getting a retired miner gpu: dumb or smart

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gunch

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Wanting to get a GTX 1060 6GB because I only have 1080p monitors

Miners are offloading their cards on ebay for about half price



you can even make a miner dedicated card run games with black unsigned driver magic but I dont want to go that extreme cheap ass
 

TedEH

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They even say in the video that it's a dumb idea. I agree with them.
Get a used card from a generation or two back, much less risk, performance is good enough. I'm using a 970 and it handles everything I've thrown at it, as long as I'm reasonable about it. Even the 770 I had before that was really only lacking in vram, which made it continue to be reasonable for most games as long as things like texture quality and shadows were turned down.

I regular card that's a stupidly deal because it was used for mining... maybe, it's up to you do decide if it's worth the risk, but it could turn out well.
A mining specific card and sketchy drivers? No way. I wouldn't do it.
 

diagrammatiks

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Should you buy an electrical component that was flogged like an idiot horse and run at almost max capacity for its an entire life.

I dunno about this one. Need time to think about it.
 

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gunch

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Should you buy an electrical component that was flogged like an idiot horse and run at almost max capacity for its an entire life.

I dunno about this one. Need time to think about it.

That was my thinking but idk it's worth a shot, the seller I checked out had good feedback on bay of fleas

I can just send it back if it's bricked and I'm not necessarily going to keep flogging it when I get it, the most intensive game I play is dark souls :lol:

It's an EVGA too so it's not like it's going to have shitty caps that will swell and die any time soon

I will update when I get it
 

Xaios

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Should you buy an electrical component that was flogged like an idiot horse and run at almost max capacity for its an entire life.

I dunno about this one. Need time to think about it.
That's not really how it works. Simply because a card was used for mining doesn't mean the silicon on the card will be any "closer" to failing than it would be had it not. Assuming standard electrical operating conditions (which any miner would be stupid not to ensure, as using an unclean power source would risk them losing out on their ROI), any sort of failure in the silicon would either be completely random or caused by heat, which, if it hadn't killed the silicon components yet, wouldn't be a factor in any future failure. So long as the passive components were properly derated, they wouldn't be in any danger from heat either.

The fan, on the other hand, is a different story. Those are life-limited parts which are affected far more predictably by wear and tear. Fortunately if they go, they're also probably the easiest part to replace.

Having said that, I still don't think it's a particularly good idea, what with having to rely on drivers from less-than-above-board sources.
 

gunch

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That's not really how it works. Simply because a card was used for mining doesn't mean the silicon on the card will be any "closer" to failing than it would be had it not. Assuming standard electrical operating conditions (which any miner would be stupid not to ensure, as using an unclean power source would risk them losing out on their ROI), any sort of failure in the silicon would either be completely random or caused by heat, which, if it hadn't killed the silicon components yet, wouldn't be a factor in any future failure. So long as the passive components were properly derated, they wouldn't be in any danger from heat either.

The fan, on the other hand, is a different story. Those are life-limited parts which are affected far more predictably by wear and tear. Fortunately if they go, they're also probably the easiest part to replace.

Having said that, I still don't think it's a particularly good idea, what with having to rely on drivers from less-than-above-board sources.

Nah I should mention I got a gaming card used for mining not a bespoke miner card with the display ports cut off and the firmware softlocked, I just thought the video was interesting
 

Seabeast2000

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So am I that old school that ESD is of zero concern any more? Its not like it gives a visible zap but can degrade components to premature failure. Or maybe everything is ESD proof now? Just watching those guys handling the card is why I ask.
 

FancyFish

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How open is the guy on how he ran the cards? If he just says that they're former mining cards, then I would stay clear. But if he talks about what conditions they were under, if they were underclocked/undervolted, how long they have been running, then it might be worth the risk if its a good deal.
 

