Graphics cards are very expensive. A gamer got very lucky and purchased a broken graphics card for little money. In the end, it worked anyway and replaced his old RX 5700 XT.
A user is now selling his water-cooled RTX 3090 on Facebook for $150 (approximately 138 euros). Currently, for an RTX 3090, depending on the model, one pays between €1,300 and €1,600 (via geizhals.de). For additional water cooling, one pays another 150 to 250 euros extra. Thus, he is selling the entire hardware for a fraction of the normal price.
A gamer bought the graphics card from him and negotiated him down to $120 (approximately 110 euros).
Gamer cleans the broken graphics card and it works perfectly again
What happened next? The gamer explained on reddit that he took the graphics card home. At home, he took the graphics card apart and cleaned the water block. The surprise came afterwards: For when he installed the graphics card in his computer and started it, everything worked without a hitch. Thus, he writes on Reddit.com:
I found a non-working RTX 3090 with an EK water block on the FB marketplace for $150. The seller took $120, took the card home, and took it apart to inspect for all obvious problems and clean the water block.
I found no obvious problems, so I reassembled it and installed it in my PC, and it booted up immediately and passed some stress tests.
What did he do with his old graphics card? Since the gamer no longer needs his old graphics card, he offered to send his old RX 5700 XT to another gamer for free. This was very well received in the community. Thus, he writes in another post:
I still have the original air cooler that I never used for my 5700XT. I can reassemble it and send it to you for free if you want! It should be a good bit faster than a 580.
Update – My 5700XT was sent to its new owner!
In the end, the gamer not only acquired a new graphics card at a very low price but also ensured a free upgrade of a gaming PC.
Used hardware is always a risk, but it can be worth it
Is it worth buying a used graphics card at all? Basically, it always depends on how well the owner has treated it: Depending on the condition and experience of the seller, you can often find great deals on the used market. Especially then, when sellers are unaware, you can sometimes acquire great graphics cards for little money.
Many used GPUs on websites like Amazon or eBay still have a lot of performance left in them and can even be better than brand new models. Some owners have only used their hardware for a few months or have switched from their PC back to a game console. Generally, it is worth taking a look at the description of the sold products.
If hardware is declared as broken or damaged, the risk for you is usually significantly higher because in that case, there is very rarely any warranty. In the worst case, you have purchased electronic waste that no longer works.
Your computer has been having problems for a while, and you are afraid that your graphics card might soon break down or already is? MeinMMO presents you with signs that indicate that your GPU might soon fail: 5 signs that warn you that your graphics card might die soon
