Gamer receives free RTX 3060 GPU from Temu — user waits for other PC parts to arrive to see if the GPU is real

RTX 3060 from Temu
(Image credit: Reddit - LudM on r/pcmasterrace)

People rarely receive free gaming gear, especially something nice, such as an RTX 3060. However, LudM on the PCMR subreddit revealed he was given a free Chinese "RTX 3060" from Temu. The new RTX 3060 owner is waiting for the rest of his computer parts to arrive to build his gaming rig and verify if the card he was sent was an actual RTX 3060 and not a fake.

Chinese online e-commerce platforms are a popular place to find fake GPUs that might be advertised as an RTX 30 series or RTX 40 series GPU at "impossible" price points. More often than not, these crazy-cheap GPUs are scams, with the product being a much older GPU. Some are equipped with GPUs as old as a GTX 650 Ti or GTX 680. However, there are other times when the advertised product is legitimate.

The poster published images of the newly acquired RTX 3060, revealing that the card might be the real deal. One Redditor replied with a keen eye that the components behind the GPU look identical to a Palit RTX 3060 Dual OC. Another plus is that the card has an 8-pin supplementary power connector, three DisplayPort connectors, and one HDMI connector, the same as the Palit GPU, providing good evidence that the card might be legitimate. GPUs packing much older GPU models, such as a 600 series or 700 series GPU, will typically come with an older video connector such as DVI or VGA.

The comments section also suggested that the RTX 3060 might be the mobile variant of the GPU. This could also be the case; it is not uncommon for many of these desktop GPUs to feature a mobile Nvidia GPU, such as the RTX 3060 mobile. However, many comments also warned that the GPU might have malware-infected firmware, which could reach the GPU's host machine when the system is fully built and operational. This is another legitimate concern, especially considering the RTX 3060 was given for free.

LudM purportedly received the free RTX 3060 from a Temu advertisement. For months, LudM was harassed by Temu ads showcasing "expensive items at ridiculously low prices or even for free." After investigating and discovering that these ads were purportedly legitimate, LudM entered one of these giveaways and managed to win the aforementioned RTX 3060.

Aaron Klotz
Contributing Writer

Aaron Klotz is a contributing writer for Tom’s Hardware, covering news related to computer hardware such as CPUs, and graphics cards.

  • the original dotto
    Admin said:
    A Reddit user has purportedly won a free RTX 3060 from Temu. The evidence points toward this card being a real deal, not a fake one.

    Gamer receives free RTX 3060 GPU from Temu — user waits for other PC parts to arrive to see if the GPU is real : Read more
    This is exactly the kind on "news" that could wait for confirmation rather than posting to incite speculation. Is this a "why you can trust Tom's" reviewer that doesn't have a PC to plug a card into? admin, keep up practicing your writing but you don't have to post omniscient musing. Looking for something real, ty .
    Reply
  • Syntaximus
    Temu are dirt merchants, same as Ali Express, and not to be trusted.
    Reply
  • DingusDog
    A free GPU that you "won" from an ad. Yeah I wouldn't put that in my rig.
    Reply
  • USAFRet
    Temu is a junk merchant, with a deservedly bad rep.

    But the cost of a single medium grade GPU is a cheap price to pay for a bit of good advertising.
    Reply
  • the original dotto
    DingusDog said:
    A free GPU that you "won" from an ad. Yeah I wouldn't put that in my rig.
    Then would you put it in the rest of the rig that you paid for? I'm not defending Temu in any way. Only maybe if speculation is the standard, then I'm good at fiction and maybe... does Tom's have openings?
    Reply
  • the original dotto
    the original dotto said:
    This is exactly the kind on "news" that could wait for confirmation rather than posting to incite speculation. Is this a "why you can trust Tom's" reviewer that doesn't have a PC to plug a card into? admin, keep up practicing your writing but you don't have to post omniscient musing. Looking for something real, ty .
    😂 I'm just saying that this was too soon after all the pre-election "news" for my taste. I'm okay with differing opinions. But I wouldn't put a 4060 straight from Nvidia into my PC. For free, I'm might put it in my SO's. How about this: A sanitation worker found... No wait, that one's been done. Maybe "A guy found a listings for a Corvette for $250 USD and it was perfect" ... I don't want to turn to Entertainment Tonight for my tech news, right?
    Reply
  • USAFRet
    the original dotto said:
    But I wouldn't put a 4060 straight from Nvidia into my PC.
    Why not?
    Reply
  • dalauder
    Syntaximus said:
    Temu are dirt merchants, same as Ali Express, and not to be trusted.
    You say that like Walmart and Amazon have reliable products. Often times, Temu and Ali Express have the exact same products that are imported to sell on Amazon or eBay at higher prices.

    That said...I only buy cheap stuff from them. Temu's costume jewelry is fantastic.
    Reply
  • dalauder
    DingusDog said:
    A free GPU that you "won" from an ad. Yeah I wouldn't put that in my rig.
    Don't you have an old spare rig that you can put stuff in, disconnected from Internet?

    You could also always flash a generic RTX 4060 bios onto it, or the Palit bios.
    Reply
  • circadia
    Syntaximus said:
    Temu are dirt merchants, same as Ali Express, and not to be trusted.
    meh, AliExpress has been pretty trustworthy in a while, especially for freaky stuff like mobile CPUs glued onto a desktop socket adapter, or mobile GPUs soldered on a desktop GPU board, etc.
    Reply