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Tom’s Hardware
Tom’s Hardware
Technology
Zhiye Liu

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

Samsung Reddit Windows
Fake Samsung 990 Pro SSD.

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 According to the report, the drive was seemingly running firmware version 0B2QJXD7, which, while outdated, is the original firmware that came with the Samsung 990 Pro.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.

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