China’s ‘Esports Hotel’ Dream Becomes Nightmare as Thieves Steal Thousands in Processors and GPUs from Gaming PCs

In a shocking turn of events, a prominent esports hotel in China has been the target of a significant theft perpetrated by individuals posing as guests. In a brazen act, these individuals managed to steal high-value PC hardware by checking into the hotel and executing their theft seamlessly.

Thieves in Esports Hotel Escape with High-End Hardware

Within the vibrant world of PC gaming, tales of unusual incidents are not uncommon, ranging from hardware smuggling to outright thefts. While these stories are not necessarily amusing, many feature surprising and odd elements. A recent incident reported on Reddit highlights a theft at an esports hotel, where some guests managed to make off with premium components, including AMD’s Ryzen 9 9800X3D processors and NVIDIA’s RTX 5070 graphics cards.

Recently, a theft took place at an esports hotel in China. Several young guests stole Ryzen 9 9800X3D processors and RTX 5070 graphics cards from multiple gaming PCs along with several gaming mice before checking out. The hotel owner has filed a police report. Translation of the audio in comment. by u/Zestyclose-Salad-290 in pcmasterrace

The hotel owner’s surveillance footage revealed that the thieves targeted specific components, including CPUs and GPUs, while leaving behind RAM modules and storage devices. This selective thievery makes sense from a financial perspective, as the value of CPUs and GPUs far outweighs that of other components. The hotel owner’s realization of the theft was swift:

Oh my god, the guys who checked in a few days ago just left. I messaged them on WeChat asking if they’d broken anything, only to find they’d blocked me. Right then, I knew something was wrong. I rushed upstairs to check and everything was gone. The 9800X3D and 5070… OMG. Even Logitech GPW was stolen. But they didn’t take the RAM sticks… maybe they didn’t know how to remove them? They even had to buy a screwdriver on the spot!

Interestingly, the perpetrators came equipped with newly purchased screwdrivers, suggesting that the robbery may not have been premeditated but rather a spur-of-the-moment decision born out of a gaming session. The hotel owner keeps track of guests via WeChat—a service also monitored by the Chinese government—making it likely that law enforcement can act swiftly to identify the robbers. Given China’s stringent laws against theft, those involved in this incident could face serious repercussions.

Sleek computer case with RTX graphics, featuring cooling fans on vibrant green background.

The total value of the stolen hardware is estimated to be between $5, 000 and $10, 000, a substantial loss in the competitive realm of PC gaming. The gaming community eagerly awaits justice for this unusual theft and reflects on the broader implications of such incidents within esports establishments.

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