Hey everyone! I'm looking to buy an Asus RTX 3090 primarily for AI applications, and I found a sealed card for $850 in a local private deal. Do you think this is worth it? Opinions on the price and the card's value would be appreciated. Thanks!
4 Answers
If you're set on the 3090, make sure it's really what you need. The 24GB VRAM is great for AI, but keep in mind that the average resale price for these GPUs is around $700 used. Sealed or not, I wouldn't pay over that. Plus, the new 5070ti is just $750 and could perform better. Also, you don't get a warranty with a private sale, which is something to consider since GPUs can fail unexpectedly.
You can also get a decent card for the same money nowadays. Might wanna wait for better offers.
Yeah, I wouldn't trust a 'sealed' card either. The 3000 series was heavily scalped and mined, and you can't be sure it hasn't been tampered with. Better to ask them to open it and run some tests on it in front of you before you make a purchase.
Honestly, I'd be wary. Sealed RTX 3090s are pretty rare and could easily be scams. A lot of these sellers re-seal boxes to pass off fake products. If you can’t test it right there and then, it’s probably not worth the risk.
Honestly, for that price, you might want to consider going with an AMD 9070xt or 5070ti. They’re priced similarly or less and could offer better performance in many cases.
But they mentioned they need it for AI, which definitely justifies the price for the extra VRAM. If similar models are going for $800-$1,100, then $850 for a new one might be fair, especially since they can resell it for even more later.