Fake Samsung SSD shows: SSD fakes are becoming more sophisticated
Realistic-looking packaging, user manuals, and SSD stickers. Buyers need to look closely.
(Image: PC Watch)
Counterfeit branded SSDs are no longer always recognizable at first glance. Scammers are increasingly orienting their fakes on branded products, such as those from Samsung. This is proven by a case that PC Watch from Japan shows.
The packaging of a counterfeit Samsung SSD 990 Pro could have come from the manufacturer itself. The enclosed user manual is also close to the original. The stickers on the SSD largely correspond to Samsung's and are no longer conspicuously large. Only a look at the circuit board reveals the different components. However, only buyers who are familiar with the specifications or compare the product with an original will notice this.
For example, the counterfeit SSD lacks the DRAM memory for the cache, and the soldered controller is from the Chinese supplier Maxio (model MAP1602) instead of Samsung. Among other things, the SMD components are placed differently.
Gefälschte Samsung SSD 990 Pro (2 Bilder)
Check with a tool
In the case of Samsung SSDs, a look at the manufacturer's tool Samsung Magician provides clarity. The counterfeit registers as an SSD 990 Pro, but is not recognized as authentic. Instead of "Samsung Authenticated", it says "Non-Samsung" next to the product name. Functions such as the diagnostic scan are also not available.
For SSDs from manufacturers without a verification tool, a meticulous comparison of the circuit board with images of real models helps. Such images can be found in reviews by reputable media.
The tool Samsung Magician verifies genuine Samsung SSDs as authentic.
(Image:Â heise medien)
Performance sometimes matches the original
Particularly insidious: during normal use and in the common benchmark CrystalDiskMark, the counterfeit model is not significantly slower than a real SSD 990 Pro. When reading, it reaches a peak of almost 7.3 instead of 7.5 GByte/s, and when writing, 6.1 instead of almost 7 GByte/s.
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Only during larger copy operations does the speed of the counterfeit SSD drop. Like the branded models, the fake model uses an SLC cache that writes only one bit per cell (Single Level Cells). However, once this cache is full, the write speed drops drastically to up to 100 MByte/s. Copying a video of almost 400 GByte took over 25 minutes. A real SSD 990 Pro required less than 4 minutes. It consistently achieves around 1.9 GByte/s. At least the counterfeit did not fake the capacity. It was actually one TByte.
PC Watch suspects that the counterfeit uses cheaper QLC memory (Quadruple Level Cells, 4 bits per cell) instead of TLC components (Triple Level Cells, 3 bits per cell). The main problem is the longevity of the SSD. Without a manufacturer's warranty, buyers are in a bad position if problems arise.
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