Xaios

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So am I that old school that ESD is of zero concern any more? Its not like it gives a visible zap but can degrade components to premature failure. Or maybe everything is ESD proof now? Just watching those guys handling the card is why I ask.
Heh, funny you should mention that. I have a diploma in electronics engineering tech (will be going back to school to get my degree in computer engineering once I dig myself out of my current debt hole and save up enough to feel comfortable digging a new one), and let me tell you, they did not emphasize ESD-safe protocol nearly as vehemently as they should have. Having said that:

1) In general, much more consideration is now placed on designing and manufacturing ICs that are ESD resistant than was in the past. While the underlying technologies (CMOS and TTL, for example) are still as fundamentally sensitive as ever, they've got a lot more protection built around them at the component level. The driving force behind this is, at the end of the day, more economical than technological. These board vendors need to be able to warranty their parts, and given that ESD damage is often invisible and thus impossible to prove as being the fault of the end user, it behooves them to build parts that are as inherently ESD resistant as possible out of the box.
2) These guys are operating in Vancouver, by all means a fairly wet coastal city, and handling hardware in rooms with no carpet. The chances of them ESDing a board under those conditions are pretty low to begin with.

Having said THAT:

Yeah, the way they pawed at the PCB was kinda dumb. Probably a simple matter of familiarity breeding contempt. Not to mention that LTT, despite focusing on hardware for their content, are more software people professionally.
 

Ordacleaphobia

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Couple questions on this one.
  1. How big of a deal is this amount of money to you? If we're talking about a 1060, this is probably only a $100ish card. If the card craps out 2 months from now, how pissed are you going to be? Will you be able to just saddle up, buy a new one, and let this failed investment roll off of you?
  2. What are you plans for further down the line? Again, we're talking about a 1060. Not the best card, but definitely far from the worst, either. If you're treating this as a stop gap until Navi launches or a step up to the Turing line, you probably don't care that it was a mining card. But if this is supposed to be your GPU for the foreseeable future...maybe grab a new 1050ti instead- which will be fine for 1080p.
  3. How confident are you? If a component on this card fails, do you have the balls to start pulling the card apart to maybe try and fix it? Or are you uncomfortable with that? People go both ways, and if you're confident enough to try and fix it, give it a go- maybe you'll learn something.
  4. How big of an upgrade is this over what you have now? If you have something like a 280, you're looking at a minimal performance increase that isn't really worth the risk.
This is all assuming you're talking about a normal 1060, which is the impression I get from your post. If you're referring to one of those "mining edition" cards, I would stay away- best case scenario you get a DVI port. Trash. Not to mention almost nonexistent resale value.
 

gunch

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Couple questions on this one.
  1. How big of a deal is this amount of money to you? If we're talking about a 1060, this is probably only a $100ish card. If the card craps out 2 months from now, how pissed are you going to be? Will you be able to just saddle up, buy a new one, and let this failed investment roll off of you?
  2. What are you plans for further down the line? Again, we're talking about a 1060. Not the best card, but definitely far from the worst, either. If you're treating this as a stop gap until Navi launches or a step up to the Turing line, you probably don't care that it was a mining card. But if this is supposed to be your GPU for the foreseeable future...maybe grab a new 1050ti instead- which will be fine for 1080p.
  3. How confident are you? If a component on this card fails, do you have the balls to start pulling the card apart to maybe try and fix it? Or are you uncomfortable with that? People go both ways, and if you're confident enough to try and fix it, give it a go- maybe you'll learn something.
  4. How big of an upgrade is this over what you have now? If you have something like a 280, you're looking at a minimal performance increase that isn't really worth the risk.
This is all assuming you're talking about a normal 1060, which is the impression I get from your post. If you're referring to one of those "mining edition" cards, I would stay away- best case scenario you get a DVI port. Trash. Not to mention almost nonexistent resale value.


1. I ate 150ish for dumber reasons before, I'd be upset but it wouldn't kill me

2. Keep it for a while, I really don't much care for current gen or future gen/vr shit

3. I mean I could give it a shot

4. A R7 260X lmao (that I can just go back to if this new one dies)

Bonus: It was a
EVGA GeForce GTX 1060 6GB SC GAMING
 

Ordacleaphobia

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I mean yeah, if it wouldn't hurt too bad should it take a dive I'd grab it tbh.
Pretty substantial upgrade over what you've got now for a pretty low amount of money; low risk if it fails, and with some new cards due out soon you'll have more options if it does go kaput.

