Best graphics card on the used market?

[AthrunZ]

Hey Guys,

 

Seeking some advice on graphics cards - specifically, used ones.

I finally got some time in my work/life balance to dust off my super old PC with a 6770 in it and realized I want to play, well, more modern games. so here I am - The problem is, I game so infrequently I can't justify the "new" expense.

I decided to build a "new to me" pc with parts I could find/scavenge/haggle from craigslist over the last month or so, and so far I have a processor / SSD / RAM / Motherboard for around $200 used - my next step is of course the graphics card.

 

Originally I was hoping to keep the whole thing below $300, but I'm starting to think that $100 is too little, even for a used card these days.

So what do you guys think I should look for? Should I just bite the bullet, up my budget to $150/$170, and just buy new?

It seems to me that the used market is saturated with overpriced crappy cards, while decent used cards like the RX470/480 are only a few bucks less than a good sale on Newegg (really?!).

 

A few quick notes:

1. Overclocking is fine with me, I'm comfortable doing that and have been for years.

2. I don't care if it's AMD or Nvidia - just as long as it'll play reasonable AAA titles at medium/high (1080p)

3. Don't worry about the rest of my system - I have parts from my old/other systems I'll Frankenstein in (power supply, HDDs, heatsinks, fans, case, etc)

4. I program a LOT on multiple (3) monitors, so I would like to have ALL of these: DVI-D, HDMI and a DP otherwise I'll have to buy more adapters / cables, which I'm trying to avoid. If it's a sick deal, then I'll suck it up.

 

FYI - intentionally leaving out the CPU & such to avoid comments on what I should have gotten there - I'd just like some graphics card advice please

[PCMR Ricos]

I would get an RX470

[Shiv78]

Maybe an R9 380 or 390, GTX 970, 780/Ti, or a Fury if you can find one that low

[bgibbz]

8 minutes ago, AthrunZ said:

while decent used cards like the RX470/480 are only a few bucks less than a good sale on Newegg (really?!).

The rx 470/480 literally just launched, any used product is going to be more or less new. If you want to buy used, look on craiglist, in my experience they have the best deals. Aim for a last generation card, not a current gen one.

[dual290x]

You might want to check out a 780ti or a 950 or 960. I have a 980 and I can run GTA V on almost everything at the highest with AA MSAA etc. on at least 2x and get 45-60 fps.

 

For AMD I'd say a R9 290(x) with an aftermarket cooler. the R9 390 is a decent card as well. Try to stay away from reference coolers unless you don't mind the noise.

 

That is just my opinion before doing any research. Check out Linus' video on "Can It Run Crysis" it features old cards.

[TheRandomness]

R9 290(X)s that have aftermarket coolers will still be useful for a long time to come. I'd say that's your best bet for anywhere between $100 and $150.

[david cassar]

r9 290 or gtx 970 should be found under 200$ nowadays 

[corrado33]

On my local craigslist (in an admittedly "country" setting) the cheapest cards worth buying were going for $100 and slightly above. Anything below that was cheap crap that wasn't worth it.

 

Anything this generation was going for ~$20 less than new, which was bullcrap. 

 

I ended up scoring a very clean 960 for $100. I was pretty happy with that. 

 

People seem to think used cards (especially older ones) are worth far more than they actually are. The 960 was $10-$20 less than completed ebay listings for 960s (not including shipping) so I think I got a good deal. 

[smokefest]

Best graphic card in the used market is  1080 used. eazy question

[Shiv78]

Just now, smokefest said:

Best graphic card in the used market is  1080 used. eazy question

no Titan XP used bundled with 3 more

[smokefest]

Just kiddin, one great used card is gtx 970, wich can be found near 180$

[Mick Naughty]

How about a pair of 770 classifieds? 

[scottyseng]

I think a 780 Ti or 970 (Probably the 970 for power efficiency). Do check for 1060 6GB though, those are getting pretty low as well when on sale.

 

If you want to pay up more, see if you can get a good price on a used 980 Ti (They kind of got overrun by the 1070)

[AthrunZ]

Thanks everyone - sounds like the 970 / 980 is a good choice to start looking at and there are plenty out there, but they seem to be pulling in around $150 on craigslist (in NY at least), so I'll definitely have to keep my eye out for a lower priced one whenever it comes back up.

 

Loved the idea of dual 770 classified cards, and as luck would have it I actually found a set of 770 cards here on craigslist pretty local for $100.

Edit: I guess one was sold - bummer!

 

14 hours ago, bgibbz said:

The rx 470/480 literally just launched, any used product is going to be more or less new. If you want to buy used, look on craiglist, in my experience they have the best deals. Aim for a last generation card, not a current gen one.

Yeah, I knew they were still new, but I guess I had hope that depreciation was as instant on these as everything I seem to buy, haha.

[Space Reptile]

GTX 750 - 60€

R9 290 - 120€

R9 270 - 50€

HD 6870 - 20€

 

 

that's the deals I have made and the prices of the cards ,

you can add about +/-  5~10€ depending on supply and demand

 

one thing you have to keep in mind is that Nvidia cards are more expensive

a GTX970 and R9 290 are about equal in performance ,

but the 970 is almost twice the price

[Morgan MLGman]

R9 290X should have best price/performance on the used market within its price-range.

[i_build_nanosuits]

17 minutes ago, Morgan MLGman said:

R9 290X should have best price/performance on the used market within its price-range.

i personally think it's a bit tricky to buy an older very high power draw graphics card like the R9 290/290X series...especially that those came out during the bitmining craze and stuff...many of these cards are dead already because they run very hot and generally tend to degrate and die a lot faster because of that.

 

For the same reason i wouldn't buy a GTX 980ti used in 2 years from now either.