Enlarge / A microSD card of "unknown origin" is soldered onto a USB interface board to serve as makeshift NAND storage. (credit: CBL Data recovery)

When a German data recovery firm recently made a study of the failed flash storage drives it had been sent, it noticed some interesting, and bad, trends.

Most of them were cheap sticks, the kind given away by companies as promotional gifts, but not all of them. What surprised CBL Data Recovery was the number of NAND chips from reputable firms, such as Samsung, Sandisk, or Hynix, found inside cheaper devices. The chips, which showed obvious reduced capacity and reliability on testing, had their manufacturers' logo either removed by abrasion or sometimes just written over with random text.

Sometimes there wasn't a NAND chip at all, but a microSD card—possibly also binned during quality control—scrubbed of identifiers and fused onto a USB interface board. On "no-name" products, there is "less and less reliability," CBL wrote (in German, roughly web-translated). CBL did find branded products with similar rubbed-off chips and soldered cards but did not name any specific brands in its report.

Enlarge / Nvidia's GeForce RTX 4080. (credit: Andrew Cunningham)

If you're building a new PC, there's no time like Amazon's big Prime Day sale to grab a deal on PC parts. Components like fans, motherboards, CPUs, and GPUs are all on sale. Whether you're starting from scratch on building your own powerful gaming rig or workstation, or you're upgrading an existing build, we have some options.

GPU deals on RTX graphics cards

• ZOTAC Gaming GeForce RTX 3060 Twin Edge OC for $261 (was $340) at Amazon
• ZOTAC Gaming GeForce RTX 4080 16GB Trinity OC for $990 (was $1,300) at Amazon
• PowerColor Fighter AMD Radeon RX 6700 XT Gaming Graphics Card with 12GB GDDR6 Memory for $300 (was $350) at Amazon
• ZOTAC Gaming GeForce RTX 4070 AMP AIRO Spider-Man: Across The Spider-Verse Inspired Graphics Card Bundle for $585 (was $700) at Amazon
• EVGA GeForce RTX 2060 SC GAMING for $200 (was $360) at Amazon
• Intel Arc A750 Limited Edition 8GB PCI Express 4.0 Graphics Card for $200 (was $220) at Amazon
• ASUS Dual NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3050 OC Edition Gaming Graphics Card for $230 (was $300) at Amazon
• ASUS ROG Strix NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4070 Ti Gaming Graphics Card for $870 (was $950) at Amazon
• XFX Speedster QICK319 Radeon RX 6750XT Gaming Graphics Card for $350 (was $430) at Amazon
• XFX Speedster SWFT319 Radeon RX 6800 Gaming Graphics Card for $400 (was $490) at Amazon
• ASUS TUF Gaming GeForce RTX 4060 Ti OC Edition Gaming Graphics Card for $415 (was $460) at Amazon

Storage and RAM

• Lexar NQ100 480GB 2.5-inch SATA III Internal SSD for $18 (was $33) at Amazon
• Lexar NQ100 1.92TB 2.5-inch SATA III Internal SSD for $62 (was $88) at Amazon
• Crucial P3 Plus 4TB PCIe Gen4 3D NAND NVMe M.2 SSD for $180 (was $226) at Amazon
• Crucial P3 4TB PCIe Gen3 3D NAND NVMe M.2 SSD for $160 (was $230) at Amazon
• Crucial MX500 4TB 3D NAND SATA 2.5 Inch Internal SSD for $165 (was $204) at Amazon
• Crucial Pro RAM 64GB Kit DDR4 3200MT/s for $100 (was $142) at Amazon
• Lexar NM790 SSD 2TB PCIe Gen4 NVMe M.2 2280 Internal Solid State Drive for $87 (was $125) at Amazon
• Lexar NM790 SSD 1TB PCIe Gen4 NVMe M.2 2280 Internal Solid State Drive for $45 (was $70) at Amazon
• Lexar NM790 SSD 512GB PCIe Gen4 NVMe M.2 2280 Internal Solid State Drive for $37 (was $50) at Amazon
• Lexar ARES RGB 32GB (2x16GB) DDR4 RAM 3600MT/s CL18 Desktop Memory for $55 (was $80) at Amazon
• Crucial T700 4TB Gen5 NVMe M.2 SSD for $390 (was $600) at Amazon
• Crucial T700 4TB Gen5 NVMe M.2 SSD with heatsink for $410 (was $630) at Amazon
• Lexar NQ100 960GB 2.5-inch SATA III Internal SSD for $33 (was $48) at Amazon
• Lexar ARES RGB 32GB (2x16GB) DDR5 RAM 6000MT/s CL34 Desktop Memory for $76 (was $120) at Amazon
• Lexar ARES RGB 32GB (2x16GB) DDR5 RAM 5600MT/s CL32 Desktop Memory for $72 (was $110) at Amazon
• PNY CS2241 4TB M.2 NVMe Gen4 x4 Internal Solid State Drive for $175 (was $220) at Amazon
• CORSAIR VENGEANCE RGB DDR5 RAM 32GB (2x16GB) 5200 MHz CL40 for $90 (was $100) at Amazon

