Previously Mined on GPU Value?
Posted by thewatermellon@reddit | buildapc | View on Reddit | 12 comments
I have a friend with a few 3090 FEs and assorted 3080s (gigabyte, asus tuf, msi) that he used for mining, but they're now collecting dust.
I'm thinking about snagging one as an upgrade for my PC - hoping this will be a good way to extend my PC's life while I wait for AM5 pricing to come down. I figure for my use cases (mostly VR sim racing, but I also play some games at 3440x1440 like helldivers, maybe red dead or cyberpunk at some point), I don't think my CPU shouldn't hurt me too much outside maybe Beamng VR. (current pc 2070super + 9600k)
I'm not sure what to offer (USD) however, since no one online usually admits to selling mining cards in their listings. I'm not sure how long they were used for, but he claims not long. He's also offered to let me take a few home and test them out. They look like they're in ok shape from photos, just very dusty.
What sort of wear should I be looking for on a mining GPU? Are there specific tests that I can run to determine any levels of wear other than something like geekbench?
Essa_ea@reddit
Tell him to define (not for so long), that could be a year non stop. Personally i sold mining gpus in the past for 10% less of the actual price because they worked only for two weeks n were in great condition, also i told the buyers about this.
Honestly I'd skip those gpus, or I'd buy for not more than 150-200$ max.
If you are willin to buy then run a stress test on those gpus, focus on the fans rpm, noise that come out of them and temperature. Also try couple of games with very good graphics on max settings and monitor how they perform.
thewatermellon@reddit (OP)
Good call on fan noise. I'm able to test before buying, so no worries there. I figure my worst case is I need to re-paste, unless there are fans on the fritz like you mention.
Based on what he told me, I'm guessing he only did it for a few months before the power bill got too high.
https://imgur.com/a/sxBMAHi
Essa_ea@reddit
Yeah from the look of em, they pretty worked for long time. You might need to replace those fans because mining and gaming are different, they're gonna heat up
Matt0706@reddit
They should be completely fine. You could run furmark as a stress test.
Technically the constant temperature of mining is less damaging than the heating and cooling cycles of normal use.
Hateless_@reddit
Except for the fans. Make sure you can find replacements.
machinationstudio@reddit
I've gamed on a few former mining cards and they've been fine.
Repaste, test and go.
9okm@reddit
Eh. How dusty? Upload a photo. That's not a great indicator of someone who takes care of their stuff.
thewatermellon@reddit (OP)
https://imgur.com/a/sxBMAHi
Here's the photos he sent me. I've repasted my GPU before, so that could be a good negotiating point if I'm seeing high temps. Thanks!
9okm@reddit
Dust could be worse, lol. The last one is a bit scary, but the rest aren’t tooooo bad.
Yeah, just test one. I’d want to blow it out with an electric duster or something beforehand…
Xcissors280@reddit
Is probably replace the thermal paste and clean out the heat sinks
But most mining and enterprise cards I’ve seen are in pretty good shape
Elitefuture@reddit
Mined cards are fine if they were cooled properly, undervolted ones are even better
PM-Your-Fuzzy-Socks@reddit
depends. was he a good caretaker while mining? if so, they might be better than a similar length of time gaming. if he pushed them to the limit then probably looking at some more lost value but it’ll be hard to tell. just have him run 3dmark and compare to average 3090 scores