A video allegedly shows some crypto miners washing their graphics cards to prepare them to sell these cards to innocent buyers.
Graphics cards based crypto-mining has been a huge problem for the consumers in the tech industry for a while.
These miners buy graphics cards in bulk and make them almost completely unavailable for the common public. This, combined with a huge increase in demand, caused the prices of graphics cards to reach enormous levels.
This continued this recently, until Ethereum, the main cryptocurrency which used graphics cards for mining, switched its algorithm. Under the new algorithm, graphics cards aren’t used for mining Ethereum coins. Instead, the server would generate them for you.
This has meant that crypto-miners, who bought these graphics cards to mine cryptocurrencies, have no use for these cards anymore. After-all, no one needs 15 to 20 graphics cards to run a single game, no matter how demanding or beautiful the game is.
It also means that crypto-miners have no other option but to sell these graphics cards in the used cards market.
A lot of consumers too, who are tired with the high prices of new graphics cards, are considering to buy these used cards due to their affordability. Looks like they will need to be extremely careful if they do buy used ones.
Miners Seen Washing Their Graphics Cards
A Vietnam based Twitter user I_Leak_VN has posted a video alleging that some cryptocurrency miners are now washing, yes, washing their graphics cards.
It mentions that they are doing that after Ethereum changed the mining method. The poster claims that this is their cleaning season, while they wait for another cryptocurrency which allows them to mine with graphics cards again.
These graphics cards, it must be mentioned, are not being washed for self-preservation reasons. Nor are they being washed to give them some special abilities by summoning the water gods and asking them to make these cards usable in mining again. No, not at all. They are being washed for them to be cleaned, packed and be to re-sold in the used graphics cards market.
In the followup Tweet, I_Leak_VN has warned everyone to be extremely careful when buying used cards from eBay or any other sites. As otherwise, you may buy one of these.
In a yet another followup Tweet, I_Leak_VN shows that these cards are then dipped into “Ozone Water” (sterile water) inside a cleaner. These cards are seen dipped inside the water with their coolers / fans removed.
Horrible and Selfish
Even a kid could tell how horrible it is to wash their electronics. Let alone washing expensive graphics cards. This next level idiotic move is filled with complete disregard for ethics and also the buyer. It is only done to make the graphics card look new, in order to sell them easily.
While it’s true that there are professionals out there who do wash their circuits and other tech parts with water, that is done extremely professionally. Not to forget, it is always cleaned with pure, unadulterated sterile water, if not alcohol completely. The whole process is done with extraordinary care and professionalism.
These miners are not professionals in cleaning graphics cards. So expecting them to do it properly is meaningless. As mentioned in a Tweet reply by I_Leak_VN, the water being used is (likely) not 100% pure. Also is the fact that these cards are not water-resistant.
What this does is that it destroys the graphics cards. These miners might dry these cards and even bake them in the sun for the water to evaporate. But that alone is not enough. The water might not evaporate completely. The cards may not get dried easily. The impurities in the water would damage the cards. All the soldiering would have corroded and thermal paste would be eroded. The card’s circuit itself could break. All these would lead to short circuits and other damages when powered up.
Buying Carefully
So in this world of such cheaters, buyers are advised to be extremely cautious when buying these used cards. Especially the ones which might have “new like” or “refurbished” or “recently opened” tags to them. Who knows, some miner would have taken these cards along into the shower and washed them. Or even duck them into a bathtub with their rubber ducking besides them watching the whole thing in horror.
The above does not mean no one should buy used graphics cards, though. The next-gen graphics cards are really horribly priced. There’s nothing wrong in buying used ones. Just that buying them from well known or trusted sellers, who can provide warranty, would be a better thing to do.
