinterest * Flipboard * Email Share this article Join the conversation Follow us Add us as a preferred source on Google There are two golden rules during a NAND shortage. Don't buy SSDs at ridiculous prices, and don't fall for deals that are too good to be true to avoid being scammed. Unfortunately, one Redditor learned this the hard way with a counterfeit Samsung 990 Pro, which still reigns as one of the best SSDs on the market. According to the Reddit post, the deception ran deep from the start. Windows, which isn't always the best judge of character, detected the SSD with the right product name and 2TB capacity. CrystalDiskInfo, a popular SSD diagnostic and information tool, seemed to confirm the drive's authenticity. According to the report, the drive was seemingly running firmware version 0B2QJXD7, which, while outdated, is the original firmware that came with the Samsung 990 Pro. Every detail appeared to check out perfectly until CrystalDiskInfo highlighted that the installed drive is running at PCIe 3.0, even though the Samsung 990 Pro is a PCIe 4.0 SSD. The inconsistencies began to unravel as file transfer tests exhibited painfully slow performance. CrystalDiskMark corroborated the low numbers and exhibited that the fake Samsung 990 Pro barely managed sequential read and write speeds of 20 MB/s and 10 MB/s, respectively. The clone's performance is slower than that of an old USB 2.0 pen drive. The final nail in the coffin came when Samsung Magician flagged the drive as a counterfeit clone. You may like * A DDR5 package shipped with metal ballast plate to fake its weight. Devastated PC builder orders DDR5 RAM from Amazon, receives DDR2 and some weights -- counterfeit 32GB kit a worrying sign of rising return and sales fraud * Fake GeForce RTX 4080 graphics card DRAM shortage fuels fake GPU scams as China-based fraudsters exploit the supply crisis * asdf Unlucky Amazon shopper orders DDR5 memory but gets DDR4 hidden under the heatspreader Beware of Fake Samsung 990 PRO SSDs from r/IndianGaming We've heard countless SSD clone stories over the years, but this particular Samsung 990 Pro 2TB case stands out for the frighteningly sophisticated level of counterfeiting behind its creation. The label usually tells you whether a drive is legitimate. You can spot many telltale signs, such as incorrect model names, misaligned text, or poor print quality, that are more than sufficient to give the imposter away. But not this counterfeit Samsung 990 Pro. The Samsung 990 Pro clone appears to contain all the correct information, with flawless text and logo design, likely fooling even the most experienced enthusiasts. It's evident that the scammer meticulously replicated the label to the last detail and the fake firmware to trick Windows into thinking the drive is real. What's unsettling is that the Redditor didn't buy the drive from an online retailer or a second-hand marketplace, but instead bought it brand new from a local distributor in India. Then again, it's not surprising, since a couple of years ago, there was a wave of counterfeit Samsung SSDs that flooded e-tailers overseas. The Redditor bought the Samsung 990 Pro 2TB for around $205. If you're conscious of the SSD market, the price alone is a big red flag. The drive launched with a $309.99 MSRP three years ago, and despite the NAND shortage, it retails for $299.99. And while the SSD has dropped to a historic low of $159.99, there was no way you could buy the Samsung 990 Pro 2TB for 32% below its street price, especially in today's market. Our best advice for buying SSDs during these challenging times is to refrain from making any purchases and wait until prices return to normal levels. If push comes to shove, buy your SSDs at a reputable retailer and film your unboxing. If you're picking up a drive that includes software for authentication, such as a Samsung drive, run it immediately after installation to verify you're receiving a legitimate product. If not, you know what to do. Stay On the Cutting Edge: Get the Tom's Hardware Newsletter Get Tom's Hardware's best news and in-depth reviews, straight to your inbox. [ ][ ]Contact me with news and offers from other Future brands[ ]Receive email from us on behalf of our trusted partners or sponsors[Sign me up] By submitting your information you agree to the Terms & Conditions and Privacy Policy and are aged 16 or over. Google Preferred Source Follow Tom's Hardware on Google News, or add us as a preferred source , to get our latest news, analysis, & reviews in your feeds. See all comments (2) Zhiye Liu Zhiye Liu News Editor, RAM Reviewer & SSD Technician Zhiye Liu is a news editor, memory reviewer, and SSD tester at Tom's Hardware. Although he loves everything that's hardware, he has a soft spot for CPUs, GPUs, and RAM. Read more A DDR5 package shipped with metal ballast plate to fake its weight. Devastated PC builder orders DDR5 RAM from Amazon, receives DDR2 and some weights -- counterfeit 32GB kit a worrying sign of rising return and sales fraud Fake GeForce RTX 4080 graphics card DRAM shortage fuels fake GPU scams as China-based fraudsters exploit the supply crisis asdf Unlucky Amazon shopper orders DDR5 memory but gets DDR4 hidden under the heatspreader Redditor receives 20x Samsung 9100 Pro SSDs after ordering just 2x from Amazon Customer orders two Samsung 9100 Pro SSDs, receives 20 SSDs worth over $5,000 instead WD Black SN850 SSD Micro Center lists 8TB WD_Black SSD at $2,419 MSRP, real price tag up 50% since October Samsung 990 Pro 4 TB SSD on sale at B&H Samsung's excellent 990 Pro 4TB SSD is down to just $299 Latest in SSDs WD SN8100 Sandisk crushes wallets with up to 2.8X SSD price hikes as NAND shortage strangles the market Micron DRAM fab, Taichung Micron starts building new 3D NAND fab in Singapore - Fab 10B promises to more than double the company's local flash production capacity Biwin Black Opal NV7400 2TB SSD Biwin Black Opal NV7400 2TB SSD Review: Another Arrow in Biwin's Quiver Lowest Prices on SSDs SSD price tracking 2026: Lowest price on every M.2 SSD from Samsung, Western Digital, Crucial, and more -- here are the best deals during the AI-driven pricing crisis Exceria Plus G4 SSD Kioxia exec says the AI boom means the era of the cheap 1TB SSD is over TeamGroup NV5000 2TB SSD TeamGroup NV5000 2TB SSD Review: A Blast from the Past Latest in News Mining operation Trump administration plans $12bn critical minerals stockpile to offset China supply risk Intel Panther Lake specifications. Intel mandates at least 7,467 MT/s RAM speed for Arc B370 & B390 iGPUs in Panther Lake Fake Samsung 990 Pro SSD Fake Samsung 990 Pro passes basic checks but runs slower than a USB 2.0 drive Tim Cook appears on the field at a Super Bowl game AI infrastructure surge begins squeezing Apple's component costs Raptor Lake CPU Intel's upcoming Core Ultra 9 290K Plus posts ~10% better Geekbench scores than current flagship Ryzen 9000 CPU Binning results from 13 Ryzen 7 9850X3Ds prove that the CPU is purely an overclocked 9800X3D from the factory [ ] 2 Comments Comment from the forums * TechieTwo The crims always find a means. :mad: Reply * SomeoneElse23 TechieTwo said: The crims always find a means. :mad: You can roughly divide the world's population into three groups: 1 - the sheep. most people fit this category. they are innocent, they have a hard time conceiving of the idea that some people aren't like them and will take advantage of them if they can. ergo, they are easily fooled and/or manipulated. 2 - wolves. there's a small minority that know how to prey on the sheep. how to manipulate their innocence and take advantage of them. some are genuine psychopaths. others are "mini psychopaths". 3 - sheep dogs. these are those as smart of the wolves, but use their knowledge to protect and help the sheep. we need more of these! this is not my original idea, and I don't know who to credit it to, but I think it describes the situation well. 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