I’ve been looking to buy a 9070 XT or a 5070 Ti for my new PC build, but a coworker offered to sell me his RTX 3090 for $1000. He says it hasn’t been used for mining, has no physical damage, and has never been overclocked. I’m wondering if this is a good deal or if I should just wait a few more months for the newer cards I was originally considering. Price isn’t an urgent factor for me, so performance and value are what matter most.
5 Answers
Just to add, while mining isn’t necessarily a death sentence for GPUs if they were well kept, used mining cards can still be risky simply because of the heavy heat cycles they’ve seen. If your coworker says no mining and has proof, that’s good, but still $1000 seems high compared to what the market is like now for the newer 5070 Ti and 9070 XT models.
I agree with others that the 3090 isn’t worth that much on the used market anymore. I’ve seen 3080 Tis go for less than $1000 recently, and they’re basically on par with the 3090 for gaming. Also, buying from a colleague might mean you’re paying extra for the convenience or trust factor, which you should consider carefully.
The 3-series cards like the 3090 are pretty much overshadowed now by the 4- and 5-series for gaming. They lack some newer tech like better frame generation tech, which really helps in recent titles. Even AMD’s tech looks off on older cards. So if you’re building a new rig, focusing on the newest generation will mean longer relevance and better performance.
From what I’ve seen, a used 3090 typically goes for around $700-$750 depending on condition and model. So, $1000 feels like quite an overpay. Plus, the 9070 XT and 5070 Ti come with warranties and better power usage, which is a huge plus. The 3090, especially a used one, might have hidden issues even if they say it hasn’t been mined on. I’d recommend holding out if you can.
Honestly, $1000 for a used 3090 sounds steep right now. Considering the 9070 XT and 5070 Ti are newer, more power efficient, and can even outperform the 3090 in gaming, waiting it out might be your best bet. The 3090 is older tech and lacks some newer features like efficient frame generation, so it’s kinda outdated despite the name and VRAM size.
Yeah, I figured the newer generation would have some advantages even if the VRAM is a bit lower.
Good point about the warranty and potential risks. I guess waiting is safer.