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Hey guys,

My coworker is selling a used nVidia GTX 770 which he used for a year then upgraded. He said he did not mine any cryptocurrencies on it and just played games/usual stuff.
It would probably save me probably around $100ish since I am doing a full new build right now.

Do you have any good/bad experiences with this type of purchase?

Thanks!

Well the cryptocurrencies were/are being mined on AMD cards since said cards have more power on the integer computing, so I doubt you would actually need to worry about that.

Is there any warranty information that you can transfer, just in case? And do you mean $100 off the current prices?

For reference, you can get a new GTX 770 for as little as $299.

If it hasn't been abused, and he didn't allow the cooler to get clogged with dust, it should be OK, with one caveat. My main concern would be what kind of condition the fan is in; if the fan dies in 3 months, you'll have the hassle of RMAing it (if the warranty transfers), or the expense and hassle of installing aaftermarket fan (if you have no warranty). The component most likely to fail on a graphics card is the fan.

What did your Co worker upgrade to? What brand is the card he is selling and the model # and above all else what is the price.

Like JBI said give the card a close inspection for dust etc. Considering it is still a up to date card I would ask to try the card out and after you install it, then install GPUz and check the asic quality of the chip. If it is below 74% I would steer clear and just purchase a new one.

A new one will not guarantee a high ASIC value but at least you will be getting a full warranty. I suggest EVGA if you live in the USA. They sell discounted cards with full warranties. The discounts are substantial and EVGA customer support is about the best and they have a 90 day step up program.

Thanks for replying, it would prob be around $100-150 for the card, which is around 50% off.

How does the ASIC value exactly link to a "better condition" graphics card?
I was looking at this: http://linustechtips.com/main/topic/270 ... c-quality/
Pretty much looks like voltage leakage, would that change over time, or if something is wrong?

Thanks

$150 for a GTX 770? If you don't take it, I'd be interested...

superjawes wrote:

$150 for a GTX 770? If you don't take it, I'd be interested...

I guess that's your answer, OP. And I'd have to say the same: if you don't want it, I think I would.

Good enough for me.

Thanks!

Hmm... if for some reason you decide against it I'd be happy to take it off his hands for that price

Hey fellas. A few years ago, it was easy to source replacement heatsink/fans for GPUs, but with these custom-designed form factors from the HD 78xx and 7xx cards, I don't know if it's viable anymore. Is it?

The reason I ask is because in a couple months, I'll be coming up on a year of folding with my GPU. At some point, I think I'll want to replace the fans just to avoid failure. I just don't know what that point is, and aside from trying to source from HIS, I wouldn't know where to even begin.

There are a number of 3rd party graphics card coolers available. The reviews of them are "not so hot". While most of them do phenomenally-well at cooling the GPU, they usually don't address memory and voltage regulator cooling as well as the original equipment coolers do.

JustAnEngineer wrote:

There are a number of 3rd party graphics card coolers available. The reviews of them are "not so hot". While most of them do phenomenally-well at cooling the GPU, they usually don't address memory and voltage regulator cooling as well as the original equipment coolers do.

Yes. For example the Arctic Cooling's Accelero Xtreme with triple fan design - it does fit multiple cards like AMD's R290x models and many Nvidia models and has excellent GPU cooling but the VRM cooling is awful - the "original" design used separate tiny aluminum heatsinks (with a very crappy glue) and the "improved" latest design is even worse - it doesn't cool VRMs directly AT ALL and instead tries to cool them through PCB, using the backside passive heatsink.

And while EVGA does sell their excellent ACX cooler separately (which uses a custom front plate for direct VRM heat dissipation) it is compatible only with certain models: http://www.evga.com/Products/Product.as ... FS-3790-B9

I've purchased all sorts of PC components for personal use before on Craigslist. Didn't have too many issues. Usually used stuff is well-tested by the previous owner for you.

BIF wrote:

source replacement heatsink/fans for GPUs, but with these custom-designed form factors from the HD 78xx and 7xx cards, I don't know if it's viable anymore. Is it?

I had a pretty easy time finding a replacement fan on Ebay for an XFX 5830 a couple months ago. YMMV, this particular card's fan that was screwed onto the heatsink. Once the fan was removed, I Googled the model # on the back of the fan and presto!

If all else fails, you can always remove the heatsink shroud and zip-tie/twist-tie some 80mm case fans to the heatsink...I may or may not have done that before

Sorry, I was mistaken, he UPGRADED to the 770, the card is actually a 560 Ti (2GB). Haven't discussed prices yet but it does seem a bit old, still think its worth it?

Not worth it.. you can almost get a 7970 on ebay for that price. (almost == ~$180 last I checked)

And in games expect the 560 ti to be about twice as slow. So an extra ~30$ and you can double your gaming performance.

Shucks, not worth it then. Get something modern (AMD HD7000 or NVIDIA GTX600 series or newer).

Yeah, skip the used card then.

Okay, MAYBE you could make a case for it if you wanted to wait for the 800 series, but even then, I would haggle the price down on the 560 Ti.

I thought it was strange that someone would already be upgrading from a GTX 770. To what? a 780Ti? Not much room for improvement at the top. Upgrading from a 560Ti to a 770 makes a lot more sense.

I echo what others have said. Get something new, a 560Ti is roughly equivalent to a R7-260x or GTX 750. Both of which are in the $120-$130 range.

DPete27 wrote:

I echo what others have said. Get something new, a 560Ti is roughly equivalent to a R7-260x or GTX 750. Both of which are in the $120-$130 range.

Yep, and either of those would be a better buy than a used 560Ti (or even a new one).

Or better still, how about an R9 280? They can be had for $270 free shipping on Newegg. Not as good as when I got my 7950 new from Newegg (with the greatest 3 game bundle ever) for $215, but still a good price for a good card

Thanks so much guys!

Had to check retail to see why ebay prices plummeted.

R9-290 $379 ... yes below MSRP ! (newegg)
R9-280x ... $239 (with rebate, $259 without)

Both are gold tier , so 3 free games to pick from. (but with the current lineup its nothing of real value)

sschaem wrote:

Had to check retail to see why ebay prices plummeted.

I'll bet the drop in retail prices is in turn due to uncertainty about the future of cryptocurrencies, fueled by Bitcoin's recent troubles.