Warning Signs When Buying Used GPUs: How to Detect Defective Video Cards

[@GamersNexus]

We'd love to hear more about our community's experiences with either buying used PC hardware components (GPUs, CPUs, etc.) or helping friends fix their own. There are probably a lot more shared experiences that can help other viewers of the comments section learn and protect themselves from bad purchases. Post them below! This video is following-up our guide on preventative maintenance, dusting, cleaning, & re-pasting video cards: kzbin.info/www/bejne/pGixfpirZbacj80 Grab a GN Toolkit, Mouse Mat, shirt, or GPU anatomy poster here: store.gamersnexus.net/

[@elmoi1795]

rx 570 moment

[@whyeven3722]

I've had nothing but peaches when buying used GPUs. Bought a used Dell OEM RX 570, and it came coated in a thin layer of dust, but working. Probably used to mine, but it worked fine for the time I had it. Current GPU is a used 980 Ti I got used for $200. It was super clean, in the box, and looked like new. 10/10 would buy used GPU again.

[@georgem.6136]

I asked last live stream about you suggesting someone for GPU repair, my issue was I bought a brand new, unopened box card outside the US, The manufacture told me when I immediately reached out there is different warranty regulations depending on what country I live in vs where the card was purchased & to contact the company I purchased from, & literally never to respond to another message from me

[@georgem.6136]

The card caused a D6 post code

[@toysareforboys1]

I bought a used 1080ti, guy showed me running the heaven benchmark no issues. Tried it in two different computers, can't run any games (crashes to desktop) and can't play 4k movies full screen (black screen, sound continues fine, have to reboot to get video back. BUT, it can play 4k movies in a window (even a full screen window) and I can use it for encoding videos no issues.

[@jonathan8087]

2020: NVIDIA/AMD New GPU Press Conference 2021: Used GPU Buyer's Guide

[@PhantomLancer95]

exactly

[@Zunidrap]

2022: You have to kill to get a GPU

[@Kelemeth]

nailed it.

[@badboyuk777]

lol how the times have changed

[@jackalope07]

@Soultaker93 im glad i hodl'd my 2080ti that I bought stupidly close to 3000 series

[@northwestrepair]

#1 Look for a PCB color on the top edge of the PCB. If its looks dark, this card ran hot and likely to be dirty inside. #2 if PCB is dark at the bottom as well, it means it ran hot for a very long time. Almost guaranteed to be a miner card or a gamer who neglected cleaning their rig. #3 Look for a temper proof label. If it isnt there, ask the seller why. You want to know why card was opened. Was it re-pasted or re-padded ? If it runs little too hot, its likely done wrong. Do it the right way with proper pad thickness and paste application. #4 Look for missing serial number or other stickers on the PCB (unless covered by back plate) that indicated previous repairs such as but not limited to removing/replacing components and/or memory and/or GPU its self. How ever, i my own defense, just because its repaired, does not mean its bad. Often times you get brand new components installed which are likely to outlive the cards remaining life so dont hesitate to buy repaired cards. In fact, repaired cards get more attention to testing for performance and stability before selling them then those who just sell them not knowing anything about them.

[@RonaldoFan-de6sg]

Not everyone is kind like you to replace faulty parts of gpu with better parts/components. Most of the card repairs in my country often replace with parts that die in a span of 1 month to 1 year, so everyone here despises buying repaired cards.

[@NP907AK]

"Looks like Linus handled it" 10/10

[@NANOTECHYT]

The ultimate burn

[@coclife9054]

11:43 lmaoo

[@tobalaz]

*mic drop*

[@captainmarino99]

Ha! Got him.

[@ericmann1781]

I was hoping to find this comment.

[@3Runner95]

Sign number 1: guy is selling like 8 of them and claims they have only been used for gaming

[@zwerker]

I had the opposite experience. Sold a GTX 1060 (Asus dual, the white one) earlier this year. After paying for the card the buyer said that he now has eight of them, uses them for mining Ethereum. Never crossed my mind, still kicking myself for not asking.

[@alreed2434]

@@zwerker Probably would have lied to you anyway...

[@PifchoBG]

if u are a miner just sell them one by one dont say u have 8 of them. :D

[@Amusia727]

I bought a 3080 and 3070 at MSRP, saw how much the 3080 was selling for and listed it on eBay. Turns out the buyer was building mining rigs out of them and selling them for even worse prices than scalpers. Currently using my 3070 for mining since I'm too busy to game on it (replacing my Vega 64 which was having issues with new AMD drivers anyway and sold it for as much as I originally paid).

[@sandordugalin8951]

Oh no! He wants to sell me a card that's been running undervolted and hasn't been subjected to expansion and contraction pressures from intermittent uses? Terrible!

[@UndeadFleshgod]

What to look for when buying new GPUs: A miracle

[@afrog2666]

@Joseph L Well he said "NEW GPU`s".. It`s mostly there you need a miracle, and the used market you need trust, or just, take some precautions..

[@priestofsyrinx6681]

New GPUs: A miracle Used GPUs: A deep pocket

[@shrimpfry880]

@@afrog2666 the used market is disgustingly expensive tho

[@Morpheus-pt3wq]

Except having luck while refreshing e-shop websites? Money of course.

[@santiagoferrari1973]

In July the market will grt flooded with used gpus.

[@BogusQuacky]

Tips: If you're buying local, you have NO recourse at all. This means that you should pay 70-90% of the eBay prices if you buy locally. If they won't budge, just remind them you have a "warranty" that it wont be DOA when buying online

[@TimberWulfIsHere]

dont think telling them that you have a warrenty is going to make them drop the price but ok.

[@sstier48]

​@TimberWulfIsHere some people actually don't know that you have a 30 day guarantee through eBay, and want eBay prices..

[@johnm2089]

wtf is a DOA? what do you mean by recourse? What they won't budge what? wtf are you on?

[@Dank_Lulu]

Again, this is timed rather nicely. As far as personal experience goes, I've bought a few used PC items online and the best advice I can give is: go with your gut. If it feels off or sketchy, move on to the next guy.

[@proCaylak]

that's an acquired taste. inexperienced guts are more likely to return with empty hands or empty wallet with empty hands.