CPU deals on Intel and AMD processors

• Intel Core i5-12600KF Desktop Processor 10 (6P+4E) Cores for $163 (was $199) at Amazon
• Intel Core i7-12700K Desktop Processor with Integrated Graphics for $239 (was $276) at Amazon
• Intel Core i5-12600K Desktop Processor with Integrated Graphics for $179 (was $194) at Amazon
• AMD Ryzen 9 5900X 12-core, 24-Thread Unlocked Desktop Processor for $297 (was $570) at Amazon
• Intel Core i7-13700K Desktop Processor with Integrated Graphics for $373 (was $419) at Amazon
• AMD Ryzen 9 7900X 12-Core, 24-Thread Unlocked Desktop Processor for $382 (was $549) at Amazon
• AMD Ryzen 9 7950X 16-Core, 32-Thread Unlocked Desktop Processor for $509 (was $699) at Amazon
• AMD Ryzen 9 7950X3D 16-Core, 32-Thread Desktop Processor for $599 (was $699) at Amazon
• AMD Ryzen 7 5800X3D 8-core, 16-Thread Desktop Processor for $307 (was $319) at Amazon
• Intel Core i7-12700KF Desktop Processor for $219 (was $259) at Amazon
• Intel Core i9-12900K Gaming Desktop Processor with Integrated Graphics and 16 (8P+8E) Cores for $327 (was $379) at Amazon
• AMD Ryzen 7 5800X 8-core, 16-Thread Unlocked Desktop Processor for $215 (was $449) at Amazon
• Intel Core i9-12900KF Desktop Processor for $318 (was $373) at Amazon
• Intel Core i9-12900KS Gaming Desktop Processor for $349 (was $400) at Amazon

Motherboards

• ASUS Prime B550-PLUS AMD AM4 Zen 3 Ryzen 5000 & 3rd Gen Ryzen ATX Motherboard for $100 (was $140) at Amazon
• GIGABYTE B650 Gaming X AX (AM5/ LGA 1718/ AMD/ B650 for $162 (was $200) at Amazon
• ASUS ROG Maximus Z790 Hero (WiFi 6E) LGA 1700 (Intel 13th & 12th Gen) ATX Motherboard for $540 (was $609) at Amazon
• Gigabyte B550 AORUS ELITE AX V2 for $144 (was $190) at Amazon
• ASUS Prime Z790-A WiFi 6E LGA 1700 (Intel 13th & 12th) ATX Motherboard for $250 (was $310) at Amazon
• ASUS TUF Gaming Z790-Plus WiFi D4 LGA 1700 (Intel 12th & 13th Gen) ATX Motherboard for $200 (was $230) at Amazon
• ASUS Prime X670E-PRO WiFi Socket AM5 (LGA 1718) Ryzen 7000 ATX Motherboard for $290 (was $350) at Amazon
• ASUS Strix STRIX Z790-A WIFI D4 Desktop Motherboard for $285 (was $350) at Amazon
• MSI MPG Z690 Edge WiFi DDR4 Gaming Motherboard for $220 (was $300) at Amazon
• GIGABYTE Z790 AORUS Elite AX DDR4 for $207 (was $260) at Amazon
• MSI B550 Gaming GEN3 Gaming Motherboard for $100 (was $120) at Amazon
• ASUS Prime X670-P Socket AM5 (LGA 1718) Ryzen 7000 ATX Motherboard for $200 (was $270) at Amazon
• ASUS Prime H770-PLUS D4 Intel H770(13th and 12th Gen) LGA 1700 ATX Motherboard for $100 (was $160) at Amazon
• ASUS ROG Strix B550-A Gaming AMD AM4 Zen 3 Ryzen 5000 & 3rd Gen Ryzen ATX Motherboard for $160 (was $180) at Amazon
• MSI PRO Z790-A Wi-Fi ProSeries Motherboard (Supports 12th/13th Gen Intel Processors) for $190 (was $280) at Amazon
• MSI MEG Z690 Unify Gaming Motherboard for $290 (was $330) at Amazon

