Bought a 2nd hand GPU advice.

[kieran1203]

So I just did the one thing I wasn't planning on doing with my build and that was to buy a second hand graphics card.

I bought a b grade R9 280X Toxic from overclockers for £90. 90 day warranty.

Saw it as I was generally looking through their site it was on the clearance 1 in stock so I just grabbed it!!

So when the card does arrive what should I be looking out for? Obviously if it doesn't run or something then it's being returned but is there any other little things I should be looking for? I don't want to have it with an underlying problem that I missed so it breaks on day 91 or something.. lol

Thanks.

 

[Tzn]

First thing test it on a demanding game with full details and look for temperature while gaming, if is too high then be aware that it can die one day.

 

[kieran1203]

First thing test it on a demanding game with full details and look for temperature while gaming, if is too high then be aware that it can die one day.

Ok so if it runs at the temperatures it should then it is more likely to be fine is there anything I can look for?

 

[Ironsounds]

Hello... The only mechanical problem could be a noisy Fan bearing. I like to inspect/replace the thermal grease on a Used card, it needs to be moist for best thermal transfer.

 

[Idonno]

Check to make sure all the ports (HDMI, Mini DisplayPort, DVI) are working then find a benchmark app like 3DMark 11 that will stress the card. Check for heat and stability issues (artifacts, crashes, etc.)

Then check your scores against the results for similar cards.

If all goes well and there is no excessive fan noise or capacitor squeal/coil whine put it through some real world tests (games, Photoshop, browsing, etc.)