[@sandrocarletto9386]

sometimes it works though. i had a guy that wanted to meet in public and sounded hella sketchy. the price was 30% less than most other drives on the market so i just went for it and it works perfect

[@googlegmail4636]

Dank Lulu Why you need old crap? Just keep the GTX 1080 build 3 more years! Why you keep buying????

[@googlegmail4636]

@@proCaylak Just keep the GTX 1080 build 3 more years! SAVE MONEY! why buy crap? acquired taste, you need better security for the porn collection?

[@googlegmail4636]

@@sandrocarletto9386 SAVE MONEY, keep the old GTX 1080 build 3 more years!

[@ek8507]

"its all social stuff. hopefully youve got some skills there." thats asking a fair amount from a tech enthusiast audience (^:

[@LastSecBloomer]

I got my 1080Ti from someone who was mining and it was in good shape, aside from high temps. I stripped the cooler and found out the thermal paste was dried up. I repasted it and it brough down teperatures by nearly 20 degrees...working like a charm for over a year now.

[@fleurdewin7958]

@Romi Not Pascal cards are running hot. It depends on what TDP the card has and how good the cooler is. Low-end cards with very low TDP but with crap coolers also can run hot. Example: GTX 1080 cards have TDP range between 180W to 300W . Of course the 300W TDP will run alot hotter.

[@PifchoBG]

the same thing with my new /old/ 1080. i paid 300$, high temps, after repasting and repading and now its super cool

[@ericmann1781]

@Romi Looking to do the same with mine even though I've only had it for just over 4 years. I did remove the backplate and shove heatsinks on the back of the memory and VRM and wow the latter is hotter to the touch than the memory on the back of the board...But temps actually dropped 2 degrees around the board. I upgraded last summer to a 5700xt for 1440p a couple of months before the price hikes so I want to sell it thanks to used market prices, but I still need it for my gf's 2 screen school/work setup and my secondary smaller home theater setup so I sorta need the multiple DP/Hdmi ports.

[@laowai2000]

I had to take back my like! Seem you are at a good number. Sold two second had gpus that purchase year ago for $300. With the $ upgraded to GTX1080ti very happy!

[@goldzen3019]

@Romi my used 1070 never goes above 60C while gaming

[@jamesmiele3159]

Thank you for taking time to teach people how to look out for themselves. Videos like this are very appreciated! Thank you Gamers Nexus!

[@raven4k998]

700 dollars for A defective card worth 250 new I wish I could find someone that dumb😭

[@dgw14]

Such a needed video right now

[@maxbet3968]

I agree, very important

[@preciadoalex123]

Yeah if you like paying 200 over fair market pricing

[@switchdeck9164]

@@preciadoalex123 no such thing as fair market pricing bc what it's worth is what someone is willing to pay for it

[@preciadoalex123]

@@switchdeck9164 understandable, let's rephrase to, inflated gpu prices

[@kermit56780]

My 980Ti is having shits & giggles.

[@SparkY0]

I have some important information about soldat that everybody needs to know: You can modify the minigun bullet type in a config file so that it will shoot knives. Every game needs this, and it is the only way to play soldat. Thank you.

[@neoqueto]

Remember playing around with very low intervals on M79 and Barrett

[@urugulu1656]

public service announcment: miniguns are not for levitation

[@Born2Legit]

Talk about perfect timing, many people are looking for GPU's in the used market so this is definitely helpful

[@hansolo631]

They clearly made it in response to the great GPU depression of the '20s

[@kermit56780]

Sure i'll sell my 980Ti for $1,000. #FACEPALM

[@jeremoose_8753]

@@kermit56780 you can still find good deals from people who have standards.

[@TheOriginalFaxon]

RE: Blown capacitors, those are incredibly easy to fix. I recently repaired a fairly recent AMD motherboard that had a blown aluminium film capacitor for a friend who had sourced the capacitors already. I used a standard hakko soldering station and plenty of flux, and once the cap was replaced the board worked fine. The VAST majority of capacitor failures will not kill other components in a circuit. I have done similar repairs using far larger and more powerful capacitors, that had failed far more catastrophically, in which instance the electrolyte had eaten some of the traces partially and lifted others from the PCB. Old amps are notorious for this, and my already twice repaired tube amp I bought used was no exception. An hour of re-soldering and patching with copper wire later, plus 10 new caps, and I'd gotten the rectifier fixed just fine though, with none of the other components except the extremely high hour driver tubes needing replacing thankfully. Long story short, if you see a card being sold "as is/for parts" with a capacitor failure, you probably just found yourself a steal of a deal, and if you can't repair it you're probably not gonna be out much money to begin with. Buildzoid even has some videos on his channel documenting the process if my memory serves

[@detecta]

ah yes paying like 300$ for a soldering station to fix a card a third of its price

[@TheOriginalFaxon]

@@detecta more like half that, and it's not JUST for repairing one card. Learning to solder to do electronics work and repairs will pay for the hardware in no time if you do it regularly. I've saved thousands on rework costs for repairing and updating old speakers, repaired a high end FirePro card and 2 motherboards, and I've built the equivalent of a couple thousand dollars in cables. All for a roughly $200 investment over the lifespan of my gear, including $50 on solder and flux because i've gone through probably 10-20 kilos of the stuff in the last decade. Once you learn to do it and have the tools, it's basically always cheaper to do it yourself vs buying something off the shelf, only real exception being 3.5mm cables, those fuckers are a bitch to build and I refuse to do it anymore lmao. Everything else though, I DIY. I'm actually rebuilding some cables as we speak, one of my older joints used the wrong kind of solder (turns out lead solder on gold contacts can unadhere chemically, you gotta use tin/silver), and combined with using a straight out connector when I should have used a 90 degree for the job, a solder joint eventually broke. Gonna reuse everything though, nothing's physically damaged besides that one solder joint, the wiring itself tests fine for continuity end to end. Only loss is some heat shrink tubing, a dab of flux, and some of my time (that I can also spend watching videos.

[@benbai5808]

@@TheOriginalFaxon you're right and obviously know what you're doing but it isn't for everyone. Gotta be extremely careful and meticulous when first learning about pcb repair

[@maxbet3968]

Videos like this is what makes Gamers Nexus a solid group of ppl worth following 👍

[@protectnor]

Way better than LTT. I feel like they've moved away from tech reviews and blow money just because they can, like Linus has forgotten what it's like to not be wealthy.

