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Buying a used graphics card URGENT

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  • Graphics
Last response: in Graphics & Displays
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August 4, 2014 12:37:47 AM

Hi I'm about to buy a used graphics card maybe tomorrow or in a week I was wondering if there are any things to look for or test specifically? I'm going to play a game on it make sure it runs obviously however I'm wondering if I should bother installing HWmonitor or something to check temps. Or is there any test thing that can check for any problems the graphics card can have? Also if it's sli/crossfire cards how do I check both cards are running and fine instead of just one card running and another being a brick inside? Thanks need reply ASAP

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August 4, 2014 12:44:46 AM

Test running Unigine Valley, get GPU-z on there too on the sensor page so you can check it doesnt overheat or anything.
August 4, 2014 10:56:11 AM

How do I tell if it's overheating if the temps are going like high 70s or something?

How do I check if BOTH cards are running in the system without individually testing them, does dxdiag show two cards? For me Display 1 and Display 2 are both my 1 graphics card. Do I check bios or what?
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August 4, 2014 10:59:39 AM

Best way to see if both cards are good is to test them one at a time with a benchmark like 3DMark or Passmark. If you want to test them in SLI, run a benchmark with one card then again with both and see if it gets a higher score with both.
August 4, 2014 11:18:54 AM

Okay sounds good. I've never really used GPU Z before, what should be the highest reading for an R9 290 (or in CF?). Apparently the chip can handle 95c, so anything higher than that is a red flag? The problem is reading reviews this specific R9 290 is known for artifacting sound issues etc " the card has a known over voltage problem which causes an electronic whine noise at high FPS, computer crash-restarts, frequent BSODs, and in general just terrible performance" "Throttles HARD at 85c. 50% failure rate." How would I test these things to make sure this card doesn't do that? How long do all these tests take and would they uncover any possible faults in the card?
August 5, 2014 1:30:21 AM

You can monitor the temps and clock speed to see if its throttling in GPU-z. Reference R9 290 can get up to 95'c with the normal blower style coolers and still be classed as normal.
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