There is a perception that buying used graphics cards for crypto mining is the last thing you should do if you fancy looking into GPU second hand. It has always been said that a graphics card from the gaming world is better than from mining.
In recent years, it has been reported that the graphics cards used to mine cryptocurrency were burnt out and had increasingly shorter lifespans. And there was a systematic warning to stay away from the GPUs of the miners.
However, Canadian-born tech-savvy YouTuber Linus Tech Tips tried to prove this theory wrong by testing some 25 mining cards vs. 25 other graphics cards he had used for analysis on his channel.
Linus Tech Tips anonymously purchased graphics cards used for cryptocurrency mining over the past year. Several NVIDIA RTX 3060 GPUs were used for the test, 3070 and 3080, as well as AMD’s Radeon RX 5700 XT graphics cards.
A test that buries the belief of the miners
Of the nineteen cards purchased, two were omitted from the test almost immediately. The two removed were the Gigabyte Eagle RTX 3060 OC graphics card and the Sapphire Pulse RX 5700 XT GPU. These two came very badly due to very low clock speeds and he didn’t want to touch the BIOS.
Otherwise, all cards performed well against LTT’s own cards, proving that buying cards used for cryptocurrency mining is not a terrible option.
The video not only showed that graphics cards were no different from the GPUs used by gamers, but that tIt’s also an educational video on what to look for, how to go about it, and why buy a used graphics card. It is a great option if you do not want to go through the hoop of exorbitant prices that NVIDIA and AMD have put on with their new generation.
Linus suggests several steps, such as check return policy information if purchasing in person shake cards for looseness examine graphics cards for damage and even test them “in situ” if purchased in person.
Next, it looks at the effect of buying used versus new, which could be looked at in a number of ways. From the environmental dangers of throwing away products and not reusing technology to keeping our planet cleanerEven not giving big corporations more money when their prices aren’t fair.
But that doesn’t mean there aren’t dangers at second hand.
Unsplash
Despite all this, there are cryptocurrency miners who are selling old stock like new using clever deception tactics like painting memory dies to make them look like new. or flash the BIOS of completely different GPUs on inferior products (putting it an RTX 3080 when it is an RTX 3060).
Recently, it was reported that several AMD graphics cards were showing up with broken packaging and it turned out to be the cause of mining, as the cards had been kept in a very humid environment which led to the issue. So even if a certain mining card works fine for a few days, it may very well not last long.
Regardless of which side you’re on, if you’re looking to buy a used graphics card in the future, watch the video and follow some of the steps given by Linus Tech Tips as the information is quite interesting. For this reason, always be suspicious and put yourself in the worst, then ask yourself if it is worth the money saved by that purchase.
