Although there are generally no bad products for second-hand graphics cards, it is necessary to guard against people. Pay special attention to some graphics cards that are not used at all.
First, the eyes are golden.
1. Distinguish between good and bad
First of all, we should pay attention to the workmanship of the graphics card, the adoption and wiring of components. If all these meet the requirements, then at least the product is not a miscellaneous brand, and our confidence in it has also increased. As shown below, comparing two graphics cards with S3 765 chip, we can find that one adopts the chip design, and the other adopts the welding design with relatively backward technology. There is no doubt that the former is more stable and relatively difficult to damage.
On the left is the patch design, and on the right is the welding design.
In addition, whether the solder joints of graphics cards are smooth is also an important basis for judging second-hand graphics cards, because graphics cards with poor welding quality generally have a short life and a high probability of damage, which is particularly prominent for graphics cards before 1998. After all, the manufacturing technology at that time was not developed. The following figure shows two PCI graphics cards using Trident 9750 chip. Comparing the solder joints on the back of them, it is obvious which is better or worse.
2. Obvious knowledge
Due to the high price of memory in the past, many graphics cards do not directly load the maximum addressing capacity of chips, but reserve memory slots, which on the one hand saves costs and improves the competitiveness of products, and on the other hand provides conditions for users to upgrade in the future. Of course, this phenomenon is generally limited to PCI graphics cards, and after the AGP era, the memory is directly welded on the graphics card without providing any expansion slots.
The left solder joint is smooth and the right solder joint is rough.
At present, there are many PCI graphics cards using S3 Virge series chips in the second-hand market. There are two kinds of such products: 2MB video memory and 4MB video memory. Pay special attention to the S3 Virge graphics card with 4MB memory. If the memory of this product is not of the same speed and type, it will easily cause some unexpected instability and be very troublesome. Actually, it's easy to tell the difference. You just need to pay attention to the specific model of S3 Virgil. S3 Virgil should use DRAM-type memory. S3 VIRGE/VX or S3 VIRGE/DX, the model of VRAM or EDO RAM should be selected; S3 Vijay /GX or S3 Vijay /GX2, you should buy the model of SDRAM or SGRAM. The specific model and speed of video memory are usually marked on its surface. If not, you'd better not buy it. It must be polished memory.
3. Compatibility issues that have to be mentioned
Does the graphics card also have compatibility problems? Indeed, due to various reasons, many graphics cards can't exert their maximum performance when working with a specific chipset, and even the situation of blue screen of death will occur frequently. Readers who have no DIY experience should pay special attention to these problems.
The I740 chip is also the main force in the second-hand graphics card market, but it doesn't perform well on the MVP3 chipset (VIA's famous work on the Super7 platform at that time) and often reports errors. Although VIA has introduced many patches, it has little effect.
Memory slot
Because the AGP controller of MVP3 is not very mature, its compatibility with many graphics cards is very general. Take TNT in NVIDIA as an example. On the same frequency K6-2 and PII platforms, the performance gap between them exceeds 40%, so there is a general view that NVIDIA's graphics card is not suitable for MVP3 chipset. Voodoo series of 3dfx and Matrox G200 have a good performance on MVP3 chipset, and the performance on Intel PII platform is basically the same.
Unlike buying a CPU, buying a second-hand graphics card does not depend on overclocking performance, but on the brand and workmanship of the graphics card. Because low-end graphics cards are cheap, here is only for the purchase method of high-end and mid-range graphics cards.
(a) high-end graphics card
GeForce4 Ti4200 is a better graphics card in the second-hand forum. This kind of graphics card is mainly a low-priced product of major manufacturers some time ago. The original price of general products will not exceed that of 800 yuan, and many of them are guaranteed. And the price is pretty good, lower than that in 500 yuan. Of course, there are also some graphics cards without warranty, and the price is above 500 yuan. This kind of graphics card is generally purchased at the peak of GeForce4 Ti4200, and the original price exceeds 1 1,000 yuan. Usually it is difficult to make a good transition psychologically, so the price is a bit outrageous and it is not recommended to buy it. In addition, I want to talk about GeForce4 Ti4600. If the price difference does not exceed that of 70 yuan, I suggest buying this card. Playing games is definitely a pleasure, and the price is the most reasonable within 550 yuan. If you encounter it, it is recommended to buy it.