[@vothaison91]

The value of video like this increases over time.

[@akms828]

They deserve more subs

[@chriscampbell9199]

What ya means 😏 tuber's doing real work... Jay and Linus, GN always been good

[@will4may175]

Yup I watch GN, Hardware Unboxing, Jayztwocents, and for deep knowledge of parts I go to Buildzoid at Actually Hardcore Overclocking, his breakdown on the x570 boards helped me decide mine.

[@Charter23682]

Steve already mentioned this briefly, but some broken GPUs can experience problems just after running inside the system for a while. Had a GPU that would crash in 3D-Applications after 1-2 weeks of use. Reseating the card would give another period without crashes. There was zero observable sag, but I still suspect that it had something to do with the PCIe connector loosening over time.

[@thomassvevo]

I recently bought a 3090 from a local guy for $750. It was dusty and used for mining for about a year, but I was willing to take a bet on it because he was willing to let me return it if it didn't work, since he hadn't used it for some time. The card was no good so I returned it to him which he was cool enough to honor. I feel much more confident buying locally.

[@yussef961]

2 problems with your reasoning that makes it mot (or mut or whatever lol dead in arabic) ah moot I was willing to take a bet on it he was cool enough to honor what if he was not and a fraud? for this reason alone no it's a no no

[@AyoItsAntony]

@@yussef961right this is the worst advice

[@NahBNah]

I sure as hell don’t

[@davepianist84]

I took a leap of faith once with a 680, I plugged and the fan was making a noise like turning on and off, but the seller seemed legit so I took hist word that the card was good, it ended up that I just plugged it badly and the second cable was lose, never again showed any problems

[@Corei14]

Oof 680 at this day and age

[@wisdoom9153]

Ya, sometimes it's on buyer's end who made silly error; usually because we're too excited to get that card for cheaper.

[@davepianist84]

@@wisdoom9153 Or like Steve mentioned, to judge the seller's character, we became friends and even up to this day I see that he's very responsable with his hardware sells.

[@MrKillswitch88]

@@Corei14 Don't be surprised there are people out there stuck with Fermi era cards mainly in poorer countries like Brazil.

[@rinkyouma2320]

@@Corei14 2 days ago, I still use a GT210. My mother gave me money to buy a better card and found a used RX460 2gb OC and my goodness, it's like night and day.haha

[@DanieJlRamos]

Unexpected use for this video: checking my GPU before trying to sell it.

[@IJO221]

Planning on flipping a computer for a profit and this video made me want to check the 1070 I bought for it for these kinds of signs.

[@Calango741]

I bought a Radeon Sapphire Vega 64 for $65 from a kid that had disassembled it because he said it had some sort of problem, and I simply cleaned it, repasted it, replaced only a couple of thermal pads that were not in good shape and used the rest that were, and reassembled it and IT WORKED GREAT! I could have at least potentially sold it for around $800, but instead my daughter got a great Christmas present. It's nice when a story has a happy ending, especially if you can make your daughter happy with a great Christmas present at very little cost except a little time doing something that you enjoy doing anyway!

[@ariewijaya1679]

and the kid read your comment now. if you have a conscience you must return the card now

[@pencilcase8068]

I got a used 1030 and I am happy with it. Seller put effort into the listing and seemed trustworthy when I picked it up from him with a friend

[@mikev8500]

Did I really just see a dvi to vga adapter on a gamers nexus video in 2021

[@Willay323]

GN pulling out all the stops, they know no bounds.

[@Bratfalken]

I run a DP-VGA on my RTX3080 for my secondary screen, an old 19" 4:3 AOC! :)

[@fatality391]

I was using dvi to vga, vga to hdmi

[@eval_is_evil]

the corporation I'm working for basically runs 50% of the workstations with this type of setup.

[@mikev8500]

@@eval_is_evil in a corporation it makes some sense as they arent usually tech junkies lol my old company used display port to vga cables when yhe monitors amd computers both had display port capabilities... Made me shake my head

[@lanelesic]

One small tip about buying used is to always check out sellers trade history as well as the product itself. If he was buying 6xRX 580 8GB with a 1000W psu and pcie extenders, etc. that RX 580 8GB he is selling is 100% a card that was mining.

[@PwadigytheOddity]

I’m finding the older, more “irrelevant” cards are getting the best prices locally. The 2080 Supers are doing really well locally. You originally reviewed these card as “uninteresting.” But it’s kind of cool that they’re the perfect storm of them not being that good at mining for them being fairly good performance, also relatively new for a used GPU (less chance of damage). And also just less people looking for them, because the 20 series was forgettable. I saw 2080tis for 800ish, and 2080 supers for 700 locally. I got a 2080ti for 850. Was in excellent condition and had the box and transferrable warranty. Not that great a price for a used GPU, but an amazing price in this market

[@GamersNexus]

Yeah, you nailed it. They were "uninteresting" in the scope of the launch, but certainly the landscape has changed enough that they're worth considering right now. No harm in getting what you can if the price is good!

[@A.Froster]

Definitely a good price overall for a 2080ti considering 3070 can go high as € 1200+ in my region

[@Amusia727]

Similar to Intel vs AMD here. When GN reviewed the 10400 and 10700K he gave them pretty poor reviews but now prices have dropped to the point that they can be justified whilst AMD parts have ballooned where I live. I got a 10700K for £250 where a 5800X was about £400. Same with a 10400/F where they're cheaper than a 3600 by a considerable margin (£125 vs £170 new). Of course board price needs to be taken into account here but it's funny how a product perspective can improve with just a price reduction compared to the competition (people will still shout Intel is dead though).

[@toaster_bloke9999]

On Ebay in the UK, the 2080 super is going for £600-650. Meanwhile the 5700XT is going for about £750. I don't get it...

[@unitedfools3493]

The 2080 is also a great value, probably even better than the Super, given the even less warm reception it received.

[@Nostalgia_Realm]

11:27 Nice touch :) My experience with artifacting is that it usually appears either when you push a GPU memory clock too far or when your card is on the verge of dying. Had this with my MSI R9 270x that died months after warranty ran out. First it would crash GPU drivers and artifact, then my system wouldn't even complete post with the GPU inserted most of the time.

