Beware of Counterfeit Hard Drives: Knockoff Samsung 990 Pro SSDs Can Now Fake Read and Write Speeds

What happened

It has been reported that counterfeit NVMe SSDs circulating in retail channels can now mimic the benchmark numbers of high-end drives, making them much harder to spot. Chinese tech site IT Home (IT之家), citing Japanese outlet Akiba PC Hotline, says a knockoff Samsung (三星) 990 Pro recently appeared that showed near-authentic read/write figures in common benchmarking tools — but collapsed under real-world load. The problem comes as global DRAM and NAND capacity is strained by AI data‑center demand and broader supply-chain and trade tensions, creating fertile ground for fraudsters.

How the fake fooled benchmarks

According to the reports, CrystalDiskInfo displayed the fake 1TB 990 Pro with a read speed of 7,255 MB/s and write speed of 6,090 MB/s — numbers close to the genuine 990 Pro’s published 7,453 MB/s and 6,953 MB/s. H2testw capacity checks also reportedly showed a full 1TB. But a practical FastCopy transfer of a ~400 GB file told a different story: the fake took 25 minutes (about 261 MB/s) versus roughly 3.5 minutes (about 1,861 MB/s) for a real 990 Pro. Previous knockoffs — for example a fake 980 Pro — have displayed similarly deceptive results in some tools while delivering only a few dozen MB/s in real transfers.

The giveaway and why it matters

Reporters say the counterfeit’s hardware reveals the deceit: the drive uses a Maxio MAP1602 controller (the marking is visible on the PCB) and lacks the DDR4 SDRAM cache found on genuine 990 Pro units. Packaging and manuals were reportedly very convincing at a glance, though close comparison reveals printing and pattern mismatches. Software cues were inconsistent: CrystalDiskInfo showed an odd serial number of “8888888888,” and Samsung’s own Magician utility reportedly flagged the unit as a “non‑Samsung” 990 Pro and failed during diagnostics.

What buyers should do

So how can buyers protect themselves? Be suspicious of prices that look too good to be true and buy from authorized retailers or the manufacturer’s certified channels. Run sustained real‑world transfer tests (FastCopy, Robocopy or similar) and use H2testw to verify capacity; check vendor serial numbers against official tools and be alert to odd model identifiers. It has been reported that benchmark screenshots alone are no longer a reliable proof of authenticity — and with ongoing chip shortages and geopolitical pressures on semiconductor supply, counterfeit storage devices are only likely to proliferate.