OEM versus BULK versus RETAIL

[Eefus]

I am looking into buying an ATI Radeon 9700 PRO. I would like to find it for around $300 or less but I am a little concerned about purchasing it OEM. The reason is that I have heard about cards that are made by other companies with the 9700PRO label and are not of the right quality. Could you guys just explain to me the differences and maybe suggest something? Thanks.

 

[Take_Out]

Saphire makes the ATI cards for Europe, they don't sell ATI cards there. Get the Saphire card from Newegg, in the refurbished section, for 237 bucks, right now they are there. They won't be there in about twenty minutes. They appear about twice a week.
Good Luck,
Take-Out

"We killed OUR Hitler" - attributed to Paul McCartney (If so, then well done, sir)

 

[Eefus]

refurbished...doesnt that mean used and then they just clean it up...would like a new product. thanks!

 

[hmm]

I think newegg has new Retail Sapphire Radeon 9700 pro's. Go to their site and look at the pictures for more details on the difference between their OEM and RETAIL versions. However, you SHOULD get the retail since you can put a nice colorful box against the wall. Eventually, you can build a wall of graphics card boxes

 

[BastardTom]

For some reason, everyone seems to be recommending newegg. Would someone tell me why. I have found a much better site, www.buyxg.com, where they have a 0% restocking fee, a 30 day return policy, and they are cheaper than newegg. I found a 9700 PRO there for 278 and it's not refurbished.

To deny our own impulses is to deny the very thing that makes us human.

 

[BastardTom]

I forgot one more thing in my previous post. You were asking what's the difference between cards made by other companies that brand the 9700 PRO label. What happens with most companies like Nvidia and ATI is that they research and build chips. Nvidia has its NVxx and ATI has its Rxxx type chips. After they research this technology, they sell the rights of their research to other companies who manufacture videocards. So far, these companies, such as Asus, Guillemont, etc. use the chips developed by Nvidia/ATI with there videocards which in turn leaves little to no difference between videocards sporting the same chipset. Sometimes these companies might overclock the memory or core speed of their version, but that's about it! You shouldn't feel bad about buying a videocard if it wasn't made by Nvidia or ATI, they supply refference drivers from their sites so you'll always be able to get the updates as well. Hope that helps.

To deny our own impulses is to deny the very thing that makes us human.

 

[dhlucke]

I have found a much better site, www.buyxg.com,

That site is garbage. Save your money. Spend it wisely.

<A HREF="http://www.resellerratings.com/seller3104.html" target="_new">http://www.resellerratings.com/seller3104.html</A>

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<A HREF="http://kevan.org/brain.cgi?dhlucke" target="_new">Forum Assassin</A></font color=red>

 

[BastardTom]

Holly Crap! Dhlucke you saved me from making a big mistake. I was just about to order an xp2700, a WD 120Gb, and an A7N8X-DX from buyxg, but thanks to your link I have realised they are a complete waste of time. If anyone comes accross this post and is thinking of using buyxg, follow the link on dhlucke's previous post.

To deny our own impulses is to deny the very thing that makes us human.

 

[dhlucke]

No problem. We need to setup a faq or something. Basically stick to the top ten on resellerratings.com. That way you won't have a problem.

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<A HREF="http://kevan.org/brain.cgi?dhlucke" target="_new">Forum Assassin</A></font color=red>

 

[Stormfury]

"For some reason, everyone seems to be recommending newegg. Would someone tell me why. I have found a much better site, www.buyxg.com"

hahahahah nice one!!
I actually bought my cpu from them and did recieve it, thank god!! Right after I bought from that store, I found out about resellerratings.com and I about crapped my pants. Specially when they hadn't shipped my product for like 5 days. So I flamed them by email and they sent the cpu the next day and got here alright. Don't know if it works yet since my a7n8x won't post. Spend the extra $10-15 and buy from newegg.