Good deal?

[Maksym]

Trying to buy a video card for under 85$.

Found a guy who sells NVidia 9800gtx for 85$ CDN, basically same in US now a days, would you say a good deal?

Can I get something better for that price?

 

[jay2tall]

What brand model is it? Seems like a good deal. You won't touch a card like that for $85 CAD. I'd just make sure it is in working order and he isn't selling you a card that has memory issues or anything. Depending on what brand it is, some have transferable warranties, like XFX. I'd look into that.

 

[flyinfinni]

Good call Jay- that sounds almost too good to be true. In the US you can get a GTS250 or an HD 4850 for about $90 right now, and thats about as good as you'll get, and Canada tends to be a bit more expensive. Its a good deal, just make sure it is what you think it is.

 

[restatement3dofted]

Trying to buy a video card for under 85$.

Found a guy who sells NVidia 9800gtx for 85$ CDN, basically same in US now a days, would you say a good deal?

Can I get something better for that price?

When you say, "found a guy," do you mean that you found someone selling it used for $85? Are you buying it straight from a person, or through a website? Do you have a chance to test it before paying for it? Are you going to get robbed or stabbed when you meet this guy in a Wal-Mart parking lot to exchange cash for card?

If something seems too good to be true, it probably is. Make sure you do your homework before you even consider forking over your cash for that deal. You don't want to be the next TH headline for a story about someone who got jacked trying to save a few dollars - bottom line, be careful.

 

[Maksym]

Used.
Yes, I'll see it working before buying.
Meeting at guy's house and have his phone #.

 

[flyinfinni]

Used for $85? thats not AS good of a deal, still might be solid if you can't find anything cheaper on ebay or whatever. Its a pretty good card for $85, but I would spend a little more to get a new card and not have to go to some random guys house. that might just be me though.

 

[Maksym]

Any suggestions for brand new card with about same spec?

 

[flyinfinni]

You are in Canada yes?
http://www.newegg.ca/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16814102824
That would be a good card and I believe fairly comparable to the 9800GTX. Its a few $$ more, but its new and its a known deal

 

[Maksym]

Just spoke with the guy, he'll show it to me before I buy.

The mode is EVGA, do you guys still think its good? No idea about that manufacturer.

 

[flyinfinni]

EVGA is one of the best for Nvidia. Its probably a good deal- I'd just be real careful going to a guys house and stuff.

 

[Maksym]

Any tips on how I can test the card or the fact that it is running is good enough?

 

[tuffluck]

i think you're better off getting the 4850 new for 101!

 

[flyinfinni]

Have him run GPU-z and show you the proper stats, and check the temps and stuff with him running furmark or something like that.
(I'd probably still spend the extra $15 for a new 4850 though)

 

[white4lfe]

Any tips on how I can test the card or the fact that it is running is good enough?

Well if the seller is a nice-guy he would allow you to test it properly or show proof of its condition. And to do this you could try running a benchmark or 2 maybe do some stress testing. Now you do want to ask about the warranty if any...some or most manufactures have lifetime warranty of some kind and you want to check to see if that follows the card and not the first owner. Some companies allow the card to carry its warranty from owner to second owner and so on.

Just to name a few tests i know
-3DMark Vantage
-PcMark Vantage
-Farcry2 benchmark
-Crysis benchmark

And really what these tests will do if allow you to see stability matched to other peoples setup similar to your own and rate its performance to really see what the gpu is doing. And again buyer beware because there isnt much you can do if that gpu last 1 week vs 5 years...but at least defiantly check on the manufacturer website and read up on the warranty.

Hope this helped

Edit: Personally i would almost always buy new rather than used and you can find upgrades for around that price which would insure being outdated a little bit less as time goes on.

 

[Maksym]

What about this card? It is on sale right now at NCIX:

"EVGA E-GEFORCE 9800GT 550MHZ 512MB 1.8GHZ 256BIT DDR3 VGA HDMI DVI-I HDCP Video Card "

http://ncix.com/products/?sku=48801&vpn=512%2DP3%2DN987%2DTR&manufacture=eVGA&promoid=1219

It seems like a decent card and now for $79.99!

P.S. No idea if you guys know, but how are EVGA with their mail-in rebates?

 

[flyinfinni]

Well, that card is a decent bit slower than the 9800GTX you were looking at used, and the HD 4850. The 4850 at $101 is a better deal IMO. The 9800GTX used is a good deal too as long as all is as it seems.

 

[white4lfe]

What about this card? It is on sale right now at NCIX:

"EVGA E-GEFORCE 9800GT 550MHZ 512MB 1.8GHZ 256BIT DDR3 VGA HDMI DVI-I HDCP Video Card "

http://ncix.com/products/?sku=48801&vpn=512%2DP3%2DN987%2DTR&manufacture=eVGA&promoid=1219

It seems like a decent card and now for $79.99!

P.S. No idea if you guys know, but how are EVGA with their mail-in rebates?

I would say thats pretty much what your looking for but maybe buy from newegg.com its the same item but they do really nice 3 day shipping and if you order it today (not to rush it) but you will most likely have it before the end of the week depending on where you live and driver traveling conditions! But yea thats a the best after rebate price ive seen for that card and ive looked over a few well known sites and newegg.com will definatly reassure you with there assume feedback and customer service!

Edit: Yea i wouldnt count out that used card either...used doesnt mean broken lol just see how that plays out and then decide on something else if that seems to iffy or doesnt pan out and if the budget can be stretched i would recommend looking around for possible upgrades that would help out alot more than something to settle for...there is nothing like settling and being disappointed or let down.

 

[Maksym]

Thank you everyone, I can't believe just how mature and friendly people are on this forum.

Just wanted to say thanks!

 

[flyinfinni]

No problem. Hope you enjoy whichever card you end up with Let us know if you have more questions.

 

[Maksym]

After thinking about what all of you guys said, I decided to wait until the sale on NCIX(store in the area where I live, so no need to pay for shipping), and today they rolled out great savings.

Got my hands on the following for 89.99$! (almost the same as the used one but with warranty and no shady deals)

"Powercolor Radeon HD PCs 4850 625MHZ 512MB GDDR3 PCI-E VGA DVI-I HDMI Video Card "

http://ncix.com/products/index.php?sku=40867&vpn=AX4850%20512MD3%2DPH&manufacture=PowerColor&promoid=1097

This one is based on the chipset 4850 that Tom's recommends and checked it should run my only game - Starcraft 2 on Ultra settings!

Thank you again everyone!

 

[white4lfe]

After thinking about what all of you guys said, I decided to wait until the sale on NCIX(store in the area where I live, so no need to pay for shipping), and today they rolled out great savings.

Got my hands on the following for 89.99$! (almost the same as the used one but with warranty and no shady deals)

"Powercolor Radeon HD PCs 4850 625MHZ 512MB GDDR3 PCI-E VGA DVI-I HDMI Video Card "

http://ncix.com/products/index.php?sku=40867&vpn=AX4850%20512MD3%2DPH&manufacture=PowerColor&promoid=1097

This one is based on the chipset 4850 that Tom's recommends and checked it should run my only game - Starcraft 2 on Ultra settings!

Thank you again everyone!

sweet im glad you got what you wanted! i know i was excited to finaly get my new pc equipped with an awesome gpu

 

[flyinfinni]

Sweet man- thats a great deal! Much better to get a brand new card for almost the same price as the used one. Enjoy the new card!