It is evident that thrift stores offer a wide array of intriguing items. A Reddit user acquired a GeForce RTX 3060 12GB, previously regarded as one of the best GPUs, for only $4.99. Despite its used condition, the Ampere-powered graphics card, presumably bought from a Red White & Blue Thrift Store, functioned without issue, as reported by the user.
The GeForce RTX 3060 is among the most popular graphics cards by gamers, and it's held that position for a remarkably long time on Steam. Although its successor, the GeForce RTX 4060, has recently established itself as the preferred choice for Steam gamers, the GeForce RTX 3060 continues to maintain a strong second position. Even though its shader power might struggle to keep up with some of the latest games, its 12GB of memory ensures that the card at least doesn't experience major performance cliffs with the latest titles.
Despite being launched approximately five years ago, the GeForce RTX 3060 has preserved a significant portion of its value. Initially introduced for $329, customized models now start at $256, approximately 22% below the initial MSRP. Even second-hand GeForce RTX 3060 graphics cards can still go for as much as $180 on eBay.
A GeForce RTX 3060 for $4.99, is a steal of the century, regardless of whether it's used. It's one of those gambles in life that tends to offer more advantages than disadvantages. According to the Reddit discussion, the fortunate purchaser obtained the MSI GeForce RTX 3060 Ventus 2X 12G OC, a custom model with a factory overclock. A new MSI GeForce RTX 3060 Ventus 2X 12G OC retails for $299.97, so the Redditor only paid 2% of what the graphics card is worth.
According to the serial number, the graphics card was manufactured in 2021, indicating it's probably from an early production batch. Although MSI provides a limited three-year warranty on its graphics cards, the Reddit user ran out of luck, as the warranty period expired on August 16, 2024.
As a used graphics card acquired from a thrift store, the number of previous owners and the extent of its usage remain unknown. Although it is currently operational, maintenance, such as a deep cleaning or reapplying thermal paste, may be advisable.
We often hear fortunate accounts of Redditors discovering computer hardware at locations such as pawn shops, thrift stores, or clearance sections within local Walmart stores. This does not imply that you should dedicate your life to hardware hunting. However, if you happen to pass by such a location and have a few free minutes, it may be worthwhile to take a brief look. There is always the potential to uncover items of value, which may represent an upgrade for your system.
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Zhiye Liu is a news editor, memory reviewer, and SSD tester at Tom’s Hardware. Although he loves everything that’s hardware, he has a soft spot for CPUs, GPUs, and RAM.
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HideOut You said "regarded as one of the best gaming GPUs" no one ever said that. You left out the other half of the statement, "...that someone can buy and afford"Reply -
thesyndrome I get the impression that someone came back to their childhood home and got told "Oh, by the way I cleaned out a bunch of your old stuff to get some extra room!" by their parents. The only other possibility I can see is that the person who donated it is an altruist who wants to give someone a chance to get into PC gaming without breaking their wallet.Reply
It feels very strange to me that charity shops/thrift shops don't actually check the current selling price of products they receive and just throw an arbitrary price point on it -
bill001g Reply
Most thrift store I have seen do the reverse they attempt to sell stuff based on a discount off MSRP which anything other than a video card never sells close to.thesyndrome said:I get the impression that someone came back to their childhood home and got told "Oh, by the way I cleaned out a bunch of your old stuff to get some extra room!" by their parents. The only other possibility I can see is that the person who donated it is an altruist who wants to give someone a chance to get into PC gaming without breaking their wallet.
It feels very strange to me that charity shops/thrift shops don't actually check the current selling price of products they receive and just throw an arbitrary price point on it
What it might have been is the thrift store does not have the ability to test to see if this works.
What if he pulled the cooler and found all the chips removed would he be posting what a deal he had on reddit or wherever. -
GenericUser ReplyHideOut said:You said "regarded as one of the best gaming GPUs" no one ever said that. You left out the other half of the statement, "...that someone can buy and afford"
I get tired of seeing that line in just about everything mentioning GPUs, since it's painfully obvious it's for SEO purposes. -
tps34433 I gave one of these away for free to a stranger on overclock.net. So technically still not the best deal. The funniest thing about it, is the guy thought I was a scammer. People are idiots. Dude wanted to buy my Arc B580 I had up FS but didn’t want to pay PP F&F. So I sold it to someone else. Then we gave him a Strix OC 3060 12GB, because he was being a whining baby on the forums. Saddest thing about it all, I even paid for shipping cost. He said he would send me shipping cost after receiving the card, and he never sent the money.Reply
It all started when I was selling a ARC B580 for $199. i was talking to two different people who wanted it. I want PP F&F for payment (I always do). I have excellent reputation and good feedback so I can do that. So I sold the GPU, and another buyer was mad because he lost his chance to buy it, he lost his chance to buy it because he D’ked around too much asking why I want PP F&F. So I ended up selling it to the other person. Then he proceeded to post in another thread saying I’m a scammer and not to buy from me because I wanted PP F&F, .. So I mailed him a Strix 3060 12GB for free. I even paid for shipping. He said he was going to send me shipping cost after he received it which he never did..
Great deal for $4.99 but definitely
Not the best deal someone got on a Strix 12GB 3060 lol. Just say’n