Like you said, we've all taken $150 hits for dumber things :lol:
 

gunch

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Update: Everything else in this fucking build has given me grief except for the used GPU

Also windows 10 is a fuck

sxpiol.png


ignore the bugged cpu temp readout hwmonitor says like 40C
 

FancyFish

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Did you enable the XMP profiles for your ram? Because your ram speed is pretty low.
 

gunch

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Did you enable the XMP profiles for your ram? Because your ram speed is pretty low.

It’s at 2066 bc it bluescreens like shit at 2333 but hey 32gb for 130 bucks you win some you lose. Will probably be a nerd and pick out a better kit from my motherboard qvl. Also I read the integrated memory controller in ryzen cpus are picky and buggy when trying to go to 3000 or 3200
 

Xaios

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It’s at 2066 bc it bluescreens like shit at 2333 but hey 32gb for 130 bucks you win some you lose. Will probably be a nerd and pick out a better kit from my motherboard qvl. Also I read the integrated memory controller in ryzen cpus are picky and buggy when trying to go to 3000 or 3200
Is it a 1st gen or 2nd gen Ryzen? 2nd gen CPUs are a lot better at handling higher frequencies than 1st gen, but overall yeah, Ryzen's are a fair amount more picky when it comes to RAM chips than Intel processors. The greater internet community seems to have settled on RAM based on Samsung B-Die as being the best choice for Ryzen CPUs, as those are the only ones that people are consistently getting a full 3200MHz+ out of.
 

gunch

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Is it a 1st gen or 2nd gen Ryzen? 2nd gen CPUs are a lot better at handling higher frequencies than 1st gen, but overall yeah, Ryzen's are a fair amount more picky when it comes to RAM chips than Intel processors. The greater internet community seems to have settled on RAM based on Samsung B-Die as being the best choice for Ryzen CPUs, as those are the only ones that people are consistently getting a full 3200MHz+ out of.

R5 2600 non X
 

LiveOVErdrive

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I bought a used hobby miner pc back in... 2012? AMD cpu and a pair of Radeon something or others.

It worked.... Okay. I think one of the cards gave me artifacting sometimes and the system as a whole was a little flaky. Flaky enough to make me vow to never buy AMD again I guess. But they worked. They weren't bricked.
 

Xaios

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It worked.... Okay. I think one of the cards gave me artifacting sometimes and the system as a whole was a little flaky. Flaky enough to make me vow to never buy AMD again I guess. But they worked. They weren't bricked.
Artifacting is generally a result of problems with memory, either RAM or VRAM, not the CPU or GPU. The fact of it being an AMD system would have nothing to do with the RAM, and likely not the VRAM either unless they were an AMD-manufactured reference video cards and not ones manufactured by an OEM (as the vast majority of AMD-based video cards are). As it was a mining PC, it's possible that VRAM was overheating because the GPU fans were dying. Given that the fans are the one part of a system that really are more prone to failure due to mining as a) they're moving mechanical parts and are thus life-limited, and b) continuous mining would run down their life much faster than normal use, it seems like there's a pretty decent chance that was the case.
 
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LiveOVErdrive

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Artifacting is generally a result of problems with memory, either RAM or VRAM, not the CPU or GPU. The fact of it being an AMD system would have nothing to do with the RAM, and likely not the VRAM either unless they were an AMD-manufactured reference video cards and not ones manufactured by an OEM (as the vast majority of AMD-based video cards are). As it was a mining PC, it's possible that VRAM was overheating because the GPU fans were dying. Given that the fans are the one part of a system that really are more prone to failure due to mining as a) they're moving mechanical parts and are thus life-limited, and b) continuous mining would run down their life much faster than normal use, it seems like there's a pretty decent chance that was the case.
Fair. A lot of the reason for swearing off AMD at that time also came from the periodic dropped frames and the fact that I was working for NV at the time :)

But nah, the computer worked fine. The cpu was way underpowered for the gpus because it was a miner computer but it served me well enough for several years.
 
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