In South Korea, a burglar broke into a computer specialty store and specifically stole three high-quality and very expensive graphics cards – according to police, with a total value of approximately 12,000 Euros.
When and how did the thief break in? According to Newsis, the perpetrator allegedly broke the sliding glass door of the shop in the early hours, apparently specifically looking for expensive hardware.
It is notable according to the report that despite other high-quality hardware, the man only took three graphics cards and then left the store. The estimated damage is around 20 million won, which equals approximately 12,000 Euros.
The owner of the store and operator of the YouTube channel “The Recommended Guy” published the surveillance video footage that showed the theft and reported the damage incurred. The video shows how the masked and gloved perpetrator smashed the store’s glass with a drill hammer, broke in, and stole the three high-end graphics cards.
Expensive Hardware Everywhere
What does this say about the current graphics card market? The theft demonstrates the significance that high-end GPUs now hold. Alongside continuously rising RAM prices, which providers are now bringing new ideas to tackle, GPUs are at a constant high.
Just recently, we reported about why manufacturers like AMD are trying to prevent another price increase and stabilize the market.
Three individual components are enough to cause a five-figure damage. Graphics cards are important not just for gamers, but also for AI applications and professional workloads, as well as cryptocurrency mining. Therefore, the police are investigating whether the cards were resold or used otherwise (via Hani.co).
The affected store owner said in his YouTube video: “I think this happened because everyone is going through tough times right now.”
According to VideoCardz, the South Korean police have now announced that a suspect has been arrested. However, a part of the stolen goods has not yet been found.
The case once again demonstrates the value that high-end hardware has now achieved. There are even special models of certain GPU models available that far exceed the average prices: The premium graphics card from Asus costs as much as a used small car, yet it is already sold out.
