Compusa Rocks! and I'll tell you why.

[Sonorous]

Compusa Rocks!

So I boight a radeon 9800 pro for 420 dollars in May of 2003, along with it I got the two year product replacement plan. Recently my 9800 pro has started to act up, artifacting and distortion in game. So I decided to take it back to compusa after recalling I had this replacment plan. I got a new ATi x850xt for about $52.50, and as soon as I can I am going to go get the 2 year replacement on it. next gen graphics for 50 bucks? Top of the line graphics for the past two years for only 487 Dollars? You would be nuts not to. So I reccomend that all of you think about where you get your next cards from. I dont think you can beat a new x850xt for 52 bucks.

[FearTheTerp]

Yeah, one of my friends had the same deal with Compaq. He bought a computer four years back. It started to screw up a year ago and he got a brand new one for free. Gotta love them warranties.

But I can see your Athlon XP bottlenecking the x850 though.

[a2jfreak]

Let's see . . . $420 + $52.50 = $472.50
$487 - $472.50 = $14.50
The extended warranty only cost $14.50??? Not a bad deal at all, if that's the case, though I have my doubts.

Compusa Rocks!

So I boight a radeon 9800 pro for 420 dollars in May of 2003, along with it I got the two year product replacement plan. Recently my 9800 pro has started to act up, artifacting and distortion in game. So I decided to take it back to compusa after recalling I had this replacment plan. I got a new ATi x850xt for about $52.50, and as soon as I can I am going to go get the 2 year replacement on it. next gen graphics for 50 bucks? Top of the line graphics for the past two years for only 487 Dollars? You would be nuts not to. So I reccomend that all of you think about where you get your next cards from. I dont think you can beat a new x850xt for 52 bucks.

[profdlp]

Let's see . . . $420 + $52.50 = $472.50
$487 - $472.50 = $14.50
The extended warranty only cost $14.50??? Not a bad deal at all, if that's the case, though I have my doubts.
I could believe that, or at least something close to it price-wise. Compusa probably gets at least partial credit from the manufacturer for every returned unit they handle.

Look at it this way:

Compusa sells thirty of the cards with the extended warranty. $14.50 X 30 = $435. If one card comes back they are still ahead of the game. When you take into account that they are paying wholesale prices they would likely still be ahead even if one out of twenty cards is returned. The extended warranty only covers the period after the manufacturer's warranty expires. Since the majority of electronic devices that fail do so during the initial burn-in period (say, the first 90 days), chances are that they'd have very few returns at all.

When I was a teenager I sold stereos and TV's at a local electronics store. My commission was based on a flat-rate for each item (not a percentage of total sales). The commision generally doubled if you managed to talk the customer into a long service contract. When I asked the manager how this was possible, he told me that 83% of all the money from service contracts was pure profit (the other %17 went to cover actual problems).

My greatest achievement was selling a lady a five-year in-home full warranty on a big TV set. The warranty cost $5 less than the price of the TV. She could have bought two of them and stuck one in the closet as a spare for what she paid.

[Sonorous]

To be honest I think the warrenty price was around 25, Maybe even more. But the all out cost to me for the x850xt was only 52.50. So lets just assusme that one could get two next gen cards for about 52 in the next two years, assuming that the shelf life of the card is only two years.

As for my cpu bottlenecking the new card, yes it does to some extent I would imagine, but I'm not in a position currently to purchase a new mobo and cpu. The amount of increase as far a preformance is concered as compared to my 9800 pro, there is a major increase. I used to play HL2 at 1024by768 with 4xAA and 6xAF getting a sold 60fps. Now its 1600by1200 with full AA and 8xAF and i get 60fps.

Edit: my cpu is over clock pretty good as well though 200x12 = 2.4

[mmonnin]

Always buy TAP at compusa for motherboards and video cards and such.

[tefleming]

The TAP (Technology Assurance Program) on a Video Card was $19.99 when I last worked at a CompUSA (long ago.) SPIFF (Commission) was $2, i think.

CompUSA, unless I am remembering way wrong, doesn't actually do the "insuring." They have a third-party that does it. Otherwise, they would probably be much less lenient.

And, yes, there is enormous potential for fraud and abuse of these Service Plans/Replacement Plans/Warranties.

[HeartSmasherElite]

cool thats alot of money though :scratch:

[Cyclonite]

Not for two next-gen video cards.

[maxanon]

I've done it for my DVD burners, where the service plan was much less. I went from a sinlge layer 2X crap to a DL monster.

[mmonnin]

TAP is done thru a 3rd party company.

You guys know you can buy products at newegg and get TAP at compusa?

[Komete]

TAP is done thru a 3rd party company.

You guys know you can buy products at newegg and get TAP at compusa?

Nope I had no idea on that one hows it work?

[mmonnin]

I guess you bring in the receipt from newegg or other retailer and if they have the exact product (no OEMs at all) then you can purchase TAP on the product. I dont know if the price you pay for TAP is based on the CompUSA price or the price you bought it at. Most likely it will fall under the same range.

[Komete]

I guess you bring in the receipt from newegg or other retailer and if they have the exact product (no OEMs at all) then you can purchase TAP on the product. I dont know if the price you pay for TAP is based on the CompUSA price or the price you bought it at. Most likely it will fall under the same range.

Thanks for the info bud!

[mmonnin]

I can get more details, I have 3 friends that work at CompUSA.