Shopping for Second-Hand GPUs Is a Good Concept, Even From Miners: LinusTechTips
LinusTechTips shared a new video just lately exhibiting some great benefits of shopping for second-hand GPUs proper now, even when the playing cards had been used for mining. The video’s objective was to disprove the rising ideology that mining playing cards are dangerous purchases altogether and present how mined GPUs may be in nearly as good, and even higher situation in comparison with used gaming GPUs.
For testing, LinusTechTips purchased a plethora of used graphics playing cards final 12 months, that had been fascinating for mining functions at one cut-off date. Fashions vary from AIB accomplice mannequin RTX 3060s, all the best way to RTX 3080 10GB playing cards, in addition to AMD’s Radeon RX 5700 XT GPUs. All fashions had been in contrast towards evenly used counterparts LTT had in its possession.
With these GPUs, LinusTechTips used Kombuster to check GPU clock speeds and silicon high quality, then used a number of triple AAA video games working at 1080P, 1440P, and 4K to confirm GPU efficiency. Any GPU that was working 3% beneath the reference playing cards was thought-about a defective card.
Total, practically all the 19 playing cards handed, together with all the used RTX 3070s, RTX 3080s, a lot of the RTX 3060s, and a lot of the RX 5700 XT GPUs. The one points the outlet had had was with two playing cards, a Gigabyte Eagle RTX 3060 OC and a Sapphire Pulse RX 5700 XT.
The 3060 was a whole failure, that includes extremely low clock speeds on account of temperatures surpassing 100C. Linus went as far as to check the VRAM reliability of the cardboard, and it failed the take a look at fully. The RX 5700 XT was not practically as dangerous, solely failing the Kombustor take a look at by having 3% or worse clock speeds in comparison with LTT’s reference RX 5700 XT mannequin. However in gaming, the GPU carried out completely, with successfully an identical efficiency in comparison with all the different RX 5700 XTs that had been examined.
LTT would not clarify the reasoning behind the clock velocity points in Kombustor, however it could merely be that the Sapphire Pulse mannequin has a decreased energy goal, which was solely seen in Kombuster and never the gaming exams. This would not be stunning contemplating the Sapphire mannequin ran the good out of all of the RX 5700 XTs.
Apart from these two playing cards, all different GPUs carried out flawlessly and had been successfully performing in addition to after they had been new. Once more, it is value noting that each one these GPUs had been in all probability utilized by miners sooner or later of their life cycle.
So, at the very least in response to LTT’s testing, it seems that shopping for a second-hand mining GPU is not as harmful and dodgy a proposition as it would seem like. Nonetheless, be sure wherever you are getting the cardboard from has a return coverage in case it arrives with efficiency points.
There’s undoubtedly some advantage to LTT’s testing, however take into account the pattern measurement is fairly small. And we have additionally heard some counterarguments immediately from Nvidia’s companions concerning mining GPU degradation. Graphics card producer Palit claims that 24/7 mined GPUs might have decreased efficiency by round 10% per 12 months. We do not have the small print to again up Palit’s claims, but it surely’s undoubtedly one thing to contemplate.
Both method, it’s all the time greatest to be sure to know as many particulars as attainable concerning the graphics card you are trying into shopping for earlier than leaping into a purchase order. It is not possible to confirm how well-treated a used GPU was in its earlier dwelling, and whether or not or not it should retain the identical efficiency as when it was model new – whether or not or not it was used as a mining card.
For our tackle whether or not or not you can purchase a used GPU, try our information right here.
