Nasty ebay card

[igam]

I just bought a EVGA XC3 3070 off ebay and it doesn't match its pictures at all. Is it just that dirty or does this look damaged?

[OhioYJ]

3 minutes ago, igam said:

I just bought a EVGA XC3 3070 off ebay and it doesn't match its pictures at all. Is it just that dirty or does this look damaged?

I'd return it, and I'd insist the seller pay for shipping (it doesn't match the pictures). That card has clearly either been wet, or been in a very humid place for an extended amount of time.

 

Even if it works, I wouldn't expect it to have a long life by the looks of it.

[igam]

4 minutes ago, OhioYJ said:

I'd return it, and I'd insist the seller pay for shipping (it doesn't match the pictures). That card has clearly either been wet, or been in a very humid place for an extended amount of time.

 

Even if it works, I wouldn't expect it to have a long life by the looks of it.

Thank you for confirming my thoughts. Probably not gonna bother with another ebay card lol

[bmx6454]

definitely try(or demand)for a return. looks like it has been running on the beach next to the ocean or something lol

[bmx6454]

Just now, igam said:

Thank you for confirming my thoughts. Probably not gonna bother with another ebay card lol

ebay cards aren't a bad idea, just look for trusted sellers with good feedback, and the golden rule of "if it seems to good to be true, it probably is".

[Vishera]

That's not your average dirty GPU,

It has mold, rust, corrosion - This card is doomed.

It looks like it was in contact with water for a long time.

23 minutes ago, igam said:

Thank you for confirming my thoughts. Probably not gonna bother with another ebay card lol

I bought a GPU from ebay in the past - It was in perfect condition, though i have a good sense for finding good sellers

[kb5zue]

The only thing that will eat electronics faster than water, is salt water.  And it looks like this card has been located either very close to the beach somewhere or next to a salt water aquarium.  Either way, do what you can to get it returned to the seller and get your money back because the card does not look like the pictures.  And don't forget to leave remarks with ebay AFTER you get your money back.

[dizmo]

If it was just the dirt and grime I'd say it's fine (just a little gross, but welcome to people), but the rust would be a massive red flag for me.

Just return it and try again. Or don't. More left for me.

[-rascal-]

41 minutes ago, Vishera said:

That's not your average dirty GPU,

It has mold, rust, corrosion - This card is doomed.

It looks like it was in contact with water for a long time.

I bought a GPU from ebay in the past - It was in perfect condition, though i have a good sense for finding good sellers

 

I'm wondering if it was an ex-mining card that was cleaned....with pressure washer + cleaning chemicals.

Then not dried properly, as a result, corrosion / oxidation.

 

[Vishera]

14 minutes ago, -rascal- said:

I'm wondering if it was an ex-mining card that was cleaned....with pressure washer + cleaning chemicals.

It's possible

14 minutes ago, -rascal- said:

Then not dried properly, as a result, corrosion / oxidation.

If it was a pressure washer then it's also possible that it wasn't dried at all.

42 minutes ago, dizmo said:

If it was just the dirt and grime I'd say it's fine (just a little gross, but welcome to people), but the rust would be a massive red flag for me.

Just return it and try again. Or don't. More left for me.

Dirt? - The white stuff is mold, the green stuff is corrosion, it's not just rust...

And those can damage the metal as well not just the rust.

[dizmo]

4 minutes ago, Vishera said:

Dirt? - The white stuff is mold, the green stuff is corrosion, it's not just rust...

And those can damage the metal as well not just the rust.

You can't tell that it's mold from those pictures. There's a lot of caked on dust in those pictures as well. Not just the white stuff on the back plate.

Fun fact; rust is a form of corrosion.

[Vishera]

4 minutes ago, dizmo said:

You can't tell that it's mold from those pictures. There's a lot of caked on dust in those pictures as well.

It isn't dust... It's caked in mold.

[dizmo]

1 minute ago, Vishera said:

It isn't dust... It's caked in mold.

Severe dust looks exactly the same. There is no way you can tell that from the pictures.

[Vishera]

Just now, dizmo said:

Severe dust looks exactly the same.

It doesn't, well at least to me...

There are similarities in how they look, but they do look different enough to me that i can spot them.

If it's differences in the way they are attached to the card or their texture.

Mold attaches itself firmly to the object while dust is loosely attached and as you can see there isn't much between the thins but rather on the thins themselves - that's not how dust builds up

The white color is not common in computer dust, and furthermore the flaky texture doesn't match the texture of dust.

 

This is defintely mold and not dust:

[dizmo]

9 minutes ago, Vishera said:

It doesn't, well at least to me...

There are similarities in how they look, but they do look different enough to me that i can spot them.

If it's differences in the way they are attached to the card or their texture.

Mold attaches itself firmly to the object while dust is loosely attached and as you can see there isn't much between the thins but rather on the thins themselves - that's not how dust builds up

The white color is not common in computer dust, and furthermore the flaky texture doesn't match the texture of dust.

 

This is defintely mold and not dust:

You've clearly not had a card that's been in an incredibly dusty environment. I've had cards that look exactly like that from homes of heavy smokers; it's just dust, and likely other particulate build up. I've had dust so dense that it had to be scrubbed out of heatsink fins, it doesn't simply blow away.

[Mick Naughty]

If it didnt match the pics, I'd dispute it. I assume there werent any pics with the serial number and stuff like that?
If it doesnt work out, could always skip the air cooler and put a block on it. Best option regardless of how it turns out. 

[CommanderAlex]

3 hours ago, bmx6454 said:

definitely try(or demand)for a return. looks like it has been running on the beach next to the ocean or something lol

I honestly thought someone had a bag of flour drop and rip open on top of this graphics card. 

 

...or you can say some other "bag" of your imagination ripped open on this graphics card.

[PriitM]

7 hours ago, bmx6454 said:

ebay cards aren't a bad idea, just look for trusted sellers with good feedback, and the golden rule of "if it seems to good to be true, it probably is".

Exactly, ebay still has good sellers. But the balance has shifted towards scummy. Hence all of the warnings to potential buyers. Personally, I would not buy any RTX30 series card from any second hand market. Theres just too many red flags to count, for the average consumer to look out for. So, seasoned second hand market people dumb the answer down to a simple "not werf at all". 
I would say a good rule of thumb AFTER a mining boom is: agree to meet the seller in person and have the card perform an HOUR while gaming! Compared to the DAYS or even WEEKS of dealing with returns, an hour is a very reasonable demand to make...

[Fendrick]

Never seen dust that looks like cocaine before.