Power Supply Units

• ASUS ROG STRIX 1000W Gold PSU, Power Supply for $160 (was $210) at Amazon
• Cooler Master MWE Gold 850 V2 Full Modular for $95 (was $100) at Amazon
• EVGA 100-N1-0650-L1, 650 N1, 650 W for $44 (was $65) at Amazon
• EVGA Supernova 1600 G+, 80+ Gold 1600 W for $210 (was $350) at Amazon
• Thermaltake Toughpower GF1 850 W 80+ Gold SLI/ CrossFire Ready Ultra Quiet 140mm Hydraulic Bearing Smart Zero Fan for $100 (was $140) at Amazon
• Thermaltake Toughpower 750 W 80 Plus Gold Semi Modular PSU ATX for $80 (was $110) at Amazon
• Thermaltake Toughpower GF3 850 W for $110 (was $160) at Amazon
• EVGA SuperNOVA 1300 GT, 80 Plus Gold 1300 W for $180 (was $250) at Amazon
• ASUS ROG Thor 850W Platinum II for $170 (was $250) at Amazon
• EVGA Supernova 1000 P3, 80 Plus Platinum 1000 W for $210 (was $250) at Amazon
• EVGA Supernova 1000 G7, 80 Plus Gold 1000 W for $180 (was $240) at Amazon
• Thermaltake TOUGHLIQUID 360 ARGB Motherboard Sync All-in-One Liquid CPU Cooler for $100 (was $140) at Amazon
• GIGABYTE GP-UD850GM PG5 Rev2.0 850W PCIe 5.0 Ready for $97 (was $140) at Amazon
• Thermaltake Toughpower GF3 1350W for $208 (was $260) at Amazon
• Corsair HX1000i Fully Modular Ultra-Low Noise ATX Power Supply - ATX 3.0 & PCIe 5.0 Compliant for $230 (was $260) at Amazon

Fans and coolers

• Cooler Master Hyper 212 Halo Black CPU Air Cooler for $33 (was $45) at Amazon
• MSI MAG CoreLiquid 360R V2 - AIO ARGB CPU Liquid Cooler for $95 (was $140) at Amazon
• NZXT Kraken 280 RGB - RL-KR280-B1 - 280 mm AIO CPU Liquid Cooler for $142 (was $200) at Amazon
• Cooler Master MasterLiquid 360L Core 360 mm Close-Loop AIO Liquid Cooler for $101 (was $120) at Amazon
• Cooler Master MasterLiquid 240L Core 240 mm Close-Loop AIO Liquid Cooler for $85 (was $100) at Amazon
• AORUS WATERFORCE X 360 AIO Liquid CPU Cooler for $187 ($240) at Amazon
• ASUS ROG RYUO III 360 ARGB All-in-one AIO Liquid CPU Cooler 360 mm Radiator for $245 (was $290) at Amazon
• MSI MAG CoreLiquid C240 - AIO ARGB CPU Liquid Cooler - 240 mm Radiator for $90 (was $120) at Amazon
• Thermaltake Riing Quad 120 mm 16.8 Million RGB Color 9 Blades Hydraulic Bearing Case/Radiator Fan for $90 (was $120) at Amazon

Cases and towers

• ASUS TUF Gaming GT501 Mid-Tower Computer Case for up to EATX Motherboards for $135 (was $180) at Amazon
• ASUS TUF Gaming GT502 ATX Mid-Tower Computer Case for $140 (was $170) at Amazon
• Thermaltake Tower 200 Mini-ITX Computer Case for $100 (was $130) at Amazon
• CORSAIR Crystal Series 680X RGB High Airflow Tempered Glass ATX Smart Case, Black for $193 (was $275) at Amazon
• Corsair 5000D Tempered Glass Mid-Tower ATX PC Case - White for $165 (was $175) at Amazon
• Thermaltake Core P3 Pro E-ATX Tempered Glass Mid Tower for $120 (was $160) at Amazon
• Antec NX200 M, Micro-ATX Tower, Mini-Tower Computer Case for $44 (was $65) at Amazon
• Corsair iCUE 220T RGB AIRFLOW Tempered Glass Mid-Tower Smart ATX Case for $70 (was $125) at Amazon
• Corsair Carbide Series 175R RGB Tempered Glass Mid-Tower ATX Gaming Case for $53 (was $85) at Amazon

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