Crypto Twitter is awash with images of stacks of GPUs being sold on second-hand markets, and prices for new and used units are starting to come down out of the stratosphere.
Earlier this week, Hardware Times reported that Chinese reseller markets showed Nvidia RTX 3080s for as low as $523. Furthermore, PC gamers reported that RTX 3060 Ti’s were going for as low as $300 to $350 on some used marketplaces.
GPU flood is here.
Chinese miners and South Asian ecafes now dismantling their mining rigs and putting cards up for auction on livestreams.
3060 Ti’s going for $300-$350 US … pic.twitter.com/kphmIt7vZw
— Hassan Mujtaba (@hms1193) June 21, 2022
Are They Safe To Buy?
As with anything used, especially computer components, it is a big gamble. Components running under constant heavy loads, high voltages, and high temperatures will get stressed, which will wear them out quicker.
Several gamers on social media have issued warnings over these used graphics cards that have been “abused” by crypto mining. Additionally, there have been reports from buyers of used cards that they had components replaced or had heating issues.
Gamers are generally anti-crypto, and some reasons given for not buying a used GPU were so extreme as to prevent miners from recouping any money from the process.
“Do not buy a post-mining GPU because it’s been on 24/7/365 and is therefore worn out”- Citation needed
“Do not buy a post-mining GPU ’cause it’ll help the miner recoup some of their losses from perpetuating a bullshit scam”- Unequivocal good pic.twitter.com/JzfvvkQ7pr
— Shaxbert
License.