[@dandanovich6729]

Even I found some things I never knew, and I am dealing with aftermarket GPUs for a very long time. Thanks!

[@bige2986]

I recently had to dive into the market for a new build and ended up hitting a unicorn. I did a lot of research on the card advertised. Made sure it had LHR and checked the SN against the EVGA website to find out the card was only about a year old. Pulled the trigger because it was a reasonable price but ended up receiving a completely different card with the same GPU instead. This one still had all the plastic scratch protection on it, no signs of dust, smelled brand new and had 2 gigs more memory than the one I thought was purchasing. Needless to say I was skeptical at first, but after checking the part number with Asus and contacted the seller to make sure it was okay to bench it I decided to keep it. Ended up getting an incredible deal on a basically brand new 3080.

[@watercannonscollaboration2281]

“Linus handled it” Nice

[@markrtoffeeman]

Steve "tech jesus" throwing shade at Linus. Love it.

[@pierrea3094]

700$ for a used 580 that can’t be right I can’t get my brain to align that with reality Christ

[@mud2479]

The only ""logical"" explanation I can think of is that the card was a 8gb model and it was bought for a mining rig.

[@fredfinks]

yeah wtf? I dont get it, i sold an MSI gaming X 1080-ti for $750 AU in early October 2020. For some reason they went down to ~$550 in December 2020. Now they are up - recent range is $630 - $780. 1) Why the dip in december? 2) WTF is the 580 going for such insane prices in the US??? - 8gb 580s selling for $400-480 AU do conversion - way less US$

[@fredfinks]

@@mud2479 Hi Mud, not sure if you saw my comment but currently 8gb 580s are selling for $400-$480 AU here in oz ($309 to $370 US). why $700 in US? (please do not raid our used GPU market, we are tiny small compared to US, and normally get way screwed on prices)

[@yoshi360360]

Whoever that was paying an extra $300 usd over market price looking at the prices around here... they are sought after for mining being AMD and 8GB but no where near the price that viewer paid for unless their local used market is completely dry. Still hard to believe someone paid that much.

[@Derael]

Yeah, I don't really see how a sensible person, especially someone who watched Gamer's Nexus, would buy 580 for 700$, used or new. I got RX 470 (though 4 GB version) for less than 100$ just recently, and it's almost as good as 580 8 GB (at least in gaming). Doesn't make sense to pay 7x more, considering the difference. At most it's worth 200-250$.

[@zakarynoel3666]

One thing about buying replacement fans: sometimes you also need to specify the right card profile. The fans on a gigabyte gtx 1070 have the same exact model number on a 1070 mini ITX, but the length of the power connector and the gender of the head are different.

[@Amusia727]

Dafuq, people spend 700 bucks on a RX580? Then the seller has the audacity to have it be broken on sale

[@davidcazares7441]

I thought selling an R9 390 for $200 was little much...

[@winonesoon9771]

for scum bags thats a win win lol the dude was a fool to give up that much for a 580 to begin with. its like you can find gpus online ya just have to try and also sign up for them bot alerts. hell he could of bought a bot for what he spent sheesh....

[@AlexLikesFloors]

I sold my 1080ti for $1200

[@wishusknight3009]

It is just stupidity to play that much or that card working or not.. Go find a 1030 for $40 until cards are available. No one is that desperate for a card.

[@dhanajon5528]

Damn i could make a fortune selling my 580 if people are willing to pay that much for it.

[@jm9371]

I sold my perfectly good EVGA 1080Ti Black edition for $400 CDN when I upgraded. I gave the buyer a 1 week warranty and he knew were I worked if there was an issue. I think that was more than fair since I paid 1100 bucks for it in 2018.

[@PwadigytheOddity]

Woah, you actually made this video. I think I and a few others suggested it a while ago. Thanks.

[@GamersNexus]

It was a request we started seeing pop-up over the last few months, so we were happy to add it to the production schedule!

[@tomr3422]

The Approval process takes time the CEO, Snowflake is busy running the the GN empire.

[@NoxiousCEB]

16:30 i can fix gpu's that have faulty power circuitry or artiifacting issues, but i still am watching the video.

[@PitboyHarmony1]

"If you can fix a card with bad capacitors ... you're probably not watching this video." Aaand ... I'm watching the video ... so I guess my level of tech savy-ness just got called out. And then I smiled at my chosen ignorance, by watching the rest of the video.

[@fistymcbuttpuncher6419]

I suck at soldering, but I still managed to fix a couple monitors due to caps blowing.

[@ChaosHusky]

Literally doing the same, even though i'm an engineer and can re-ball/re-flow too lol I saved up for over a year instead and got a brand new card outright, plus water block! (Yep, i finally got an RTX 3090...holy shit the RAM runs hot!) I miss my 1080 Ti, but i got £500 for it and i'd fitted a massive cooler, so i didn't complain! Just enable BAR in my vBIOS already, Zotac! Funnily enough my 1080 Ti was second hand but fairly new, used for...League of Legends! Purchased a few months before the crypto crash, i paid £669.96 :D with the cooler i lost about 200 quid...but had it for almost 3 years!

[@horscategorie]

@@fistymcbuttpuncher6419 Can't solder well due to shaky hands... BUT Yeah, I think most people watching this probably can replace a blown cap... Now, understanding schematics - that is something else. Just like wiring your home... Yep, sure can do... but I am no electrician or electrical engineer... ;)

[@evileyeball]

I had to clean and re-paste my 4870x2 after 6 years... IT really made a big difference. I had 11 years with it before retirement

[@theRealAD1010]

i retire my gpus too lol

[@evileyeball]

@@theRealAD1010 I sent it to Ewaste but I really wish I'd kept it since I did end up makign a Shadowbox dedicated to that PC which has the OS DVD and COA, The CPU and the RAM in it and I could have added the GPU to that especially since at the time i bought it it was the top GPU on the market.

[@WunderOps]

Test the card, test the card, test the card! Low frequency may possibly be fixed with a flash of the card's bios (it's not hard at all but yeah nerve racking). The cause is that miners sometimes use a special bios that limits frequency. This really works AND is the only fix in cases where frequency has been limited intentionally with an alternate bios...

