Buying GPU's that were used for Bitcoin Mining...

[j03h4gLund]

Should you ever buy a GPU that was used for mining?

Is it possible to check if a GPU was used for mining?

Any other advice when it comes to gamers looking for bargains on expensive GPU's?

I just paid $460 on a Manufacturer Refurbished PNY GTX 1080 Founders Edition and I'm unsure if it was used for mining but I have my suspicions. The price on Newegg is around $650 so I took the risk and am asking questions later. Perhaps not the smartest decision, but I do plan on immediately running some benchmarks on the card, as it came with a 14 day full-refund/replacement guarantee form the seller, who also had a 100% rating, not that that's saying much...

Thanks in advance for any advice.

 

[ozzy702]

Should you ever buy a GPU that was used for mining?

Is it possible to check if a GPU was used for mining?

Any other advice when it comes to gamers looking for bargains on expensive GPU's?

I just paid $460 on a Manufacturer Refurbished PNY GTX 1080 Founders Edition and I'm unsure if it was used for mining but I have my suspicions. The price on Newegg is around $650 so I took the risk and am asking questions later. Perhaps not the smartest decision, but I do plan on immediately running some benchmarks on the card, as it came with a 14 day full-refund/replacement guarantee form the seller, who also had a 100% rating, not that that's saying much...

Thanks in advance for any advice.

1080's aren't all that popular for mining.

In the past year I've had 3 480s, a 470 and two 1070s die. Always undervolted/underclocked but with hefty memory overclocks. I think the memory just gives up the ghost eventually. I personally have tried to only sell GPUs to other miners and am upfront about it and if someone buys a card from me and it goes bad I'll warranty it for them (happened once).

No way to check it if was mined on. I personally wouldn't buy a used gpu unless it was for mining.

 

[EXCellR8]

the fact that there's a two week warranty sort of raises a red flag because it could certainly last a few weeks and then just die, kind of the risk you run but I'd hammer the hell out of it in the mean time. the problem here is if you end up getting a replacement, it probably wont be much better. I'd say if you end up having a problem get a full refund and then move on, good luck!

 

[cfenton]

I'd buy a GPU from someone who used it for mining and gaming. I'd be a lot more hesitant if it was used only for mining. I use my GPU to mine at night when I'm not using it and electricity is cheap, but I don't mess with the clocks or voltage at all because I'm not looking to maximize my mining performance. I bought the card to play games, but if it can pay for itself over time, why not? At worst, I've put some extra stress on the fans, which is an easy and relatively cheap fix.

A card that has been bios flashed to perform way outside of manufacturers spec to improve mining performance is a whole other thing. I'd stay away from those unless they were dirt cheap.

 

[Charlie22911]

In my opinion it is hard to say. Most undervolt and run fans at a higher speed, and 24/7 for the most part. That means increased wear on the fans, but I'd argue that everything else will be in better shape for a couple reasons.
Firstly, running 24/7 means far fewer thermal cycles. Secondly, higher fan speeds means lower temperatures.

As a disclaimer, I currently mine with a number of GPUs dedicated to the task.

 

[littleg]

Someone with more knowledge than me can probably clear this up but isn't the main danger failing fans? If so then it's a simple and cheap enough task to put some new fans on the card, you'd still be well ahead financially.

 

[Qwertilot]

Do wonder if there shouldn't be some sort of collective action here - if selling used GFX cards is a big chunk of what makes the financials of mining make sense, and mining is really messing with GFX card prices then........

 

[Guru]

It really depends, if it was used 100% for mining and it was a serious mining rig then a big NO, but if it was used occasionally for mining, then it wouldn't be a big problem.

But yeah, generally when used for mining it is running at 100% for a long time, and using the fan consistently for a long time, so certainly it drains the life of the GPU and fan.

 

[Hi-Fi Man]

The fans are definitely the main thing to look out for. When I got my VaporX Radeon 290, Radeon 7870 XT, and Radeon 390x reference (ugh), one of the fans on the VaporX was completely dead and the fan on the 7870 XT was making some crazy sounds and struggling to move (due to massive amounts of dust). These cards were bought from a miner who used them 100% for mining and now I use them for mining as well. Fans, the only moving part, are the least reliable part on a graphics card.

 

[Elfear]

I'll echo what a few others have said that the fans are the only part I would worry about unless the miner was running the cards overvolted (haven't heard of any that do so as it's less profitable generally). I've got 3 rigs mining away, all the GPUs are undervolted and the fans are only hitting 2000rpm or so. None of the fans make any noise and haven't had any issues with card reliability.

If I was buying a used mining GPU, I'd want to see some pics to make sure the seller cleaned it regularly (maybe a short video of the card running if possible) and I'd expect a small discount over a used non-mining card but otherwise I wouldn't hesitate to buy one.

 

[j03h4gLund]

Figured I'd update the thread since it gained a bit of interest. Ran some benchmarks - seems pretty solid, right? Specs in sig..''

EDIT: Does it matter if the benchmark software was installed on a storage drive instead of SSD?

 

[fleshconsumed]

Unfortunately it's a lottery. I'd have no problem buying mining card that has been underclocked/undervolted and properly cooled i.e. open air case with additional fans pointed at it. I'd never buy a mining card that's been on a "suicide run" overclocked to the max and poorly cooled. Unfortunately, there is no way to know which one it is.

 

[Avalon]

I'd buy a card that was used for Ethereum mining and was underclocked/undervolted and well cooled. Not one that was overclocked/overvolted and/or inside a closed case.

 

[2is]

I just bought a 1060 that was mined on for about 6 months. Haven't received it yet, but the price was right and still under warranty. We'll see what happens when I receive it this week.