9800GX2 From Craigslist

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Gawd
Joined
Dec 9, 2003
Messages
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Hey - i'm talking to a guy about buying a 9800GX2 - but i'm having some second thoughts. Here's the situation...

Price = $100 - Great price

Problems: No box / accessories, he claims he's getting rid of it because of the power requirements (but how could he have run it previously?), there's a small crack on the PCB that he says does not affect usage

I told him i'd buy it if i could bring my computer with me and install it and make sure it worked well through 3dMark06 and perhaps a few minutes of a game to make sure there aren't any artifacts. I haven't heard back from him since (granted, he might have got tired of my incessant questions and decided to move on to someone else). But is there anything else i should be concerned with, or anything else i should test before handing over the money? Any ideas or suggestions?

Thanks!
Chris
 
So even for $100, it's not worth the upgrade to this card? Or is the condition of the card and situation just not worth looking into? BTW - i'm using an ATI 4670 atm - and the 9800GX2 would make a nice upgrade over that (so far as i can tell).

But apparently - so far - the thought is that this is a no-brainer forget about it situation - any other thoughts?
 
If the pcb is cracked....that's a bit crazy. If he can demo the card and it works...I don't know, I wouldn't buy it regardless.

$100 isn't too far off from a 4870, might want to consider that.
 
Sounds like someone dropped a screwdriver on it and wants to get rid of it before it dies completely.
 
I think you should ask for a picture of the crack at the very least and post it here.

The 9800GX2 isn't that bad of a card. I know one person who has one as well as several people using 8800 series cards in SLI which should be similar enough to be comparable. They are all satisfied with their setups.
 
Of course he says the crack in the PCB doesn't affect the usage.... sounds fishy, avoid!
 
A cracked pcb = a rather short life.

Sine most nvidia pcb are multilayered, you have no chance of fixing it.

On the other hand, if it was just some idiot who mistakened a trace for a crack... :)



Just wait and see. I have a 9800gx2, and while their launch price was not justified, their current selling price is rather nice for the performance (about the gtx280 level, and frequently above).

However, a fair warning: most of heat is dumped into the case, not out! It's the hottest card I have, so far.
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just don't buy it. for one thing, it sounds shady, for another, you can probably buy an equal/better card for around the same price used.
 
why would you even want to fool with this? the card is physically damaged so that alone would not get my 100 bucks. also the 9800gx2 is well known for its micro stutter issues too.
 
I would go with a 4870. Even new, it costs only $130, you should have no trouble getting a second-hand one in good condition for under $100. In addition, the 9800GX2 has some terrible microstutter, the 4870 would offer a better gameplay experience even though framerates are slightly lower. And furthermore, given the cracked PCB, I wouldn't go near it with a 10-foot pole.
 
well - he told me it was just a chip - not a real crack - but i went ahead and told him i wasn't interested - kind of a shame, i was really looking forward to upgrading - but i'll probably find something - thanks guys
 
You asked the guy to test the card in front of you and he has not responded. I think that should answer all of your questions.
 
Wow! I can remember when these were released and fetching $600+ How the mighty have fallen. As the other guys here are saying.... "proceed with extreme caution".
 
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