Is it possible for a graphics card to lose its ability to update drivers?

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jukeston6

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Jan 28, 2018
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I am getting a graphics card for my friend, and he has a budget of 170 at most. So I've been doing some research on eBay and found a 780 ti for only $120. The catch is that the seller states that I cannot update the drivers, but the card works and video output is displayed. The card cannot update the drivers on NVIDIA's website. Question is, though, is it possible that the card could work fine in another computer? The seller hasn't stated that it was tested on another computer. If the card is toast, could you give me any ideas for a better graphics card at a budget of around $170? He wants to run games like Hunt Showdown and COD WW2 at medium settings with 50 fps (I know, a little stingy for $170 but he is stubborn :kaola:)
 
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Phaaze88

Phaaze88

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The drivers run the card, and the user is responsible for updating said drivers.
Are they saying you can't, or you shouldn't update the drivers - there's a difference. They may already have the latest legacy drivers installed, if so, then there would be no need to update. If it's 'you can't', then you may be dealing with a modded bios...

For $170, that 780ti(if legit) is your best option. You're not really going to find a decent non-used card at that price... which has me questioning whether that's a legit card or not: http://www.tomshardware.com/reviews/gpu-hierarchy,4388.html
It's up there with the 1060 and 970, I'm surprised the seller isn't asking for more than that.
 
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jukeston6

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According to the seller, "When installed, fans operate and video output is produced. However, default drivers are used and proprietary drivers can’t be installed. No returns, sold as is." Thing is that, it shouldn't be impossible for a graphics card to no longer be able to update the drivers unless it is super old. I got an old GT 530 from a throwaway computer, and was able to install the most recent driver from Geforce Experience. Also, used cards are perfectly acceptable, just need to run the games decently.
 
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audie-tron25

audie-tron25

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Mar 23, 2015
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What condition has the seller posted it as? As long as it isn't listed "For Parts/Not Working", you pay with PayPal/Credit Card AND you get it posted (not "Local Pickup"), it should be possible to return it if it is faulty when you receive it. EBay is usually pretty good with their return policy. Could be worth a shot at that price.
 
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audie-tron25

audie-tron25

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Mar 23, 2015
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What condition has the seller posted it as? As long as it isn't listed "For Parts/Not Working", you pay with PayPal/Credit Card AND you get it posted (not "Local Pickup"), it should be possible to return it if it is faulty when you receive it. EBay is usually pretty good with their return policy. Could be worth a shot at that price.
 
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BFG-9000

BFG-9000

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There's a really big difference between not being able to update drivers, and installing them resulting in a black screen. When the driver is installed, more of the GPU is used including GUI acceleration features and more memory--so not being able to use those suggests something is actually broken.
 
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R0GG

R0GG

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Drivers do drive the hardware = the video card in this case (show the hardware how to communicate and operate) on the system (windows system or other), 780ti drivers are available here > https://www.geforce.com/drivers follow menu and select appropriate card, as mentioned above if the card is defective you are covered by ebay_paypal buyer protection and you won't loose a cent ( return shipping will be on the seller as well) or use Nvidia automatic card detection tool.
 
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jukeston6

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It is posted as for parts or not working. Which is why I wanted to make sure because I don't want to be stuck with a broken 780
 
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jukeston6

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I contacted the seller, and he says he doesn't really recall since it's been a while since he worked on it. I suppose I'll keep looking elsewhere on eBay. I don't want to screw my friend over with a busted up graphics card.
 
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