[@wile-e-coyote7257]

Super helpful video, Steve! Thank you!! My EVGA 3080 10GB FTW3 Ultra Gaming, bought directly from EVGA's B-Stock in Sept 2022, has been "Space Invader" artifacting, crashing games to desktop, PC rebooting, and even having MoBo post issues. I'm using my backup RTX 3060 XC 12gb backup card with no issues whatsoever, even when running the card full out in Ultra settings while gaming. I use a time-tested late-model Corsair RM850x to power my AMD 5600x system, built in Mar 2022. I plan to RMA the 3080 as soon as I've eliminated all possibilities (monitor cables, card DP/HDMI ports, PC case temp/cooling, power delivery, etc.)

[@maximoxtech1125]

I guess even high end cards can't escape defectiveness like this And its an EVGA

[@PecanPie745]

All these insane prices and low stock make me wonder how extremely lucky I was to casually walk into my local Microcenter at 2 pm on a Friday and buy a 3080 after the card was only 20 minutes in stock.

[@Erowens98]

5 months since this comment. Still impossible to buy new even if you're willing to pay 160% of MSRP. But i need a GPU so i just have to spread my legs and hope for gentle treatment...

[@BiggieCMAN]

@@Erowens98 dude 2 months later and I’m hoping you get a card man, I’ve been stuck with a broken 970 for almost 2 years now and it’s annoying because it crashes every game but I can’t afford a $800 card 😂

[@Erowens98]

@@BiggieCMAN aye. I got a second job (temporarily) and used the extra money to buy a 6800xt. Cost me €1200...

[@JR-zw2vb]

And you had the ca$h to buy. You are extremely lucky for $ure!

[@wheeI]

@@JR-zw2vb get a job

[@TheMaristBoy]

Paid 180$ for my GTX 970 back in 2016. It was my first ever 2nd hand purchase - quite a big step for me as a struggling college student - and it still works to this day!

[@goddamnit452]

I bought multiple 1060 6gb and 1070 and 1080ti from miners and internet cafe. Usually those came with very limited warranty from them. 7 days at best, but they sell in quite large quantities and reviews seems very positive. The cards looked dusty but not rusty/bend/scratched. The temper seal are usually untouched. I stress test them upon receiving them with 3D render, Ai workload, benchmarking software for a full 6h. And never got issues. Maybe the I got lucky for all those years. And the temps always looked really good which meant that apart from being a bit dusty they were working perfectly fine. Got even some excellent overclocking gpu for cheap. Such as a 1070 strix with OC clock till 2.15ghz at 70 celcius for only 120 usd. So, usually I buy second hand from known resellers and doing a lot of research without having the chance to test the system in shop.

[@AustinWestbro]

THIS IS WHAT WE NEEDED! THANK YOU SO MUCH FOR FINALLY MAKING THIS VIDEO!

[@titaniummechanism3214]

The last two GPUs I bought were used and from Ebay. A 1660Ti for my personal PC and a 960 for my sisters homeschooling PC. The 1660Ti smelled a bit of cigarette smoke, but the 960 was like new, even though it was sold as used and not refurbished. Both quite good deals, especially the 1660Ti. It was 220€ back in 2019.

[@joshuascholar3220]

I've bought two used GPUs. The first one was an RX 470, it was ok and lasted a year or so - keep in mind that it went very cheap. It came with a bad connector and on the other connectors if you jiggled the cable the screen would turn to noise for a second. And the back looked a bit heat affected, maybe it had been mined on. It had a factory overclock but couldn't be pushed much further. But it worked perfectly for games, GPU-Z said it was higher quality silicon than most. The second one is my RTX 2060 S, it seems new and it works perfectly. My whole computer is used. It's dual socket Sandy Bridge xeon workstation with top of the line processors for the time. Despite all the people who say those aren't good for game, it's FINE for games at least for the time I bought it, about 4 years ago. I have a friend with a brand new Rizen that has so much higher IPC that his 6 core machine matches my 16 core machine in Cinebench though.

[@Jacklee-qh1cv]

Warped pcb's are also a sign the card has been baked in an oven.

[@horscategorie]

What people will do to try to re-flow... Just open the card up and look and use a heat gun if you don't trust your hands with a soldering iron. People are nuts.

[@Krazie-Ivan]

@@horscategorie ...i kept a pair of 7970's running for years by baking. one needed it every 4-6mo. saved countless cards that way for customers, even if only temporarily (which i tell them going-in). PCB never warped tho... baked wrong (WAY too hot) if that happened. heat gun method warms unevenly, uncontrolled temps, & cools too quickly.

[@heytheresakitty]

I met a now really good friend when i sold him a 1060ssc. 3 years later a little buddy of mine needed a gpu and i was able to buy my same model back for a new 13yr old builder. Guy is a wealth of pc information and im super glad i sold him my card all those years ago,

[@xpyr]

Great video! I remember Linus doing a basic video like this, but you went into depths that made it easy to understand and what you should be looking. Thank you very much!

[@IsTheOrderASapling]

I just found this video AFTER grabbing a used GPU for cheap , thankfully the seller was a good person and didn't scam me 😅

[@nideko4384]

I decided to buy a used R7 265. After talking a bit with the seller about it's history (was pulled from a dead pc and he didn't know whether it worked or not) I decided that I'd give it a shot since it was sold for cheap and he seemed like an actual good-mannered person incase anything was wrong with it. Paid for the card, got it and it turned out that it boots into Windows just fine but doesn't display any video. I immediately told the seller and thankfully he returned the money that same day and was bummed just as much as I was lol. I also got to keep the card, and I am currently trying to "revive" it by trying to install NimeZ drivers for their hybrid gpu capability, since I have an igpu to use as video out. Currently waiting for an update so I can install them... At the end of the day I really shouldn't have dived in head first even if I knew what I was going to get myself into, but I'm still very thankful nothing too bad happened.

[@phillipcox6756]

I know VERY little about PC's, would honestly never buy a used card, but I watched this video just because you guys rock, I'll send others your way to subscribe as well. Hope you never stop doing what your doing.

