What a certificate does not prove

A certificate is evidence, not a promise. Here is what it shows, and what it can't.

What it shows

On the test date, a card with this identity ran our full test at factory settings, and these were the results. The report wasn't changed afterwards, and it was submitted against a fresh one-time code from this server.

What it doesn't show

It isn't a warranty.
Cards can fail at any time, including the week after a good result. GPUVerified doesn't repair, replace or refund anything. Any warranty comes from the seller or the manufacturer.
It can't tell whether a card was used for mining.
Nothing a card reports records how it was used. The test measures its condition today; a card that mined carefully can test well and a gaming card can test badly.
It describes one day.
The certificate shows the test date. Condition can change with time, shipping, or how the card is used next.
It describes factory settings.
The test runs at the card's default power and clock settings. Overclocked or undervolted use isn't covered. Some undervolt settings made in tuning tools can't be read through the driver; the performance check is the only backstop there.
A seller who controls their PC could still tamper with it.
The signature shows a report wasn't edited after the test. It can't show the app itself wasn't modified, or that it was given real sensor readings. A determined seller with the skills to patch the program could fake a result. Seller accounts make every certificate traceable to a person, and accounts that abuse the service can be blocked and their certificates revoked.
Temperatures depend on the room.
Room temperature and case airflow change the numbers. Compare cards tested in similar conditions.
Some details aren't available on every card.
Many GeForce cards don't report a board serial number, memory junction temperature or hotspot temperature to the driver. The GPU's unique ID is always used to identify the card.
Grades are a starting point.
Thresholds and per-model performance figures are based on a small number of real cards so far and will be refined as more are tested.

Buyer confirmations

When a buyer's check passes, the certificate page can show "Confirmed by a buyer on <date>". That means someone ran the GPUVerified buyer check on a card whose identity matched this certificate, and its memory and compute checks passed. It has the same limit as above: the card's identity is public on the certificate, so modified software could fake a confirmation, and the seller, who had the card, could run the check before shipping it. The page lists every confirmation with its date, and notes when one came from the same network the certificate was created from. If a confirmation is dated before you received the card, ask the seller why.

If you're offered a card whose certificate already shows a buyer confirmation from someone else, the card has probably changed hands since the test. Ask the seller about it.

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