tips on buying a used gpu

[laflamey]

So GPU's on my local classifieds are going for pretty cheap right now (obviously used for mining), they have a lot of them as well. Since I've never bought a gpu (or any pc part infact) what are the things I should ask and do in person to make sure the gpu will work fine in the long run? 

[Jimkirk363]

My tip is never buy a GPU thats been used for mining as u can never tell how hard they have been pushed to their limits 24/7 and for how many years.

[dizmo]

Buy EVGA.

[Agonizel]

11 minutes ago, laflamey said:

So GPU's on my local classifieds are going for pretty cheap right now (obviously used for mining), they have a lot of them as well. Since I've never bought a gpu (or any pc part infact) what are the things I should ask and do in person to make sure the gpu will work fine in the long run? 

Nothing - be sure the warranty is still running for another year at the very least. I wouldn't buy a card that has been used for mining, except at a very low price like below 50% MSRP minimum

[laflamey]

2 minutes ago, jimkirk363 said:

My tip is never buy a GPU thats been used for mining as u can never tell how hard they have been pushed to their limits 24/7 and for how many years.

i mean considering its a relatively new card, we can assume it has been used not too long. And they do mention what voltage the gu are run at. Most miners typically run gpu at a low voltage anyway to save on energy costs? (idk i read that somewhere, i'm kind clueless... Unless there is a way to check what voltage /conditions the gou was run at)

[Reznik]

The thing with used hardware is its always a risk. I've alway been lucky and  never been burned but know that it can happen.  If possible see if you can arrange to see the hardware working, sometimes the seller doesn't reply to me as they can't be bothered.  

 

I sold a GTX 970 that worked perfect and card never once showed signs of issues.  A few weeks go by and the guy who purchased it messaged me through my other ads letting me know the card toast and not happy... Just bad luck 

[Agonizel]

1 minute ago, dizmo said:

Buy EVGA

Like the GTX 1070 FTW with the design error in it leading to uncomfortable temps?

Don't get me wrong, EVGA is a good company. But your comment is just useless.

[laflamey]

2 minutes ago, Beer_Nontitju said:

Nothing - be sure the warranty is still running for another year at the very least. I wouldn't buy a card that has been used for mining, except at a very low price like below 50% MSRP minimum

hmmmm you don't think i should ask the seller to run the card infront of me and show me its performance under load?

[Agonizel]

Just now, laflamey said:

hmmmm you don't think i should ask the seller to run the card infront of me and show me its performance under load?

that goes without saying, should I also remind you to breathe ? :b

[laflamey]

1 minute ago, Beer_Nontitju said:

that goes without saying, should I also remind you to breathe ? :b

well i did kinda say i was clueless.... and i'd just assume it would be a hassle for the seller to invite me (presumably) into their house and show me that the card works

[dizmo]

4 minutes ago, Beer_Nontitju said:

Like the GTX 1070 FTW with the design error in it leading to uncomfortable temps?

Don't get me wrong, EVGA is a good company. But your comment is just useless.

Not really. EVGA honors warranties regardless of receipt. So, they're the best company to go with.

[TheDankKoosh]

39 minutes ago, laflamey said:

So GPU's on my local classifieds are going for pretty cheap right now (obviously used for mining), they have a lot of them as well. Since I've never bought a gpu (or any pc part infact) what are the things I should ask and do in person to make sure the gpu will work fine in the long run? 

Just make sure that the card has a decent amount of warranty time left and ask general questions about good mining practices (undervolting, kept cool, clean power). I got a 1070 ti for $285 that's been mined on, and I'm running it overclocked. I'm very comfortable since it still has over 2 years warranty left.

[aezakmi]

32 minutes ago, dizmo said:

Buy EVGA.

 

[Mick Naughty]

If the seller is dedicated, they will show show you it running. All there is to it. 

 

Doesnt matter what it was used for, it’s till used and will perform all the same. 

[TheDankKoosh]

1 minute ago, aezakmi said:

 

Holy shitshow, what happened there? I haven't seen something that bad with the exception of Louis Rossman repairs. Normally I would think of EVGA as a quality brand compared to most of nvidia's aib partners, I feel like having kingpin around usually makes sure that nothing like this usually happens.

[Mick Naughty]

4 minutes ago, TheDankKoosh said:

Holy shitshow, what happened there? I haven't seen something that bad with the exception of Louis Rossman repairs. Normally I would think of EVGA as a quality brand compared to most of nvidia's aib partners, I feel like having kingpin around usually makes sure that nothing like this usually happens.

This was well know fiasco. No way you didn’t hear about it. 

[dizmo]

9 minutes ago, aezakmi said:

 

*slow clap*

Happens to everything. I can literally find pictures from any company like that. Doesn't change the fact they honor warranties with greater ease than most other companies.

[TheDankKoosh]

Just now, Mick Naughty said:

This was well know fiasco. No way you didn’t hear about it. 

Ah, the early pascal models. I was confused from the top pic since it had a 980 ti backplate.

[JustSum]

1 hour ago, laflamey said:

So GPU's on my local classifieds are going for pretty cheap right now (obviously used for mining), they have a lot of them as well. Since I've never bought a gpu (or any pc part infact) what are the things I should ask and do in person to make sure the gpu will work fine in the long run? 

From EVGA when i asked them, 

 

Only if the seller can provide you with the original invoice from where they purchased it from. Otherwise the warranty will not be valid

 

I ordered a 1080 ti used from ebay, i msg the seller about the invoice & i got the invoice.

 

but hey do you, i had a 980 ti gigabyte the capacitor blew up on me, it had a water block & msg gigabyte was told that this can happen & they replaced the card.

 

so far with EVGA=0 problem & i have had 2 1080 ti & 3 1080s.

hek my motherboard is also from evga 0 problems .

[Daniel644]

3 hours ago, jimkirk363 said:

My tip is never buy a GPU thats been used for mining as u can never tell how hard they have been pushed to their limits 24/7 and for how many years.

SO VERY MANY things WRONG with this comment:

1. Unless they tell you you will never know whether a card was mined with or not, so saying not to buy one means you can't buy used at all

2. NO miner worth there shit is "pushing them to there limits", they are REDUCING the POWER LIMIT which greatly reduces heat generation so they are running MUCH cooler then cards used for gaming

3. Any decent miner spends more time cleaning the dust out of the GPU then the average gamer who may NEVER clean the dust out of the heatsinks

4. You can set a maximum time they've been used for by looking up the release date of the GPU so you can put a hard limit on how many years are even possible, if the seller has the original invoice you can just assume from day 1 of them receiving it.

5. Mining GPU's don't get heat cycled constantly like gaming GPU's do which results in less damage to the solder joints from expansion and contraction.

 

there are 2 primary concerns when buying a card used for mining:

1. How high where the fans run at (if kept above 80% assume they will need replacing much sooner then never, so budget for replacement fans which are readily available online)

2. What kind of power limits where the cards run at, higher power limits equal higher heat on the power components like capacitors which could lead to them going bad, they can be replaced if you know what you are doing and have the soldering tools.

 

If the Seller can't answer these 2 questions then RUN AWAY, they probably just cranked everything to teh max, not knowing what they where doing

 

secondary concerns are the warranty terms of the card maker, like does the warranty transfer to the new owner, do you need a copy of the receipt/invoice to file a claim and things like that.

 

Also remember to TEST the card, run some benchmarks, make sure it's working and not artifacting and you should be fine.