[@hazonku]

"PErhaps Linus handled it before we got it." Literally LOL'ed at that. I love that the sag example it the Aorus 1080ti Xtreme. It's a thicc boy alright & that metal shroud on that thick heat sink is hefty. I'd definitely have that issue by now if it were for having mine in a Tower 900.

[@trashmasta438]

always enjoy vids like this since it it helps a lot of people . im fortune enough to have a few cards ive kept and make sure to keep them clean even when not in use

[@trollwholivesu7258]

GN: How to get a good second hand GPU LTT: How to use your GPU for mining 👀

[@nemz7505]

LTT is years late on that one

[@alexanderjohansson2671]

@@nemz7505 Maybe not a year, but yeah. And quite some outdated info. Like "another 2 years of mining". No, you'd be lucky if you can mine the rest of this year at this rate.

[@whatdafarkenhell7110]

Pro tip for mining, solar is pretty good, you can buy one or two marketed as camping solar systems and run a few GPU's on full throttle when the sun shines, hell you go full pro and become a sun farmer running a mining operation, or you can choose anywhere between. May the hashes be with you.

[@vgamesx1]

​@@whatdafarkenhell7110 Yeah, that's fine but when the price of crypto drops like the last crash, where electricity is more expensive then what you get out of mining, it still becomes ridiculous to do that, since generated power could be better used taking anything around your house off the grid rather than farming something worth less than the cost of electricity. Also thought I'd mention that generally speaking those "camping solar systems" are rather overpriced for what you get, you're paying for convince (even more so in the case of folding panels), whereas just buying a panel + battery + charge controller costs almost half or less, which still leaves you with plenty left over to get a decent pure sinewave inverter rather than the cheap stepped/modified one you'll find in a lot of products. Yes, it's more research and more effort, but it's well worth it if you have the slightest interest in learning about solar and getting the most out of your solar system, if it's more of a passing interest and you don't care all that much then sure find something ready to go.

[@whatdafarkenhell7110]

@@vgamesx1 I see you imagine a world not minting cripto, tell me more about your fantasy land.

[@godofm3tal1]

Ive never seen a better advertisement for "buy new" than this video.

[@dhillaz]

Some safety tips I have learned buying used cars in person: - Take a photo of the seller's drivers license - Print a bill of sale (two copies - one for each of you) including GPU serial number, price paid, agreed condition of card (both of you must sign it!) - Meet in a police station parking lot if possible, or at least a public neutral place - Don't keep any cash on your person until you have seen the goods (e.g. leave cash hidden in your car until you feel comfortable with the transaction) - Bring a trusted friend if you can Sounds complicated, but GPUs are becoming high value items just like cars, and justify the same precautions. Edit: If you are not sure if this is worth the effort - figure out the amount of time it would take to you to follow these steps, now compare that to the amount of time it would take you to earn your money back if you got ripped off.

[@alphapt9370]

@@klanker Remember when people were getting their (less than 1k) phones stolen during the Pokemon GO craze? Yeh. That's where your argument goes to die. It was helpful advice. And it's a substancial cash exchange. Is it ridiculous that people will stab you for a couple hundred bucks? Most definitely. Does it happen? Yes. That's the world we live in, dude. And having someone walking around with 1k cash is just stupid to begin with. And most police stations have places for those safe exchanges. This is not a new thing.

[@reinbeers5322]

@@alphapt9370 Wait, people were stealing phones for fucking Pokemon GO? What a world.

[@pierrea3094]

I’m not saying this isn’t smart, it’s careful and calculated it’s pretty smart. Getting someone to agree to all of this including the picture of their license will be a bit tricky. You’d have a better chance of simply asking them if you can test it before you buy it. So even if you take all of these precautions you’d have to go to court for any kind of recourse and you’ll spend more than the actual GPU. If we are talking small claims, a judgment can even be made against them and they don’t really have a ton of incentive to pay you back. Where does that leave you? With a copy of this persons ID. Are you planning on going to their home and demanding compensation for your loss? It’s literally your word against theirs. Maybe a default judgement in court, now you wasted your time and money. This is good advice if you’ve never dealt with people ever

[@pierrea3094]

@@klanker 99% of people selling online will respond the same way don’t be sorry lol

[@alphapt9370]

@@klanker If I'm paying 1k of my money for used goods, that I only seen pictures of, and the seller is refusing to do the deal in a police station, that's where I walk away. You can name call all you want if that makes you feel important.

[@calvindibartolo2686]

5:41 my 1080ti does this if I mine ethereum and use Ethlargement pill and then close Phoenixminer (if you don't know, ethlargement is a memory timing strap for 1080s and maybe 1070s). Yes, its absolutely a memory issue

[@WardyLion]

I bought a 3070ti FE back in March from eBay as a 40th birthday gift to myself. I'd been saving up while being very annoyed with GPU prices but they got to a point where they were, according to many in the know, as good as they were going to be for a while. It was "brand new" and "only out the box for photos" but the seller had been on eBay over a decade and had thousands of positive feedback points with no negative or average feedback. eBay offered the buyer protection thing so I went for it and, so far, it's been bang-on. When it arrived it was in pristine condition without a mark or speck of dust on it anywhere, and it installed without a hitch. As he said himself: "I wish you many years of happy gaming!" and so far there's no indication that wont be the case.

[@gbodybala9295]

how much did you pay? feel like thats a big part to leave out ! (:

[@WardyLion]

@@gbodybala9295 More than I would now, less than most at the time.

[@Thmyris]

Space invaders artifacting is an easter egg put in by the manufacturer

[@davidepannone6021]

Moral of the story: don't buy blind. Either do so in person or make a discord/skype live call with the dude showing you how the gpu actually works running benches and a game or two. Especially on 4+ year old cards or new cards sold at msrp.

[@obey112el]

Have you done, this or have this experience to buy gpu to know what gpu are good

[@davidepannone6021]

@@obey112el i tend not to buy second hand stuff so no. But if i was to buy, i would do the same exact thing i said in my comment. Make the dude join a live call and show me the card working in some bench/game if i cannot purchase in person. If we were on person I'll ask to show me the card in his build working. If he doesn't accept, walk away.

[@omegaPhix]

Or just pay with Paypal

[@davidepannone6021]

@@omegaPhix you'd still have to go through the hassle to open a dispute tho. Easily avoidable.

