TL;DR: A Redditor claims to have found two deserted crypto mining rigs in a basement containing a number of worthwhile parts, together with a dozen RTX 3070 graphics playing cards, two 4GB DDR4 reminiscence modules, and a few 120GB SSDs. The salvaged {hardware} additionally reportedly consists of outdated energy provides and a pair of Z390 motherboards.
In keeping with photographs posted by CelebrationIll9568 on the /pcmasterrace subreddit, all 12 GPUs had been constructed by Zotac. The motherboards are a part of MSI’s MPG Z390 Gaming Plus lineup, designed particularly for players and overclockers. One of many PSUs is a 1000W Gold-rated unit from Rosewill, however the manufacturers and specs of the RAM and SSDs stay unclear.
The processors powering the 2 rigs additionally stay unidentified, however one of many photographs appears to indicate a inventory Intel cooler, suggesting that at the least one of many rigs was powered by an Intel CPU. The poster acknowledged that they seem to be a Mac person with no PC constructing expertise and was subsequently unable to reply a few of the questions posed by fellow Redditors in regards to the {hardware}.
The rigs had been reportedly final used throughout the Covid period for Ethereum mining and had been sitting in somebody’s basement for years after being decommissioned when home crypto mining turned financially unviable. The poster added that the proprietor, who had purchased the rigs from the one that initially constructed them, now not had any use for them and gave them away when requested.
Describing the situation of the salvaged {hardware}, the Redditor mentioned they observed minor silicone bleeding on a lot of the graphics playing cards and requested whether or not the playing cards may very well be saved or needed to be discarded. Most commenters famous that silicone bleeding is a comparatively frequent incidence and customarily doesn’t injury the PCB, so the playing cards might possible be salvaged.
They added that the issue is generally brought on by broken thermal pads and will be mounted most of the time by cleansing the affected areas with isopropyl alcohol and changing the broken thermal pads with new ones. In addition they suggested the poster to reapply the thermal paste earlier than reinstalling the playing cards in a PC.
Launched in October 2020, the RTX 3070 is predicated on Nvidia’s Ampere graphics structure and options 8GB of GDDR6 reminiscence. The cardboard had an unique launch worth of $500 and is on the market on the second-hand marketplace for $350-$450, which means the 12 models would possible be valued at near $5,000 in the event that they’re in good working situation.
Picture credit score: CelebrationIll9568 / Reddit
