I bought an older Radeon R7 240 online for an aging PC, but after installing it, GPU-Z identifies the card as an R5 M240 instead. The card looks like a Sapphire R7 240 and even has a sticker claiming it is an R7 240 with 2GB of DDR3 memory. I also tried installing the R7 240 drivers, but the installer reported that the AMD graphics hardware was unsupported. Is this a mislabeled or counterfeit card, or is there another reason it is being detected as an R5 M240?
2 Answers
The card was probably mislabeled, sold by mistake, or modified to appear like an R7 240. An R5 M240 is a different GPU, and software cannot simply rename one model into another because the underlying hardware and device identification are different. Check the GPU’s PCI device ID and BIOS information with GPU-Z, then compare those details with a genuine R7 240. If they match the M240 instead, the physical label is not trustworthy.
This may be one of the inexpensive rebranded cards built around a mobile R5 M240 chip and placed on a desktop-style PCB. Some sellers attach an R7 240 heatsink or sticker to make the card look like a more desirable model. The driver error is consistent with the hardware actually identifying as an R5 M240, not a genuine R7 240. Verify the PCI ID, shader count, memory bus, and BIOS rather than relying on the sticker.
That explanation fits the symptoms. The card resembles an R7 240 externally, but the failed driver installation and GPU-Z identification suggest the chip or firmware is really an M240. It would be best to return it as incorrectly advertised if the seller allows returns.
It looks almost identical to a Sapphire R7 240, and the rear sticker also says “R7 240 2GB DDR3,” but GPU-Z still reports R5 M240. I could not get the R7 240 driver to install either.