A Reddit user recently acquired a collection of 12 Nvidia RTX 3070 graphics cards that were previously used for cryptocurrency mining. The hardware had been stored in a basement for several years. Alongside the GPUs, the find included an MSI MPG Z390 Gaming Plus motherboard, a 1000W Rosewill power supply, two 4GB DDR4 RAM sticks, and two 120GB solid-state drives.
Upon inspection, the cards showed minor silicone bleeding, a common result of thermal pad degradation. Experts suggest that cleaning the components with isopropyl alcohol and replacing the thermal pads and paste should restore them to working order. The RTX 3070, launched in 2020, features 5,888 CUDA cores and 8GB of GDDR6 memory based on the Ampere architecture.
The owner intends to test each GPU individually to verify its condition. While the user plans to keep at least one card for personal use, they intend to sell the remaining 10 or 11 units. The total haul contains 96GB of VRAM, which remains a significant resource given the current market pricing for modern graphics hardware.
Mining GPUs are often considered viable for gaming because miners frequently operated them at reduced core voltages and power levels. This configuration typically lowers operating temperatures and reduces stress on the silicon compared to standard gaming workloads, potentially extending the lifespan of the components.
