Leaked video shows Chinese factories dismantling RTX 5090s for AI servers

Grey-market conversion operations turn flagship gaming GPUs into server workhorses, exacerbating retail shortages

By LineZotpaper AI staff

Published24 October 2026

Read Time2 min

A newly surfaced video reveals industrial-scale Chinese workshops that are dismantling thousands of GeForce RTX 5090 graphics cards and reconfiguring them for AI compute clusters, according to a report from Tom's Hardware. The footage shows production lines stripping brand-new cards of their original cooling systems and transplanting the chips into dual-slot blower designs for high-density server racks.

The leaked video, shared on social media, provides a glimpse inside these conversion factories, where technicians carefully desolder the GB202 silicon and GDDR7 memory from retail GeForce RTX 5090s. The components are then moved onto new PCBs with two-slot turbo fan coolers suited for rack-mount servers. The modified cards are tested and packaged for delivery to data centres and AI labs.

The scale of these operations is substantial. According to the report, thousands of RTX 5090s are repurposed daily, with middlemen actively hunting for stock. The cards do not have an official retail presence in China, but nevertheless find their way into these grey-market supply chains.

The practice has contributed to severe shortages of the RTX 5090 in consumer markets. Nvidia has reportedly halted production of the card, redirecting silicon to professional GPUs. Custom RTX 5090s now start at around $8,500 in the US, and some buyers are turning to prebuilt gaming systems, which can offer better value than standalone cards in the current chaotic market.

Analysis

Why This Matters

Gamers face inflated prices and vanishing stock of flagship graphics cards as supply is diverted to AI compute.
The video underscores the lengths to which AI labs and data centres will go to source Nvidia hardware amid a global crunch.
The repurposing may accelerate Nvidia's shift away from consumer gaming silicon toward higher-margin enterprise products.

Background

The RTX 5090, Nvidia's top consumer graphics card, has been in extremely short supply since its launch, in part due to soaring demand from AI companies. Nvidia's own enterprise GPUs, such as the RTX Pro 6000 Blackwell, command higher prices, incentivising the company to prioritise that segment. The Chinese conversion factories represent a grey-market pipeline that turns gaming cards into server-grade hardware.

What to Watch

Whether Nvidia takes steps to prevent grey-market conversion, such as altering card designs or enforcing supply chain controls.
The impact on retail pricing and availability as more gamers opt for prebuilt systems to access RTX 5090 performance.
Potential regulatory scrutiny in the US or China over the diversion of controlled technology.

Sources

Leaked video exposes how industrial-scale Chinese factories are dismantling RTX 5090s by the thousands to fuel AI servers · Tom's Hardware

Checked

12 claims in this story checked against 1 source: 6 supported.

Show each claim

SupportedA leaked video shows Chinese factories dismantling RTX 5090s for AI servers.Latest from Tom's Hardware: “Leaked video exposes how industrial-scale Chinese factories are dismantling RTX 5090s by the thousands to fuel AI servers.”
Partly supportedGrey-market conversion operations turn gaming GPUs into server workhorses and exacerbate retail shortages.Latest from Tom's Hardware: “Redirected supply and aggressive grey-market recycling have nearly wiped out GeForce RTX 5090 stock from U.S. retailers.”
Partly supportedThe video shows factories dismantling thousands of RTX 5090s.Latest from Tom's Hardware: “The conversion process is massive in scale, and probably thousands of GeForce RTX 5090 graphics cards are being repurposed every day.”
SupportedTechnicians desolder the GB202 silicon and GDDR7 memory and transplant the components into a dual-slot blower design for server use.Latest from Tom's Hardware: “The recently leaked footage offers a glimpse inside these Chinese workshops, where skilled technicians meticulously desolder the pricey flagship’s GB202 silicon and GDDR7 memory chips. They then transplant the components into a dual-slot blower design tailored for server use.”
SupportedThe leaked video was shared on social media.Latest from Tom's Hardware: “近日，社交媒體 X 上流出多段顯示卡改裝工場內部影片”
Partly supportedThe modified cards are tested, packaged and delivered to data centres and AI labs.Latest from Tom's Hardware: “After testing and validation, workers would repackage these modified GeForce RTX 5090 graphics cards and ship them to clients, likely data centers or AI labs.”
SupportedRTX 5090s have no official retail presence in China.Latest from Tom's Hardware: “So, what exactly is a GeForce RTX 5090 doing in China when the graphics card is not even officially available there?”
Partly supportedThe conversion practice has contributed to severe RTX 5090 shortages in consumer markets.Latest from Tom's Hardware: “Redirected supply and aggressive grey-market recycling have nearly wiped out GeForce RTX 5090 stock from U.S. retailers.”
Partly supportedNvidia has reportedly halted RTX 5090 production and is redirecting silicon to professional GPUs.Latest from Tom's Hardware: “Nvidia has reportedly halted production of the GeForce RTX 5090 and is, in all likelihood, redirecting the valuable silicon to higher-margin professional GPUs like the RTX Pro 6000 Blackwell .”
SupportedCustom RTX 5090s now start at around $8,500 in the US.Latest from Tom's Hardware: “Custom GeForce RTX 5090 graphics cards now start at an eye-watering $8,500.”
Not in the sourcesSome buyers are turning to prebuilt gaming systems.Latest from Tom's Hardware
SupportedPrebuilt gaming systems can offer better value than standalone RTX 5090 cards in the current market.Latest from Tom's Hardware: “In today’s chaotic market, prebuilt systems often offer better value than standalone graphics cards.”