[SOLVED] Buying used GPU Advice

[DESOUL]

Hi guys,

I've posted this on reddit but i didn't get much feedback, expect for the opinion of one person. (Thanks to him for that!)

So i'll try and see if i can get any more information here too~


I've been planning to buy a 1080 for a while and recently found someone selling their miner rig with 8 strix 1080 cards for 230$ each, thus im thinking of buying one off them.

Now question is, how do i test out the cards and pick one? What would be the right questions to ask to see if its not a bunch of toasted cards?

The seller also posted some pictures of them running at 100% load with 50c temps
Here is an imgur link

https://imgur.com/a/bgAftHh

Not sure what those msi afterburner numbers mean, if they have been undervolted, overclocked, ect

I've been suggested to run Heaven on them for some time and see how the work, anything i should look specifically for when im benching them?

Any advice is appreciated

Thanks guys

 

[Wolfshadw]

I wouldn't trust any used card that I cannot install and test for myself (or see in person).

-Wolf sends

 

[Remeca]

Most people will say do not buy a used gpu from a miner, but if its a good enough deal, it may be worth the risk. I prefer furmark for testing the GPU, you should be able to create a portable version of that pretty easy. Then just let the seller know you want to test first. Once furmark is running, look for unstable frame rates, temps over 85, and obviously artifacting. Let the test run for a few minutes, and if there are no problems, that would be good enough for me.

 

[tennis2]

If they knew what they were doing, they would've undervolted and/or underclocked the GPUs. Talk to them about that. If they're OCing the cards to mine, I'd walk away.

A card is either going to work or it won't. The biggest unidentifiable risk is the cooling fan. Like any other fan, they have a rated lifespan (hours, but more accurately number of revolutions). If you're getting a card that has been kept cool AND didn't need high fan speeds to do it, that's your best situation.

 

[sizzling]

I think the question is how much money are you willing to risk on an item with no warranty? Even if the card passes all tests today it could still fail in the near future, even tomorrow. You cannot get any assurance that the card won’t fail in the near future but the chances are hopefully low, it’s risk vs reward. I believe you are seeking an answer we cannot provide.

If you want low/no risk then buy brand new with the best warranty you can find.

 

[DESOUL]

I think the question is how much money are you willing to risk on an item with no warranty? Even if the card passes all tests today it could still fail in the near future, even tomorrow. You cannot get any assurance that the card won’t fail in the near future but the chances are hopefully low, it’s risk vs reward. I believe you are seeking an answer we cannot provide.

If you want low/no risk then buy brand new with the best warranty you can find.

Theoretically speaking these cards are made to last for a decade, even if they ran 100% for a year, which is doubtful that the person ran them at full power for the whole year non-stop in my country, they would still have juice for several years in them.

That is in theory, there is always the risk of the card burning out in a month or two, however these cards are no longer produced and a new 2080 in my country costs $1050 - whereas these are giong for $238 each.

I think the risk is well worth the reward - that is not the question that's bothering me, the question is - how can i judge if the cards are operable and aren't worn out...to possibly weed out the worse ones out of the 8 available.