7950/7970 worth it?

[lufihengr]

So I have seen many 7950's and 7970's going for under 50 bucks that are 1-2 years old.

 

Would it be worth to get one of these, since I am thinking about a Pentium "K" build? How much life do they have left in them? At least another 2 years right? Some of them might have been mining so I don't know how long they would last

 

Any input appreciated

[Speedstack79]

50 bucks? wtf where

[Cacao]

50$ r u srs

 

Buy as many as you possibly can and start mining babeh!!

[PC-NOOB]

Grab them! The new R9 series is essentially a rebadged 7950/7970

[lufihengr]

50 bucks? wtf where

 

 

50$ r u srs

 

Buy as many as you possibly can and start mining babeh!!

 

 

Grab them! The new R9 series is essentially a rebadged 7950/7970

 

 

Well that wasn't a hard decision

[AlwaysFSX]

Given they're $50 it's either a ripoff and those aren't the real card or they were used for mining and will die on you soon.

[UnknownEngineer]

If they are actual 7950/7970's that are in working condition then yes. But considering the price they are either fake or BSOD magnets and will die soon.

EDIT: Just a side question, where have you seen them, witch site.

[flibberdipper]

Where the hell are you getting them that cheap? They're still a great card for the money.

[Cacao]

Given they're $50 it's either a ripoff and those aren't the real card or they were used for mining and will die on you soon.

Probably, but in the off chance that it's some idiot that has no idea what he's doing selling them, he should buy a few and start mining.

[ViruZ_HUN]

which site? how many?

[lufihengr]

Given they're $50 it's either a ripoff and those aren't the real card or they were used for mining and will die on you soon.

 

 

If they are actual 7950/7970's that are in working condition then yes. But considering the price they are either fake or BSOD magnets and will die soon.

EDIT: Just a side question, where have you seen them, witch site.

 

 

Where the hell are you getting them that cheap? They're still a great card for the money.

 

 

Probably, but in the off chance that it's some idiot that has no idea what he's doing selling them, he should buy a few and start mining.

 

I found them on ebay..... one was an auction that was ending in 2 hours and it was at under 20 dollars. I will see how the bidding war goes at the end but I don't think it will go too far.

[SlaughterSmurf]

So I have seen many 7950's and 7970's going for under 50 bucks that are 1-2 years old.

 

Would it be worth to get one of these, since I am thinking about a Pentium "K" build? How much life do they have left in them? At least another 2 years right? Some of them might have been mining so I don't know how long they would last

 

Any input appreciated

Eh $50 for a mining card is fine, won't last you more than a few months but who cares since you can buy like 6 of them for the price of a new one.

[lufihengr]

Eh $50 for a mining card is fine, won't last you more than a few months but who cares since you can buy like 6 of them for the price of a new one.

They haven't been running at more than 65C apparently. And he said he just changed the fans.

[SymphonyX7]

They've probably been mined to death if they're selling it for well under $100.  :lol: There's a very good chance they will conk out after half a year, especially if you still overclock them. Just a warning.

[lufihengr]

They've probably been mined to death if they're selling it for well under $100.  :lol: There's a very good chance they will conk out after half a year, especially if you still overclock them. Just a warning.

Well, for that price I might just risk it. I won't go bankrupt

[SymphonyX7]

Well, for that price I might just risk it. I won't go bankrupt

Now that you mention it, $50 for 60 FPS 1080p gaming on ultra settings on most games for the next 6 to 9 months doesn't sound bad.   When the new cards from AMD and Nvidia come out, that's the time you can probably splurge for something over $300.

[Speedstack79]

I found them on ebay..... one was an auction that was ending in 2 hours and it was at under 20 dollars. I will see how the bidding war goes at the end but I don't think it will go too far.

ooh, they always sky rocket the last 5 minutes... if it stays cheap I would get it, I bought a 270x that was used or mining, lasted for more than 6 months then I sold it, I then bought another 280x that was used for mining, its been 2 months no problems. I also got another gpu I forgot which one but it was used for mining, lasted me 2+ years until I gave it to my friend. Everyone is saying how it will last 6 months, come one they are more durable than that (assuming they were not running at 80+c)

 

I was watching a 6970 back when gpu mining was popular, there was 10 minutes left, price was 45$, last 60 seconds the bidding war commenced, auction ended at a little over 200$

[lufihengr]

Now that you mention it, $50 for 60 FPS 1080p gaming on ultra settings on most games for the next 6 to 9 months doesn't sound bad.   When the new cards from AMD and Nvidia come out, that's the time you can probably splurge for something over $300.

I probably won't spend that much on a GPU for a build with a Pentium But I won't be too bummed if it dies before the winter anyway.

 

ooh, they always sky rocket the last 5 minutes... if it stays cheap I would get it, I bought a 270x that was used or mining, lasted for more than 6 months then I sold it, I then bought another 280x that was used for mining, its been 2 months no problems. I also got another gpu I forgot which one but it was used for mining, lasted me 2+ years until I gave it to my friend. Everyone is saying how it will last 6 months, come one they are more durable than that (assuming they were not running at 80+c)

 

As I said these have been running outside of a case at 65C, they should have some life left.

[SlaughterSmurf]

They haven't been running at more than 65C apparently. And he said he just changed the fans.

Temperature is not the only factor in terms of stability.

[lufihengr]

Temperature is not the only factor in terms of stability.

I know, but they shouldn't have degraded as much compared to running hotter.

[SlaughterSmurf]

I know, but they shouldn't have degraded as much compared to running hotter.

He also could have lied, it would require a miracle for a tahiti based GPU to run at 65 while mining... I don't mean to rain on your parade, just saying it won't last you 2 years if it was mining for any significant period of time.

[SkilledRebuilds]

For $50 I'd do it, You could spend more and get less.

It only $50 anyway.. and for that performance, even if it isn't long lasting... Beats any other $50 investment you can make on your PC.

[SymphonyX7]

He also could have lied, it would require a miracle for a tahiti based GPU to run at 65 while mining... I don't mean to rain on your parade, just saying it won't last you 2 years if it was mining for any significant period of time.

It could be a lie, but it's still believable. Depending on your configuration (which I'm not familiar with, I don't mine), you can actually put a reasonable ceiling and still get over 700 Kh/s with the R9 280X (Tahiti XT). My friends who mined Litecoin put a 70C ceiling. They had great aircooling, but still. That's why the dual UEFI BIOS on the R9 280X is very helpful for miners.

[Speedstack79]

Just for reference since a 7970 has a 250 watt tdp, my old 6970(also 250 watt tdp) ran at around 74c as a mining rig, but the ambient temp was hot so I guess if the ambient temp was low 65c is possible

[SkilledRebuilds]

Just for reference since a 7970 has a 250 watt tdp, my old 6970(also 250 watt tdp) ran at around 74c as a mining rig, but the ambient temp was hot so I guess if the ambient temp was low 65c is possible

My Overclocked 7950 (1220/1350) under load pushed out a normal MAXtemp of 65-67*c - Room temps are usually 22-25*c

I've seen a few 7950's with higher stock voltage that quickly rise to 70*c but level out thereabouts...at 72*c

Some models have 1.256v on the core, some have lower.