Responses flooded in over the next two days. Theo spent hours vetting them – demanding clear, timestamped photos of the cards running, checking seller histories, asking specific questions about usage ("Ever used for mining or continuous compute loads?"). He immediately rejected offers where the cards looked suspect, tell-tale discoloration on the PCB near the power connectors, excessive dust deep in the heatsink fins suggesting heavy, continuous use in a mining rig. "Not worth the risk," he decided firmly after seeing photos of one particularly abused-looking card. "A +1 won't fix physical degradation or potential component failure from abuse." After filtering out the junk and the flakes, he arranged quick, safe meetups (again, favouring police station lots or bank lobbies) and successfully acquired four more promising RTX 4090s, an ASUS TUF, an MSI Suprim, and two Founder's Edition cards, paying his advertised $950 for each.
By the end of Week 9, five high-end graphics cards sat carefully arranged on his desk like technological monoliths. Over the final evenings, using his recharged daily uses, he performed the +1 ritual on the four newly acquired GPUs. The process felt efficient now, less exploratory, more like focused manufacturing. GPU. +1 Stability/Efficiency. Ping. He lined up the five enhanced RTX 4090s, silent, powerful potential waiting to be unleashed, representing thousands of dollars in investment and potentially tens of thousands in profit.
Sunday night. Five enhanced RTX 4090s, benchmark-proven (by proxy) to punch far above their weight class. He finalized the listing template for the hardware forums: "Premium RTX 4090 - Verified Silicon Lottery Winner! (5090-Tier Performance)". In the description, he emphasized guaranteed high clock stability and benchmark potential, explicitly mentioning scores comparable to stock RTX 5090s based on his test results. He added the crucial disclaimer: "Will provide anonymized benchmark screenshots (Time Spy/Port Royal) via private message to serious buyers only upon request. No public posting to protect privacy." Plausible deniability mixed with verifiable proof.
Then came the price. He considered $1800, maybe $1900. But then he thought about the market dynamics, the near-impossibility of acquiring an RTX 5090 at anywhere near MSRP, the desperation of enthusiasts wanting top-tier performance now. His enhanced 4090 wasn't just a used card. It was offering performance that was otherwise unavailable or absurdly overpriced. "This isn't just a fast 4090," he reasoned, a calculating glint in his eye. "It's effectively a cut-price 5090 for anyone who can't get the real thing. The value proposition is huge." He set the price firmly: $2000 each. Ambitious, yes, nearly double the used market rate for a standard 4090, but significantly less than a scalped 5090, and justified by the verified performance leap.
His plan was multi-staged. "List one or two first at the fixed $2000 price," he strategized. "Test the market response. If they sell quickly and generate some buzz on the forums, 'Holy crap, this guy's cards actually hit those numbers!' Then I can leverage that momentum." He smiled faintly. "If demand is strong enough, maybe auction the remaining units. Let the enthusiasts fight over them, drive the price even higher."
He didn't post the listings yet. That was for Week 10. But everything was ready. The bikes were history. The silicon era had arrived. He looked at the five GPUs, not just seeing components, but seeing stepping stones, expensive, powerful, potentially controversial stepping stones, on the long, arduous climb towards his billion-dollar summit. The game had changed again.
He updated his ledger, the final numbers reflecting a successful, transformative, if expensive, two weeks.
Theodore Sterling - Financial Ledger (End of Week 9)
Starting Balance (Beginning Week 8): $11,260.62 (Carried over from End of Week 7)
Income (Weeks 8 & 9):
Sale of Bike 5 (Forum Buyer): +$4200.00 (Week 9)
Total Income: +$4200.00
Expenses (Weeks 8 & 9):
Rent Paid (Week 8): -$450.00
Living Expenses (Wk 8 @ $500): -$500.00
Rent Paid (Week 9): -$450.00
Living Expenses (Wk 9 @ $500): -$500.00
Bike 5 Purchase: -$980.00
Bike 5 Sourcing Travel (Est.): -$30.00 (Maybe slightly less if found closer)
GPU 1 Purchase: -$900.00
GPU Testing Bribe (Liam): -$20.00
GPU 2 Purchase: -$950.00
GPU 3 Purchase: -$950.00
GPU 4 Purchase: -$950.00
GPU 5 Purchase: -$950.00
GPU Acquisition Travel/Meetups (Est.): -$40.00 (For multiple pickups)
Total Expenses: -$7270.00
Net Change (Weeks 8 & 9): +$4200.00 (Income) - $7270.00 (Expenses) = -$3070.00
Ending Balance (End of Sunday, Week 9): $8190.62
Status:Stable. Successfully pivoted from bikes to GPUs. Significant capital invested in GPU inventory ($4650 total). Bike side-hustle concluded. Cash reserves decreased due to inventory investment but remain sufficient. Next crucial step: successfully selling enhanced GPUs at premium price point. Venture viability hinges on upcoming sales results.