Plain-language facts about what these cards really are, the risks, and the seller tricks to watch for
“DMA cards” are usually standard FPGA development boards. They plug into PCIe and can read/write your PC’s memory directly. Sellers rebrand these boards and market them for cheating.
Most of the so‑called firmware comes from the open‑source PCILeech project with small tweaks (branding, IDs). It enables memory access over PCIe; it’s not proprietary “magic.”
These devices are sold to cheat in games. While they work below the OS, anti‑cheats still find ways to detect them through device checks, behavior analysis, and ban waves.
The DMA card connects to your computer via a PCIe slot, appearing as a legitimate hardware device to the system.
Using DMA technology, the card can read and write directly to RAM without going through the CPU or OS, making it invisible to most security software.
Often paired with a second computer, the DMA card allows cheats to run on an entirely separate system, reading game memory in real-time.
FPGA chips can be reprogrammed to mimic legitimate hardware devices (network cards, capture cards, etc.) to avoid detection.
Resellers rebrand boards as “35T / 75T / 100T” with their own name and big markups. Only specific devices have official PCILeech support—always check the Supported Devices on the official repo (see our PCILeech page). If pricing/specs don’t match that list, it’s just reseller markup or a scam.
Cards sold through Discord, Telegram, or shady websites instead of legitimate electronics retailers are major red flags.
Many FPGA boards/chips (35T / 75T / 100T families) are openly sold on large marketplaces like AliExpress and Taobao. Buying direct can avoid Discord dropshipper markups—but always verify specs and compare with the official PCILeech Supported Devices list to ensure compatibility.
Sellers who refuse to provide specific model numbers, firmware versions, or detailed specifications are hiding something.
Legitimate FPGA boards are marketed to developers and engineers, not gamers. Gaming-focused marketing is suspicious.
Any hardware advertised as "undetectable by anti-cheat" is explicitly designed for cheating purposes.
Cards with removed branding, relabeled chips, or custom firmware are being concealed for a reason.
Most so‑called "DMA cards" are standard FPGA development boards repackaged with pre-built PCILeech bitstreams. You're not getting magic hardware; you're paying for a preconfigured research tool mis-marketed for cheating.
DMA reads memory over PCIe outside Windows. There’s no special Windows driver required. “Driver” talk is usually just a control app, not a magic bypass.
PCIe + DMA enable it. Protections like IOMMU/VT‑d and BIOS/firmware settings can limit DMA. Sellers rarely mention this because it hurts sales.
"DMA cards are completely undetectable"
Modern anti-cheat systems are increasingly capable of detecting DMA cards through PCIe device enumeration, suspicious memory access patterns, and hardware fingerprinting.
"All capture cards are DMA devices"
Legitimate capture cards (Elgato, AVerMedia, etc.) do not have DMA capabilities. They're designed specifically for video capture with proper drivers and certifications.
"DMA cards are legal to own and use"
While owning FPGA hardware isn't illegal, using DMA cards to cheat violates game ToS, can result in permanent bans, and may violate computer fraud laws in some jurisdictions.
"You need expensive hardware knowledge to use them"
Many DMA cards are sold with pre-configured firmware and "plug-and-play" software, making them accessible to users with no technical knowledge.
"A special driver is required for DMA cheating to work"
DMA interacts with memory over PCIe without needing a host OS driver. Many sellers promote a "driver" to look legitimate, but the core memory access works outside the OS using PCILeech-like tooling.
"Secure Boot or TPM must be disabled for DMA to function"
Secure Boot and TPM protect boot integrity and attestation; they do not stop external PCIe DMA by themselves. Technologies like IOMMU/VT‑d and proper BIOS/firmware configuration are what mitigate DMA attacks.
DMA and FPGA technology has many legitimate applications in cybersecurity research, hardware development, memory forensics, and educational purposes. This site exists to educate, not to facilitate cheating.
If you're interested in FPGA development, consider platforms from Xilinx, Intel (Altera), or Lattice through authorized distributors.