Graphics Cards on Ebay?

Hey All,

Looking to get VR ready (everything else is good), and I wanted to know, what are your thoughts/suggestions for getting a graphics card on Ebay?

I currently have a 2gb MSI 770, and I'm thinking about upgrading to a 970, or 980 (if I see a good deal). Is Ebay good for graphics cards? The prices seem to be $100-$150 cheaper. Looks like I can possibly get a 980 for the price of a new 970. Should I just say no to ebay PC hardware?

Thanks for any help!

I usually try to refrain from using sites like Ebay because you take the risk of having a card that's DOA. A lot of times they can be improperly packaged or whatnot.

My rule of thumb is that if they have a rating that's below 85%, then I move on to the next guy.

If it's a used card that you buy, I would say no especially if they specify "hasn't been used for mining" or anything along those lines.

Got my R9 Nano off eBay for $450. Guy had put a total of 2 weeks use on it, and sold it to me with a print-off of the Newegg invoice and warranty info.

Buyer protection on eBay is so incredibly powerful that the moment you start a case claiming something doesn't work, the seller is forced to either refund you and let you keep the item, or refund and pay the shipping back. Getting a bad card is pretty painless for the buyer, though it may take a few days to sort out. The same can happen with new cards from Newegg or NCIX though.

If you find a nice deal, grab it but be sure it's a good seller. "Kittylove34355" with a whopping 7 feedback trying to sell a GTX 970 for $290 is not worth buying from. Go for somebody with significantly more feedback, and preferably a return policy beyond 14 days.

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I have purchased a total of four GPUs off of ebay. Two of them, however, were from NCIX, who sometimes uses the site to get rid of some backstock/returned items. I, personally, do not have a problem with buying some tech off of ebay, but that is only because I like to tinker. I am just in that mode of obtaining cheap products and then getting more use out of them than a Babylonian whore. So, if getting something for the least amount of money is the name of the game, by all means, go for it. Just make sure that you are buying from reputable sellers (as Fouquin said).

Overall, my own experiences have been positive, with some caveats. One of the GPUs I purchased had a thermal probe that only give readings when not at idle, and only with certain programs. (I... honestly have no clue what is going on there. Not sure if it just happens to be this GPU unit, or what. But, it happens.) Another that I purchased had a slight coil whine, which I only noticed when I swapped out the GPU's cooling solution with another aftermarket one.

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