Refurb Gigabyte GTX 970?

[Zodiark1593]

Anyone have any opinions on refurb cards, particularly something like this?

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16814125789&cm_re=gtx_970-_-14-125-789-_-Product

I like the price, (that money saved could be put into a better case or PSU), but the 3 month warranty has me a little nervous. Realistically, it would probably have a better chance of coming DOA than failing in a year, but anyone have experience with refurbs?

 

[OILFIELDTRASH]

In my experience it's usually defective or a very poor overclocker. Pony up the little extra cash and buy a new one.

 

[sam_816]

It only has 90 days warranty from gigabyte and 30 day return period. Not a good deal imo. I bet you can find used one in that price range. Just make sure you buy from a reputed seller. Btw why not a 390?

 

[RaistlinZ]

I stay away from Refurbished products. They were returned for a reason.

 

[Zodiark1593]

It only has 90 days warranty from gigabyte and 30 day return period. Not a good deal imo. I bet you can find used one in that price range. Just make sure you buy from a reputed seller. Btw why not a 390?

I need the CUDA capabilities which is why I need an Nvidia card. I'd have preferred something closer to the $250 range but there is nothing there, unfortunately. Ultimately, I went with a used GTX 960 for $165 (what the new price should have been considering performance/$ value). I couldn't justify breaking the $300 mark.

 

[shady28]

Anyone have any opinions on refurb cards, particularly something like this?

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16814125789&cm_re=gtx_970-_-14-125-789-_-Product

I like the price, (that money saved could be put into a better case or PSU), but the 3 month warranty has me a little nervous. Realistically, it would probably have a better chance of coming DOA than failing in a year, but anyone have experience with refurbs?

I bought a 560 Ti refurb, no issues. My 960 4GB was a $197 open box, but that has full warranty and was a local microcenter so no dealing with RMAs.

The one you linked to, I wouldn't do it. You can get new 970s for only $10 more after rebate. If it was 20% off like my 960, which for a 970 would make it ~$270, that might make it worth taking the risk.

 

[Zodiark1593]

I bought a 560 Ti refurb, no issues. My 960 4GB was a $197 open box, but that has full warranty and was a local microcenter so no dealing with RMAs.

The one you linked to, I wouldn't do it. You can get new 970s for only $10 more after rebate. If it was 20% off like my 960, which for a 970 would make it ~$270, that might make it worth taking the risk.

I ordered the used 960 already. While I don't yet have a desktop to put it in (until August) I'll test it with my neighbor's. Probably throw a render or two at it to make sure it will do the job.

Now, here's a funny part. Due to space constraints, the main display for awhile will be a 720P HDTV. (Don't ask why). While I primarily bought the card for the compute, the card should have no issues whatsoever maxing out everything at 720P during the occasional gaming session.

 

[poofyhairguy]

That's true. You will also be able to play any video you want, the GTX 960 has a monster decode engine.

 

[shady28]

Yeah if you are primarily interested in CUDA compute, the 960/970/980/980 Ti/Titan X are all the same. Really the only reason to go 970+ is AAA gaming at very high / ultra settings with lots of AA.

Like poofy said the decoder is a monster. Using MPC-HC player with hardware decode turned on, I can decode / watch a 4k h.265 60fps video with 1-2% CPU usage. By comparison, the same box with the hybrid decode on my 750 Ti ran my i7 8 threads at ~20-25% watching a 4k video at just 24fps. 60fps decode @4k h.265 wasn't obtainable.

 

[Zodiark1593]

Yeah if you are primarily interested in CUDA compute, the 960/970/980/980 Ti/Titan X are all the same. Really the only reason to go 970+ is AAA gaming at very high / ultra settings with lots of AA.

Like poofy said the decoder is a monster. Using MPC-HC player with hardware decode turned on, I can decode / watch a 4k h.265 60fps video with 1-2% CPU usage. By comparison, the same box with the hybrid decode on my 750 Ti ran my i7 8 threads at ~20-25% watching a 4k video at just 24fps. 60fps decode @4k h.265 wasn't obtainable.

The CUDA application in question is the Cycles engine in Blender (as of this time, CUDA >>> OpenCL). I would definitely see the results of a faster card first-hand. That is why this was such a difficult choice.

Wondering if I should re-encode my anime blu-ray sets to h.265 to cut down on size (currently encoded to 300 MB per ep x 70 episodes), though the caveat would mean using software playback on my mobile devices (though the Snapdragon 800 should have enough cpu to do so). Would be a great way to put the new cpu to work.

 

[shady28]

The CUDA application in question is the Cycles engine in Blender (as of this time, CUDA >>> OpenCL). I would definitely see the results of a faster card first-hand. That is why this was such a difficult choice.

Wondering if I should re-encode my anime blu-ray sets to h.265 to cut down on size (currently encoded to 300 MB per ep x 70 episodes), though the caveat would mean using software playback on my mobile devices (though the Snapdragon 800 should have enough cpu to do so). Would be a great way to put the new cpu to work.

Snap 800 doesn't have h.265 in hardware. Have to move up to Snap 801 for that. Software might be good enough depending on resolution, not sure.

 

[Zodiark1593]

Well, I got my EVGA SSC GTX 960. It was sold as used for ~$165 on Amazon, but it looks like the card was never used, nor even so much as plugged in. I examined it closely and could not find any traces of dust, and even the PCI-e connector looks like it had never contacted anything, and even the protective plastic is still on the card. The only thing is the additional power connectors were outside the anti-static bag, but otherwise, I'd say this thing is brand-spanking new.

I suppose I shouldn't hold my breath until I actually power it on, though fron what I understand, the warranty carries over on used cards.