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There's a nice Linus Tech Tips video about this: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hKqVvXTanzI https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hKqVvXTanzI The tl;dw is that used

There's a nice Linus Tech Tips video about this: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hKqVvXTanzI https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hKqVvXTanzI The tl;dw is that used cards don't perform worse than new cards - your card either works, or it doesn't. But like any electronics, they have an "expiration date", and if it's been used for 2 years, it's 2 years closer to dying. It's up to you to decide if the discount of a used card might be worth it.

benj111 4y ago
But what's the bathtub curve on GPUs though? I'm guessing like most electronics, if they don't break in the first few months, they'll probably last until they're thrown away.
- doubled112 4y ago
  Depends how long until you throw them away. A bathtub curve needs to come back up, right?
  - benj111 4y ago
    Yes. And when was the last time you had a processor fail, or ram, or motherboard? I've had one motherboard on a laptop go. And that was due to flexing at the hinge. Everything else was mechanical, and I keep pcs for longer than average. My current laptop is 7 years old I believe.
    - doubled112 4y ago
      Everything fails eventually, and I agree, usually once they're a certain age they keep going a while. How many I've had fail? Or how many I've replaced? I worked for a few years in a warranty depot doing desktop and laptop repair. I've replaced a lot of parts outside of that first few months. I keep my stuff around a good long time too. I replaced a 5 year old GPU in my desktop just this spring. Tossed a desktop motherboard that would no longer POST with known good parts this summer that was probably about 7 years old. A couple of laptops hit the recycle bin last year because their screens stopped displaying a picture, but it wasn't physical damage or the cable. They were probably close to 8 years old. Stuff happens, as they say.
zajio1am 4y ago
> The tl;dw is that used cards don't perform worse than new cards - your card either works, or it doesn't. For electronics, it is often not just "either works, or it doesn't", but there is also decreased reliability (increased rate of random crashes and restarts). We ran many PCs as routers in often inadequate temperature conditions and that was pretty common failure mode.
- hot_gril 4y ago
  Was going to say, "it either works or it doesn't" doesn't even match my experience using home routers at obviously tiny scale. Every router needs a reboot sometimes, question is how often. My parents' router is on a lamp timer now to ensure it reboots daily. Amortized like 1 "9" of reliability. A better one maybe gets 3 "9"s.
- scambier 4y ago
  The "it works or it doesn't" was opposed to "used cards perform worse" (which they don't).

benj111 4y ago

But what's the bathtub curve on GPUs though? I'm guessing like most electronics, if they don't break in the first few months, they'll probably last until they're thrown away.

doubled112 4y ago
Depends how long until you throw them away. A bathtub curve needs to come back up, right?
- benj111 4y ago
  Yes. And when was the last time you had a processor fail, or ram, or motherboard? I've had one motherboard on a laptop go. And that was due to flexing at the hinge. Everything else was mechanical, and I keep pcs for longer than average. My current laptop is 7 years old I believe.
  - doubled112 4y ago
    Everything fails eventually, and I agree, usually once they're a certain age they keep going a while. How many I've had fail? Or how many I've replaced? I worked for a few years in a warranty depot doing desktop and laptop repair. I've replaced a lot of parts outside of that first few months. I keep my stuff around a good long time too. I replaced a 5 year old GPU in my desktop just this spring. Tossed a desktop motherboard that would no longer POST with known good parts this summer that was probably about 7 years old. A couple of laptops hit the recycle bin last year because their screens stopped displaying a picture, but it wasn't physical damage or the cable. They were probably close to 8 years old. Stuff happens, as they say.

zajio1am 4y ago

> The tl;dw is that used cards don't perform worse than new cards - your card either works, or it doesn't. For electronics, it is often not just "either works, or it doesn't", but there is also decreased reliability (increased rate of random crashes and restarts). We ran many PCs as routers in often inadequate temperature conditions and that was pretty common failure mode.

hot_gril 4y ago
Was going to say, "it either works or it doesn't" doesn't even match my experience using home routers at obviously tiny scale. Every router needs a reboot sometimes, question is how often. My parents' router is on a lamp timer now to ensure it reboots daily. Amortized like 1 "9" of reliability. A better one maybe gets 3 "9"s.
scambier 4y ago
The "it works or it doesn't" was opposed to "used cards perform worse" (which they don't).