OK, seems raw nerves are exposed and still being poked. I am subbed to Buildzoid on Youtube and here is what he had to say -
My Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/buildzoidTeespring: https://teespring.com/stores/actually-hardcore-overclockingBandcamp: https://machineforscreams.bandca...
www.youtube.com
Hopefully that works OK. I don't watch a lot of his videos because as he usually states it is him just "rambling". Good if you like that sort of thing, and he is entirely honest about it. However, this video in particular is very useful. He has *a lot* of knowledge of power circuitry and components. Basically the long and short? don't buy anything with HBM on it (as I learned from buying a Vega 64 last time the mining died) and avoid the 3090 like the clap. The issue? as stated here - VRAM. It only has a finite life, and the hotter and more powerful? the less life cycles you get. This is facts, not something to debate over.
However.
I still would not knowingly buy a mining GPU unless it was pants cheap. Like that Vega 64 I bought. That was 1/3 of the RRP and AFAIK is still going today. Underclocked however with the occasional pink screen of death.
That said BZ does mention the very valid point about fans. Like I said in the "Would you buy a mining GPU" thread ages ago (and where I said "If it was practically being given away, yes" which met critical reception I would still avoid them. New ones from OCUK are not that much more expensive, and even their B grade come with a warranty. Like said, more than long enough to find out if a card is messed up. I recently bought a B grade 6800XT and it is fine. Crap clocker, but then that could be user error and 99% is (or the fact I am using a PCIE 3.0 ribbon etc) but the fact is I have put 200 hours of PUBG on it since buying it and it hasn't missed a beat.