[@omegaPhix]

​@@davidepannone6021 If you find a good deal on a GPU in these times and want video proof with game tests you wont get the card. There's 100% already someone else in the line who'll take the card with less of a hassle for the seller.

[@shadowaussien7743]

I'm fine paying over price for a founders edition 3080 or 3080 ti as long as it's brand new and the manufacture labels have not been cut, open or removed from manufacture packaging. Also the NVIDIA packaging has to be non damaged if someone is going to sell it to me with DHL postage I'm a happy camper

[@Kallyy]

700 he just scammed himself, just got a 2080Ti for that

[@FlameHidden]

Must be a viewer from a third world country (like me) that just converted the price back to dollars.

[@user-qv1dp2xh5q]

I got a 3080 for 800 a month and some change ago

[@hansolo631]

Individual markets might be a bit different. I don't know if I believe you though, unless you found a wild local deal. People know what they have though. People always want more than what their stuff is worth.

[@kermit56780]

My trusty old 980Ti is laughing right now.

[@brendanhoffmann8402]

I got a used 6700 xt last week. It was a really good deal, $300. It had pictures that looked good, was clean and free of corrosion. I've been playing games with it for a week and it hasn't missed a beat. Temperatures are good too. It also has a 3 month return to base warranty.

[@drlemon4806]

Where'd you buy it from?

[@brendanhoffmann8402]

@@drlemon4806 eBay Australia

[@zerotwo_.002]

"Hopefully you got social skills " yeah sure we do have em .....

[@AznTony360]

the artifacting you see at 13:00 can also be due to the use of the app "nvidia inspector - multi display power saver". why would some use this app you might ask? its cause some nvidia gpus, not all. when running triple monitor or quad monitor it tends to keep the gpu pegged at max boost indefinitely and the only way to drop the frequency is to use that app.

[@nbowling10trio]

Microcenter has new GPU for sale. Might have to wait in line a few hours before they open but it's doable. We recently bought a 3080 and a 3060 this way

[@justiceforallthepeople2642]

Hi which city

[@jody024]

My 7000 Series just went black screen on me, nothing to even check for, thing had fresh paste and was cleaned.... RIP good boy, you served me well.

[@TerraWare]

That older Asus card with the 2 red stripes kind of looks like the gpu in Escape From Tarkov you use to mine bitcoin with.

[@iMagic16]

that's cause it is what it is modelled after..

[@adeboyegrillo3408]

11:45 Cracked me up when he said that the dented GBU bracket looks like it must have been handled by Linus. 😄

[@maxair95]

'cant have a defective gpu if the card doesnt exist in stock'

[@dennys82]

I wish the people would grow up the culture on periodically change thermal paste and thermal pad VRAM and contact cleaning with specific products before selling but it's too much even for them.

[@Kisanorame]

That fan with the broken blade actually looked really cool when spinning lol

[@unknownunkown4992]

I have purchased used : 8800 gts, gtx 280, gtx 460, gtx 560 ti 448, gtx 580, gtx 670, gtx 760, gtx 960 4gb, gtx 970. All worked great. Just make sure you have the option to test them if you are buying them local. New thermal paste is a must for older cards.

[@sandervr10]

The best tip when buying used : only buy cards you can pick up at the sellers home

[@Dfm253]

I’ve bought 4 used gpu’s recently, haven’t tested the gtx 780 yet as I got it an hour ago, but the 660TI for $50, the gtx 980 for $200 and the gtx 1650 for $100, all work great.

[@psunknown4376]

i recently sold a gtx 770 for $55 and the guy wouldn't stop thanking for a month after he bought the card

[@Esdeath_0001]

I just bought a GTX 750ti for 96 bucks

[@130rne]

On eBay, the more pictures they take, the less worried they are about you finding damage.

[@robwhitmore3040]

"that's social stuff, hopefully you've got some skills their already" GN really doesn't know their audience

[@yussef961]

hi i have a rule of thumb when buying second hands on the internet : i always buy on reputable site that do have history of the buyer and the buyer has my history too (like ebay rakuten etc) for example i bought a 3090 second hand, first one was cheap but new vendor etc no way.. second one the seller sells regularly since 2005 and has good marks etc so why not , furthermore rakuten gives the money once i declare it received and in good shape

[@FragEightyfive]

Work is requiring us to change our WFH setup, won't provide the hardware, and their response is "there's $50 computers on craigslist"

[@swecreations]

$50 is a stretch, but for $100-150 you can find an old dell Optiplex with an older i3 or i5 that will do more than fine for normal office work. Add a $20 SSD and it should feel quite speedy for web browsing and office programs.

[@FragEightyfive]

@@swecreations yeah they want us to run their own custom OS now. they're telling me it'll run on anything made in the last 25 years but for some reason it doesn't work on three of my systems including a more recent AMD b450 platform. it's like I just built this computer last year to work from home and now you're telling me I have to change it?

[@The_Keeper]

5:38 Oh, it could happen on the 10 series cards too. When I first slotted in my Asus Rog Strix 1080ti, it booted fine but after 30 seconds in windows it did that exact thing. I found out the problem was Asus' own fan control program AI Suite. Once I did a clean install of windows it worked fine, and has ever since.

[@andrewvirtue5048]

11:43 "Looks like Linus handled it" lmao.

[@widam]

good video, one thing I notice lately on ebay, is people selling the boxes, very good price, but when you read the description is says only box, no returns.. something to look for scammers now.

[@ankur313]

Here's a very good tip !!! If u find a second hand gpu advertised for more than the launch msrp, Don't Buy It !!!

[@Lazirus951]

It's mind blowing that my 5 year old card is selling for more than I bought it for on ebay.

