i have an untested GPU i bought from a pawn shop, i dont have a testing rig, only my daily drive PC. there probably isn't, is there a way that if this GPU is bad it might cause problems for my PC?
its an OEM model of the PNY 660 from an Alienware PC, raw dogged on the pawnshop shelf no packagingYes.
Consider that there is some sort of damage in the GPU. Perhaps an electrical short that sends electrical current to places or along paths the current should not go.
May have come from a mining rig: if so, could be in very bad shape....
Just for the record: Make, model, version GPU. What packaging, if any?
Condition: dirty, clean, wrapped, any documentation?
All in all you do need a sacrificial system to test the GPU.