Sign in with
Sign up | Sign in
Your question

Buying a GPU without warranty

Tags:
  • GPUs
  • Graphics Cards
  • HD
  • Sapphire
  • Graphics
Last response: in Graphics & Displays
Share
September 12, 2014 9:05:51 AM

Howdy guys. Have some questions regarding GPUs and their SH prices(just built a new rig, and dont have a GPU at the moment).I`m a bit of a nweb regarding prices and worth-iness of GPU, so be gentle.
1. I have found a SH full box hd 7850 2gb(sapphire oc edition) at 40% the price of a new 270 , but it doesnt have the warranty( the card was bought in another country 12 months ago). The pictures look very good, like it was used very little.Still, the lack of a warranty scares me a bit.
2. Also found a full box, 28 months still warranty, Gygabite HD 7970 at 50% the price of a new r9 280x. The problem i have with the 7970 is that i have a 530 psu, and its just too close, and again, scared of having to buy a new PSU aswell.
What do you guys think?

More about : buying gpu warranty

a b U Graphics card
September 12, 2014 10:33:32 AM

No I would never buy a used GPU that is more than 1 year old because imo, GPUs fail the most, in a gaming system. Also, since its a new rig, I advise either saving up for a new GPU or buying a cheaper one for now such as the r5 230 or GT 610 (obv can't game on these ) so that you have a display at least and then when you can, buy a better card.
a b U Graphics card
September 12, 2014 10:59:23 AM

What is your budget?
Give us your specs.
PSU brand/model please.

I would veer away from those cards personally.
Related resources
September 12, 2014 3:25:33 PM

i5 4440.
8 gb ram( dual channel hyper-x beast)
530w psu (430 on 12v rail) Super Flower
zalman z3 case(4 fans, well aired).
1 tb hdd 7200
For everyday uses, the hd 4600 integrated has done her thing( dota2, diablo3, even others).
All these on a Dell u2312hm.
And for budget, i dont have one. Untill now, the 4600 has been more than enough, but i found these, and was wondering if they were good enough to not pass them. I`m not an avid gamer, but i play kinda everything(dont need maximum details, but i would like to not buy a new card in a near future)
a b U Graphics card
September 12, 2014 9:07:29 PM

well, I am not crazy about you PSU, but it sounds to me you not looking for a high end GPU. Just about anything will be better than you are using.
$100-150 GPU would give you a world of difference in game play.

Either of these would be under $150 w/rebates:
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E168...
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E168...
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E168...
September 15, 2014 9:52:18 PM

Not living in the USA, so cant get those.Also, getting them from amazon.co.uk is kinda the same price as my country(after taxes and all).
I`m not in the need of a graphics card for now, but was wondering if the prices of those were just too good to pass.
September 15, 2014 9:58:04 PM

If the GPU has no warranty left then don't buy it.
September 15, 2014 10:29:50 PM

Personally, I would never buy a second hand GPU. First off, the warranty is usually either expired or minimal when you buy it, and that means your money isn't safe for very long. Secondly, you have no idea if the seller is lying about "light use." It's like buying a car that has been modified to the 9's, and the seller tells you "it was never raced, and all the mods were just for fun." Seriously? Assume the worst with a used GPU, because it's the most likely component that has been put under stress since day one; especially with those who built a platform that's common with games. The smartest option is new.

Now, when it comes to the 280x, having a 520w PSU is just hitting that line of 'bad idea' territory. Really, I would prefer you have a 550w, at minimum, for comfort; however, depending on what your system actually draws, and whether you OC or not, you might be fine with 520w.

If you want us to help you find a new gpu, you should probably give us a price range to work with. You might be best off saving up for a quality card.
September 15, 2014 10:50:36 PM

Don`t really have the money for a new GPU, and was just browsing some forums, and saw these ones. If i were to get the money, my first option will be a r9 280, or a gtx 760, if they lowers the prices on old cards when the new ones hit the market.
September 16, 2014 4:11:51 AM

Skylyne said:
Personally, I would never buy a second hand GPU. First off, the warranty is usually either expired or minimal when you buy it, and that means your money isn't safe for very long. Secondly, you have no idea if the seller is lying about "light use." It's like buying a car that has been modified to the 9's, and the seller tells you "it was never raced, and all the mods were just for fun." Seriously? Assume the worst with a used GPU, because it's the most likely component that has been put under stress since day one; especially with those who built a platform that's common with games. The smartest option is new.

Now, when it comes to the 280x, having a 520w PSU is just hitting that line of 'bad idea' territory. Really, I would prefer you have a 550w, at minimum, for comfort; however, depending on what your system actually draws, and whether you OC or not, you might be fine with 520w.

If you want us to help you find a new gpu, you should probably give us a price range to work with. You might be best off saving up for a quality card.


Don`t plan to do any OC, and have just the hdd, cpu,a hdd and 4 120mm fans.I dont think i`ll add anyrhing more(except the GPU). Everywhere i`ve asked, they said that i`m at the limit(with an 280x), but it would work.I also know that 7970&7950 have a lower consumption than r9 280/r9 280x, so even better

September 16, 2014 12:37:14 PM

Unless the 280/280X cards you're looking at have been physically altered, the power consumption should be identical. The 280 is basically a rebranded 7950 (BIOS update, and I've head maybe a DVI out was switched to a display port), and the 280X is essentially the 7970 with a minor change. Now, while the 7970 and the 280X do have slightly different specs (see GPUboss), the actual power consumption should be identical (according to this place).

If you run your 530w PSU with any of the mentioned cards here, you could be pushing your PSU quit a bit. When you push a PSU to its limit, you do start to get BSOD problems, and others... but your actual power consumption may not be that high. If you go to PCPartPicker, and enter in all your hardware, you can find the estimated wattage on the right hand side while picking your parts. If you're estimated to be under 450 watts, then a 530w PSU should suffice without too much strain. Hopefully that helps.
September 16, 2014 1:14:59 PM

I know that the 7950=r9 280 and 7970=r9 280x, but all the reviews and power consumption charts i`ve seen show that the 79xx have a bit of a lower consumption(not much, like 10%). And thats on every chart i`ve seen so far( i know that the power varies on each different rig).
September 16, 2014 2:21:57 PM

10% is really a negligible difference when comparing an old card to its reboot. If the power consumption is actually lower, it could be due to minor tweaks. Either way, it's kind of pointless to go for one card over a 20w difference, even with the build you're working with.
!