[@sevbait]

Steve, I get what you’re saying about “having a soul...meet in person...maybe they’ll have sympathy and not gouge you” @4:13 but the only reason that my GTX1080 came out of my system was that the price made me want to play the waiting game for another GPU (hopefully later in the year, but who knows). I listed it at the median price it had been successfully selling for on eBay, which just happened to be marginally more than I bought it for 2-1/2 years ago (less after all the fees). Would I pay that? No. But a bunch of other people are in the market for it, and I just would have kept on doing occasional gaming on it when I have small amounts of free time had it not been for the motivation to get my original packaging, take photos, run benchmarks and take video and screenshots to prove function and protect myself from a dishonest buyer, and all of the other work to list and make it stand out. All of this was effort I was willing to make but only because of the price I could sell for. I successfully sold that GTX1080 and also a friend’s 2070 Super, both for more than he or I bought them, and I made sure to follow up with the buyer after delivery to stay in contact if they had questions or need help. So how would you characterize this? Hopefully I wouldn’t be swept up into the negative bin just because of the inflated prices.... By the way, I’ll bet you know that putting them on this market requires a markup due to their 10% fees, plus PayPal’s 2.9% +30c cut, but it makes it possible for a product and a buyer to meet due to the market size and extent. My friend listed his 2070 super for $100 less than he sold it for on eBay in his local Bay Area CA market and nobody bought it for a week, whereas I had his card sold within 24 hours (36 for mine). I always check out your content when you upload. Thanks for everyone at GN’s hard work, it’s always appreciated.

[@UTxTheArchangel]

I think it's really hard to not fall for used cards. A lot of people are desperate for GPUs, not even just the 30 series. People would take a 2060 or 1660 if they could get their hands on it. For myself I've looked at ebay a lot. I'd love to have a 3060 ti to replace my 980 ti, but I'd settle for a 2070 super...but there is no settle. So people like me sit and wait, hoping things will be better this month, then wait til next month. Then you kinda just cave in and buy scalped cards or bite on an unknown that could be damaged, broken card.

[@welomm345]

I did this, but I did get a very good deal on a EVGA FTW3 RTX 3080 10GB LHR, guy was genuine and only used the card for gaming after work, he also stated that he purchased the card back in February this year. He cleaned it with compressed air before sending it to me. Very big risk but now I’ve seen it and tested it no issues what so ever. Card was basically brand new, not tampered with & even the box was in mint condition, I paid £690 for it here in the UK, everything is way more expensive then the USA for computer components so what I paid was actually a good price for how clean and nearly new the card was.

[@nightrider4111]

​@@welomm345how long did it last ?

[@welomm345]

@@nightrider4111 still using it now, solid card no issues at all.

[@pawcisq]

I love the artifacting transitions

[@frederikk.4187]

GN makes the best content. It's honest, tech savvy and made with true dedication. A big thx for being who are... and making the best mouse mat 👍😉

[@thepenguin9]

I bought a used 970 for £120~ back in 2016/17 It ran OK, until it randomly showed artifacts on the screen, and failed catastrophically to the point where I had a counter keeping track of how many times I had to freshly install windows 10. After having enough (and a desire not to give up) I took a look at the card, and noticed there was some corrosion/crud on the back of the pcb (no backplate) so I poured some isopropyl alcohol onto the pcb, got my screwdriver with a flat bit, and started scraping the ever-loving hell out of these spots that had this stuff on it. After wiping away and drying, I installed back in the machine, and it ran perfectly fine from that point forward. It still works, but I bought a 2070 super in June last year...then discovered that I could've bought the 3080 for the same price, but cba to return the card and go through the hassle. Hope people get lucky when buying second hand, and always keep some IPA spare!

[@seishin4243]

Probably, not the 1st time, but, the whole humanity is at a point where they can scam and rip off other people from all the sides and fronts, from a stranger out there, through all kind of stores and by big companies.

[@furykillerBZ]

"highest severity" you made my day and you don't even know why. Thanks for saying that instead of priority

[@FinlayDaG33k]

>"so here's what we're GNU" >*Wendall intensifies* >*Linus Torvalds starts sneezing* >*RMS wakes up from a long slumber*

[@thefurrykiwi4489]

i got a $100nzd gtx 960, it was old and REALLY dirty, but i gave it a clean and replaced the thermal paste and now it works like new, soo happy with my purchase.

[@idrinkbbq5927]

always love the squarespace sponsorship preview website. #FearlessLeaderSnowflake

[@jeyendeoso]

me too, i love the "i am teh CEO of gamersnexus" phrase lol

[@mzmz9355]

Hello, just bought a 6900 xt recently from local (CZ) auctioning site with buyer's protection measures. In fact was looking for 6800 xt, but after finding out there is a coil whine seller was more than generous to exchange the card with mentioned 6900 xt for free (even had no issues with the fact that I would keep them both for test comparison). In the end, the 6900 xt was in better shape so I kept it and it works 100%.

[@AGCipher]

Another one I've found to be common is a GPU hang as soon as you start any intense 3D application, but seems completely fine otherwise, these sorts of issues can also often be spotted in NVIDIA's control panel 3D rendering settings (where it has the 3D NVIDIA logo), you might see the 3D logo vertices being displaced "space invaders" is not just restricted to 20 series cards either, the pattern may look different, but the same issue can exist on other cards (sometimes just in a few spots off and on, other times uniformly accross the whole screen)

[@garadus1767]

Been watching your content for quite a while now and enjoying it still ! You motivated me to grow my hair out, you are a handsome dude :))) keep it up my man

[@Louis-zy4xp]

Right after the LTT bitcoin mining sponsored video haha

[@3asyrider75]

Nothing wrong with mining. If you run cards at reduced TDP and keep good airflow keeping temperatures well below threshold. I have never damaged a GPU but I buy high end brands like EVGA and take care of my hardware. My Roomba keeps the dust off the floor.

[@katech6020]

@@3asyrider75 it is not about the GPU, it is about the environmental impact. Currently Bitcoin mining consume more energy than Argentina

[@MarshallSambell]

Turtle will me running my GTX 1070 at stock power limit but with peak mining temps at 50c (custom modded cooler) hurt it’s lifespan long term?

[@3asyrider75]

@@MarshallSambell So long as you do not over volt it will be fine. You can always benchmark the GPU and look for artifacts that indicate damage. I test all my hardware before selling and if it is unstable it goes to the electronic recycling.

[@sammylam1649]

@@katech6020 you do know that producing paper currency and coins affects the environment too right? paper comes from trees, coins come from mining metals. not to mention the big factories that print the actual notes and mint coins

[@xentiment6581]

11:43 No matter what universe you're from, that's *GOTTA HURT*