In addition, there are some RADEON 9500 or RADEON 9700 graphics cards on the second-hand forum, and even brand-new products are sold. Although it is rare, the price is very chaotic. Although I know the second-hand market, I know that the performance of these two cards is extraordinary. However, due to the strange supply of graphics cards, it is not recommended for ordinary users to buy them. Of course, gamers will never give up such an opportunity. If it is RADEON 9500, it is recommended to buy it at a price 150 yuan lower than that of the new RADEON 9600. As for RADEON 9700, I really don't know how much it should be worth. Anyway, I'll grab 800 yuan when I meet it.
(2) Mid-range graphics card
Let me talk about something unusual in second-hand forums. RADEON 9 100 is this kind of graphics card. Because it inherits the lineage of RADEON 8500LE, its performance is much higher than the mainstream low-end products on the market. Moreover, in the second-hand market, positioning the mid-range is the most appropriate. But although it is a mid-range graphics card, the price is not reasonable. Because in addition to Beijing, Guangzhou and other places, there are new sales of such graphics cards, and other areas have almost disappeared. Sellers of second-hand forums often think that their graphics cards are rare, and the price is usually above 300 yuan. I don't know that the new product with one-year warranty in Beijing and Guangzhou is more than 300 yuan, so if the asking price of this card is above 300 yuan, it is not recommended to buy it. Of course, if it is ATi's original graphics card, it is another matter. After all, in addition to workmanship and performance far higher than other brands, the collection value of this card is still quite high. Of course, there are two other graphics cards to mention, namely RADEON 8500 and RADEON9000(RADEON9200). In terms of performance, their relationship is: radeon 8500 >:radeon 9200 & gt；; RADEON9000 .
ATi finished, let's talk about the unusual place of NVIDIA. There is a brand-new GeForce3 Ti500 in the second-hand forum, and its price should be higher than that in 450 yuan. However, if the warranty is perfect, you may wish to buy it home. It's cool to play games, but I don't buy returns. This card is similar to RADEON8500 in performance, and you can also refer to the price of RADEON8500 graphics card when purchasing. Whether it is a new card or an old card, GeForce3 Ti500 is almost all the products of big manufacturers. Be sure to buy it and not return it. This kind of card is still good. As for the price of GeForce3 TI200, it should be below that of 350 yuan, and the price of 128MB of Samsung 4ns memory will not exceed this upper limit. Personally, I think the price/performance ratio is higher than GeForce3 Ti500. Unless the price difference of GeForce3 Ti500 is less than that in 70 yuan, it is better to buy GeForce3 Ti200.
(3) Mainstream graphics cards
At present, there are some mainstream graphics cards on the market, such as GeForce FX5200 or GeForce FX5600. This kind of graphics card is usually decided to give up because the seller is not satisfied with the performance of the graphics card. Users who are willing to buy can check the price of new cards of the same brand and model first. Under the condition of ensuring a certain price difference, you can buy it as long as the price difference is within 100 yuan. Of course, there are still many unscrupulous merchants who use a graphics card to suddenly cut prices to "fool" second-hand forums. When they don't know the true and exact current quotation of the video card, they must not buy it, otherwise the warranty of the video card may be imperfect and the price will be more expensive than the new one.
That's all for buying second-hand graphics cards. If you can't fully grasp it, you can refer to the main points when purchasing a new graphics card. In the price range set by the author, I usually buy a graphics card with good cost performance. Just don't be fooled by JS who mixed into the second-hand forum. Many netizens don't want to make money. Generally, it is no problem to change the problem within one week. If the seller can't even do this, it is recommended not to buy his things. There must be a mystery in it!