Redditor finds RTX 3070 graphics cards worth $5,000 in abandoned crypto mining rigs

The rigs were last used during the Covid era for Ethereum mining

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TL;DR: A Redditor claims to have discovered two abandoned crypto mining rigs in a basement containing several valuable components, including a dozen RTX 3070 graphics cards, two 4GB DDR4 memory modules, and a couple of 120GB SSDs. The salvaged hardware also reportedly includes old power supplies and a pair of Z390 motherboards.

According to images posted by CelebrationIll9568 on the /pcmasterrace subreddit, all 12 GPUs were built by Zotac. The motherboards are part of MSI's MPG Z390 Gaming Plus lineup, designed specifically for gamers and overclockers. One of the PSUs is a 1000W Gold-rated unit from Rosewill, but the brands and specifications of the RAM and SSDs remain unclear.

The processors powering the two rigs also remain unidentified, but one of the images seems to show a stock Intel cooler, suggesting that at least one of the rigs was powered by an Intel CPU. The poster acknowledged that they're a Mac user with no PC building experience and was therefore unable to answer some of the questions posed by fellow Redditors about the hardware.

The rigs were reportedly last used during the Covid era for Ethereum mining and had been sitting in someone's basement for years after being decommissioned when domestic crypto mining became financially unviable. The poster added that the owner, who had bought the rigs from the person who originally built them, no longer had any use for them and gave them away when asked.

Describing the condition of the salvaged hardware, the Redditor said they noticed minor silicone bleeding on most of the graphics cards and asked whether the cards could be saved or had to be discarded. Most commenters noted that silicone bleeding is a relatively common occurrence and generally does not damage the PCB, so the cards could likely be salvaged.

They added that the problem is mostly caused by damaged thermal pads and can be fixed more often than not by cleaning the affected areas with isopropyl alcohol and replacing the damaged thermal pads with new ones. They also advised the poster to reapply the thermal paste before reinstalling the cards in a PC.

Launched in October 2020, the RTX 3070 is based on Nvidia's Ampere graphics architecture and features 8GB of GDDR6 memory. The card had an original launch price of $500 and is available on the second-hand market for $350-$450, meaning the 12 units would likely be valued at close to $5,000 if they're in perfect working condition.

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_{Image credit: CelebrationIll9568 / Reddit}
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