When you've run across the best deals (?)

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divinedragon

divinedragon

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So for the past couple of weeks, I've really been mulling over system components for my new build. I did a little searching in the forums and didn't really see any topics relating to this. My build will be a mix of mid to high end parts depending on prices, which led me to want to ask the community this:

When have you generally found the best time for buying computer items overall? Have you found it's always black Friday/cyber Monday time, or have you had luck during other times of the year when it seems sales and rebates are more abundant?

I ask this because the only thing really holding me back from just getting everything now is the fact that, maybe, if I wait a couple of weeks I'll find a sale on the same item saving me ~$10-$50 depending on the part. The only problem I see with my lack of decision making is that by the time I finally get everything together, it may be too obsolete. I realize there's always bigger and better out there, but if it takes me say a couple months to get these parts the superior parts may have trickled down a little in price by then. Any opinions on this? I'm a rabid online deal getter which is why I hesitate to buy everything at once, but if I know that I'm not really going to see a sale worth waiting for, then at least I have that peace of mind.

(Possible specs include 2600k, 6950, z68 flavor mid range MB, ~8-12gig 1600 RAM, ~650w PSU, case is Lancool PC-KC3)
 
buzznut

buzznut

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1) Yeah, Cyber Monday and black friday are great times to grab great sales on components.

2) The best way to save a few bucks is to take advantage of combo deals. Newegg also has "Shell shocker" deals from time to time that are pretty awesome, although its been awhile since I saw something compelling.

3) Its possible that when bulldozer releases, (Aug or September) you'll see some price drops on other components (CPU or motherboards) al;though I wouldn't count on too many price drops from Intel. They get pretty much whatever they ask for. Also when new video cards come out, thats a great time for price drops across the board.

4) Microcenter: Sometimes they can have incredible deals for a limited time, I've especially heard of great deals on Intel CPU's. Sometimes in store only, so check to see if you have one in your area.

5) Sometimes newegg doesn't have the best price, but they do have the best customer service and great shipping. I've often regretted purchasing elsewhere to save a couple of dollars and then dealing with the hassles of cheap shipping and incompetent packers. Its often just worth it to purchase with confidence.
 
B

bliq00

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every month or two, everything gets cheaper. Personally, I think your best bet is to buy everything at once or at most within a month, then stop checking prices for about six months.

Otherwise, shop for used so someone else has taken the depreciation hit. I do that a lot actually. Just make sure it's a good deal compared to buying new.
 
hunter315

hunter315

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Watch for combos, they can save you a ton. I got my CPU and motherboard with an $85 off combo, and combo'd the case with the PSU for another $10 off, they were the parts i planned for anyway so the combo was just bonus.

Combos usually switch up at the beginning of each month so pay attention at the end of the month to make sure you dont miss an awesome combo, the first week usually doesnt have anything great though.
 
buzznut

buzznut

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BTW, I am not advising you to wait 2 months or whatever. The best time to buy is right now, because prices fluctuate so much. That's why Bliq's advice to ignore sales for the next 6 motnhs is wise, you will certainly experience buyer's remorse as soon as you hit "click."
 
cmcghee358

cmcghee358

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I've built my rig around 3 things:

1) Shell shcokers/email promotions(Guerilla sales etc) from newegg.com
2) Woot.com
3) craigslist.com

5870 2GB DDR5 Eyefinity6 edition(179.99 - shell shocker)
Seasonc X750 80 PLUS Gold Modular PSU (119.99 - Guerilla sale)
Naga Razer mouse (34.99 - woot off)
Logitech G110 keyboard ($25 - craigslist.com)
21.5" Acer 1920x1080 monitor ($40 - craigslist.com)
amBX Professional Lighting/Sound ($70 - woot off[normally 250-350])
Corsair DDR3-1600 2x2GB CAS 7 RAM (49.99 - shell shocker)
Acer 21.5" Monitor 1920x1080 (109.99 - Cyber Monday, newegg.com)



All of that equated to about a $800 savings on just those components.

Also I traded my old XION 1000W PSU for a brand new H70.
I sold my Xfired 4890s for $200, covering the cost of the new 5870 etc etc.

So don't be scared to buy something, because alot of the time, if you find a good sale, you can sell/trade the old component for near equal value of the upgrade.

My 2c.
 
divinedragon

divinedragon

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Thanks for the really nice detailed responses so far. I had no idea Newegg's combo deals were a month in, month out kind of thing. I tend to keep my eye on Newegg, Dealnews, and Slickdeals constantly for trends and deals, but I'm definitely a baby when it comes to the world of all things Woot though. I had a pretty good idea that prices would fluctuate from time to time, and every couple months or so reach a new pricing tier for lowering the prices. I think I'll just really gun down the things that I need over the next couple of weeks, and then just be done with it. With anything else, I could probably hunker down and wait it out. With computer components, I'll just have to know that it's the way things are and accept it. I have this thing with always trying to find something bigger and better for a better deal if I just keep looking and have patience. I think the trade-off here is swapping the time I get to enjoy my new rig with the illusion of chasing the deal here. Props to you guys who have responded so far as well. ;)

As far as sites that generally offer the better prices, topping the list is usually Newegg and Microcenter. I know Tigerdirect, Fry's, Amazon, and even ebay sometimes have their moments. Besides Woot, is there anywhere else worth keeping my eye on you think?
 
