Palit claims cryptocurrency mining results in 10% performance drop per year

Whether cryptocurrency mining has an adverse impact on GPU performance is a topic that's been hotly debated over the years. As far as I know, most claims about a negative performance impact have been debunked and tests from tech sites or TechTubers didn't manage to unearth meaningful differences.

Palit issues warning against cryptocurrency mining

Video card maker Palit on the other hand is now claiming that cryptocurrency mining is very bad for the performance level of a video card and warns gamers to think twice about buying GPUs that have been used in cryptocurrency mining rigs. PC Gamer reports Palit claims a mined GPU will lose about 10 percent of its original performance each year. Unfortunately, Palit does not back up its claims with hard data. At the moment, a lot of GPUs are hitting the second-hand market due to the recent crackdown in China on cryptocurrency mining.

Palit reps point to independent tests carried out on mining cards, which suggest that you can expect a 10% degradation in GPU performance for each year of service in a 24/7 cryptocurrency operation. Which seems like a pretty good yardstick to use when considering your options in the second-hand market; even if a given card actually works when you get hold of it, there's a good chance it won't be operating at its peak.

Inevitably Palit—a graphics card manufacturer which gains nothing from the second-hand sale of GPUs—has a vested interest in making sure you buy your graphics cards new. But these are still important things to remember when that tantalising Ebay listing suddenly pops up for a 'nearly new RTX 3070' without a ludicrous mark up.