China’s Modded RTX 5090 Hits 96GB VRAM for $3,888 A Shenzhen-based manufacturer has launched a modified GeForce RTX 5090 graphics card with 96GB of VRAM, priced at $3,888 on Alibaba, marking a significant departure from Nvidia’s official specifications. The card, produced by Shenzhen Suqiao Intelligent Technology, features triple the original 32GB GDDR7 memory, offering what Tom’s Hardware describes as “3x more VRAM at 65% the cost of the original” compared to similar high-memory alternatives. This unofficial rebuild, which bypasses Nvidia’s authorization, has sparked discussions about the intersection of export controls and China’s growing industrial capabilities. The modified RTX 5090, available for sale on Alibaba, is part of a broader trend that began with the RTX 4090 in 2023. Chinese workshops have long been rebuilding gaming GPUs to meet demand for higher memory capacity, often circumventing Nvidia’s export restrictions. The RTX 5090 mod follows a similar playbook, with technicians desoldering original memory chips and transplanting them onto custom PCBs to expand VRAM. The 96GB version, priced lower than some competing listings, highlights the economic incentive for buyers seeking high-capacity memory without the cost of specialized datacenter hardware. Nvidia’s own response to China’s market demands is the RTX 5090D V2, a legally compliant variant with reduced VRAM and bandwidth to meet U.S. export-control thresholds. Priced at $2,299 in China, this card offers significantly less memory than the modded versions available on the black market. The contrast underscores the gap between official compliance and the informal industrial base in China, which has adapted to fill the void left by restricted access to Nvidia’s datacenter chips.#nvidia #alibaba #rtx_5090 #shenzhen_suqiao_intelligent_technology #tom_s_hardware