Motopsychojdn

Motopsychojdn

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My approach is keep an eye on upcoming tech,
then file it until I get the itch to build/mod, then plan the build and buy as I progress,
I know what I want, the prices are usually less than when I first saw them, and sometimes I get 'upgrades' for the price I was prepared to pay for an item,
Americans do get the special tech days, we dont over here that I'm aware of but I reckon/hope Black friday may catch on :p
Moto
 
jason gran

jason gran

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1)black friday/cyber monday
2)shell shocker
3) combo deals
4)microcenters usually have cheap combo deals thatll save u 10-50 bucks
5) imo dont wait just search for the cheapest price and buy. prices will always drop and deals will always be on. youll hit your head saying why no matter what. as long as you know you got the best deal at the time possible that should be enough to live with and enjoy your new system
6)new tech making old tech obsolete
 
mlcaouette

mlcaouette

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I didn't notice any one mentioning newegg's email promo. Just click the link on newegg's homepage. They change it twice a week, once for the weekend deals and once for the week day deals. It has been my experience that they usually offer more/better deals during the regular business week promo.

I agree with the info that all the other posters have been submitting.

It is possible (not guaranteed) that if you buy something off newegg and shortly afterwards it goes on sale you can contact them and possibly get them to honor the sale price for you. I've read of a few people having success with this.

 
G

genghiskron

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the key to maximum newegg savings, imo, is to remember all the best combos for the month, and then watch for when one of the items goes on sale.

If you wait you WILL find an amazing deal on ram. other things can take a while, but theres almost constantly a great deal on ram.

my favorite combo at the moment:
http://www.newegg.com/Product/ComboDealDetails.aspx?ItemList=Combo.689147

id keep an eye on hd6950 2gbs. The prices on those are quite high at the moment. gtx 560ti, on the other hand, can be had for a great price
 
divinedragon

divinedragon

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Cookies all around for everyone that responded! That's actually a great combo genghiskron. Thank you for pointing that out to me as I was eying the same ram for 60 by itself. Looks like I can knock those two out right away. I'm pretty sure 300 is going to be my best bet for a 2600k unless anyone sees a conflict with this particular motherboard. It seems to be fairly popular here in this community.
 
divinedragon

divinedragon

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Explain, since I have the foggiest about anything related to RAM.
 
cmcghee358

cmcghee358

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The speed of the RAM is how quickly it can move information through it.

The latency is how quickly the RAM resets to be ready for the next information to move through it.

If you have a Lambrogini racing a Family car, you assume the Lambrogini would win. But what if the Lambrogini had to wait at a red light much longer, where-as the family car didn't. Then what if there were 1,000 red lights, all stopping the Lambrogini.

Or here's the simple equation:

(CAS / Frequency) x 1000 = speed(ns)

For example DDR3-1333 C7 = 5.25ns

DDR3-1600 C9 is 5.625

So even though the RAM is slower "speed" the lowered latency actually makes the RAM perform faster(lower is better)

And DDR3-1600 C7 is 4.37, which is even faster.

Most of the time lower latency RAM can be found for around 10-15 more than the CAS9 stuff. I personally would rather pay the extra money for something I know is better.



 
divinedragon

divinedragon

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Thanks for the link. There was another combo deal for the better RAM, and now that I have a better grasp on RAM, I can make a much better decision. I even made a specific post about RAM in the other forum, and *crickets*.... *crickets*.. so I appreciate the effort and thought.

These look good with the discount. (CL7 RAM) All those in favor?
 
biglebowski

biglebowski

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4) Microcenter: Sometimes they can have incredible deals for a limited time, I've especially heard of great deals on Intel CPU's. Sometimes in store only, so check to see if you have one in your area. -Buzznut-

Currently Microcenter has a deal were you can get a i7 2600k for $279 or a i5 2500k for $179, compared to $369 and $249 respectively. This deal is good until 7-17-11
 
G

genghiskron

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haha i was just joshing you on the 955 thing by the way. :)
im certainly not trying to deny that lower latency ram is better, and i realize that my brief and rude response conveyed that message. i think its important to ask how much better it is though, and that really does depend on your intended purpose. the math youve shown may be simple, but the math relating ram speed and latency to actual performance gains is extremely complex. most of the results ive seen show that for gaming, the difference is negligable, however this is not necessarily true for video encoding etc.
the key question in terms of budget building is whether the added value of improved latency is greater than that of a potential upgrade elsewhere in the system.
you implicitly claim that the added value of lower latency ram is approximately $10-15. whether or not i disagree with that valuation, i think the onus is on you to show that a similar featured mobo and higher latency ram can be had for $165+$15= $180. Otherwise, i will be forced to maintain that it is indeed a sweet combo.
 
cmcghee358

cmcghee358

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Me personally I'd look at a 2x2GB DDR3-1600 C7 and save 2 slots for the future. In general 8GB isn't necessary. The only reason I have 8 GB is because if found another Corsair 2x2GB set on a shell shocker for 49.99.

If you reference my post above, DDR3-1333 C7 is barely faster(overall) than DDR3-1600 C9.

I'll see if I can find a motherboard/RAM combo that fits the bill. Or simply break the combo and partner the Mobo w/ the CPU and the RAM with something else. My 2c.

 
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