I didn't want to to post anything until the package arrived, but last Friday I was poking around on Amazon looking for any deals on GPUs (new or used). 290s, 980s, etc. and came across a couple different deals that seemed decent enough. Amazon was selling a used (like new) EVGA GTX 970 for $258, which is just about $80 off retail. Not bad, I thought. But then I noticed it wasn't from Amazon, but a 3rd-party seller eWholesaler.com, which I had never heard of.
I began digging into reviews of the seller and ended up on their website, poking around some more. Based out of Michigan, good reviews, but then I saw it. EVGA 04G-P4-2974-KR SC ACX 2.0 GTX 970 for $120.00. WTF no way. I click on the link and the model number, SKU, UPC, descriptions, and images all match up. GTFO. After some internal debate and talking it over with my wife, I ordered two of them. I made it all the way to the check out, selected USPS 2-day shipping and it came out to a total of $264 for two of them.
The site gave no indication as to their condition - new? used? nonfunctioning? But the site had a "satisfaction guaranteed" and "quality products", so I figured worst case scenario I have fraud protection on my credit card. I spun the proverbial wheel of fate.
I made my purchase on Friday, the day before Independence Day, so I assumed it wouldn't ship that day. In fact, I didn't even get a confirmation email of my purchase until Monday along with the tracking number. At this point, I just assumed I would get a box of dildos or something completely the opposite of what I ordered, so I was prepared for the worst. USPS finally dropped the box last night and...
They were clearly used, one was missing the backplate entirely, one literally smelled like dog crap, the other one was dusty and had a loose plastic shroud. If I didn't know better, I'd say they were thrown down the stairs and peed on by cats. Still, the boxes contained all the other materials, posters, adapters, stickers, manuals, etc. They were in fact - as advertised - GTX 970 SC ACX 2.0 cards.
I bought two - one for me and one for Mrs. Danger - so I placed them in our identical 3570K/Z77/32GB workstations. Both booted. Both passed stress testing with no artifacts. Both were quiet and stayed around 78C (it was warm in the room). The best part? Both were running over 1500MHz out of the box!
For all I know, they'll both explode within a couple weeks. I'll probably downclock them a bit just in case - and to drop the ambient temps in the room when we're both playing - but so far the gamble paid off.
For now, my GPU quest is over until Pascal and Arctic Islands arrive. I'm able to do the 144Hz 1080p gaming I enjoy (in most games I play) and get HDMI 2.0 for moderate 4K gaming on the big screen. I bought a 970 several months ago, but the stuttering at the high end wasn't worth the cost of the card and I was able to return it. For $120, though, I can lower my expectations just a little.
I began digging into reviews of the seller and ended up on their website, poking around some more. Based out of Michigan, good reviews, but then I saw it. EVGA 04G-P4-2974-KR SC ACX 2.0 GTX 970 for $120.00. WTF no way. I click on the link and the model number, SKU, UPC, descriptions, and images all match up. GTFO. After some internal debate and talking it over with my wife, I ordered two of them. I made it all the way to the check out, selected USPS 2-day shipping and it came out to a total of $264 for two of them.
The site gave no indication as to their condition - new? used? nonfunctioning? But the site had a "satisfaction guaranteed" and "quality products", so I figured worst case scenario I have fraud protection on my credit card. I spun the proverbial wheel of fate.
I made my purchase on Friday, the day before Independence Day, so I assumed it wouldn't ship that day. In fact, I didn't even get a confirmation email of my purchase until Monday along with the tracking number. At this point, I just assumed I would get a box of dildos or something completely the opposite of what I ordered, so I was prepared for the worst. USPS finally dropped the box last night and...
They were clearly used, one was missing the backplate entirely, one literally smelled like dog crap, the other one was dusty and had a loose plastic shroud. If I didn't know better, I'd say they were thrown down the stairs and peed on by cats. Still, the boxes contained all the other materials, posters, adapters, stickers, manuals, etc. They were in fact - as advertised - GTX 970 SC ACX 2.0 cards.
I bought two - one for me and one for Mrs. Danger - so I placed them in our identical 3570K/Z77/32GB workstations. Both booted. Both passed stress testing with no artifacts. Both were quiet and stayed around 78C (it was warm in the room). The best part? Both were running over 1500MHz out of the box!
For all I know, they'll both explode within a couple weeks. I'll probably downclock them a bit just in case - and to drop the ambient temps in the room when we're both playing - but so far the gamble paid off.
For now, my GPU quest is over until Pascal and Arctic Islands arrive. I'm able to do the 144Hz 1080p gaming I enjoy (in most games I play) and get HDMI 2.0 for moderate 4K gaming on the big screen. I bought a 970 several months ago, but the stuttering at the high end wasn't worth the cost of the card and I was able to return it. For $120, though, I can lower my expectations just a little.