Where do YOU buy...

one234hone234h Downingtown, PA [USA]
edited September 2011 in Hardware
..computer parts?


Also/alternatively: Do you have recommendations for vendors of high-end vs budget parts?

If I can get one or more sites to check I think it will save 10-30 other questions down the road. I have an old Dell Optiplex GX150 the case is big and it actually has an A:.
(For budgetary reasons,) a long-term project will be my making a machine that I can use for my server/database (mis)adventures & off of which I can launch my websites. This way if something goes wrong or it gets hacked it won't necessarily mean compromising my family's stuff.

I think a crucial part of my learning will be the actual assembly of the machine.
I'm a Category 2'er: I used to be an enthusiast but have fallen out of practice and am getting back into it, albeit slowly.

/flashes peace sign

Thankees!

Comments

  • ThraxThrax 🐌 Austin, TX Icrontian
    edited August 2011
    Newegg and only Newegg in the US.

    Canada Computers or NCIX, whichever is cheaper, in Canada.

    I've heard Scan is good for the UK.
  • Mt_GoatMt_Goat Head Cheezy Knob Pflugerville (north of Austin) Icrontian
    edited August 2011
    I use Newegg, Frys (brick and mortar) and a few local shops. It all depends on what I am after ATM and how freaking fast I need/want it. A lot of hardware can be aquired online with no real issues as I know what I want and have a good idea of how it will perform. Then there are some items that I am not sure if it will live up to my expectations, so I buy local despite the higher cost. But this allows me to try something and retun it easily if I do not like its performance or it is not the part that will do exactly what I envision. Sometimes the specialty computer shops that can be hard to find offer parts that can be hard to find as well as be a place to get new ideas by talking to someone and bouncing ideas off of. So for me it all depends on what I am buying, how fast I want it, how hard it is to aquire easily and how specialized it is.
  • primesuspectprimesuspect Beepin n' Boopin Detroit, MI Icrontian
    edited August 2011
  • CBCB Ƹ̵̡Ӝ̵̨̄Ʒ Der Millionendorf- Icrontian
    edited August 2011
  • one234hone234h Downingtown, PA [USA]
    edited August 2011

    I checked the store locator and I'm fortunate enough to be about 20 minutes from the PA location. :rockon:

    I'd never thought of Newegg as a parts dealer, but gods help me if that name doesn't keep popping up. Thanks.
  • TushonTushon I'm scared, Coach Alexandria, VA Icrontian
    edited August 2011
    I've never thought of newegg as anything but a parts dealer. I've literally bought one item off newegg that wasn't a "part" of some sort. Built three computers with almost exclusively newegg sourced parts, but I know many others here can easily top that number/dollar amount
  • ThraxThrax 🐌 Austin, TX Icrontian
    edited August 2011
    Newegg's core business is parts. That conclusion confuses the shit out of me.
  • GHoosdumGHoosdum Icrontian
    edited August 2011
    Thrax wrote:
    Newegg's core business is parts. That conclusion confuses the shit out of me.

    QFT
  • one234hone234h Downingtown, PA [USA]
    edited August 2011
    Well, perhaps I got into using Newegg while I had taken a break from building computers. That was side of Newegg I saw but only now am I seeing it for the awesomeness it truly is. xD

    Thanks again!
  • RootWyrmRootWyrm Icrontian
    edited August 2011
    Thrax wrote:
    Newegg and only Newegg in the US.

    Never again for Newegg. They've devolved to the typical mid-90's shady big shipper. Customer service has become nonexistent, they've been caught shipping B and C stock (returns/DOAs) as new, do everything they can to avoid issuing refunds, charge restock fees on defective hardware regularly, order processing takes days unless you pay extra, and their prices aren't that great. So screw Newegg. If things go fine, nobody notices. But when they go wrong, is when it matters. (Like when Newegg ships me the wrong hardware then claims 'no returns' even though it was THEIR error. Mismatch between invoice and part is a pretty damn clear indicator.)

    Besides, NCIX is in the US and have VASTLY superior customer service. (Also an imaginative URL, right?) When they accidentally oversold US stock on a CPU, they not only apologized, but refunded part of the shipping, and then proceeded to overnight it from Canada. (Including through customs.)
    SuperBiiz also offers remarkably good customer service, despite being a "smaller" shop. They're also the place to go for SuperTalent parts. Smaller selection, but they have good prices, excellent customer service; a 9.26 rating on RR, quick resolution of errors, never a problem with them.
    Either one is vastly superior to Newegg. Directron's also got good customer service, though I haven't dealt with them in a while, so I can't say yay-nay. For all your cooling needs, going anywhere other than Sidewinder should be verboten unless you go Petra's instead. (But Sidewinder has more air cooling stuff.)
  • Mt_GoatMt_Goat Head Cheezy Knob Pflugerville (north of Austin) Icrontian
    edited August 2011
    RootWyrm wrote:
    Never again for Newegg. They've devolved to the typical mid-90's shady big shipper. Customer service has become nonexistent, they've been caught shipping B and C stock (returns/DOAs) as new, do everything they can to avoid issuing refunds, charge restock fees on defective hardware regularly, order processing takes days unless you pay extra, and their prices aren't that great. So screw Newegg. .......

    And I thought we had them straightened out. Newegg is getting too big for their britches
  • fatcatfatcat Mizzou Icrontian
    edited August 2011
    holy watermelon NCIX's website is horribad
  • one234hone234h Downingtown, PA [USA]
    edited August 2011
    @RootWyrm Thanks for dropping all the good names.

    @Mt_Goat Holy crap on a stick! I just read your initial post about Newegg being to big for their britches!! That... would've made me fume, too.

    @fatcat I think NCIX is trying to make their website look clean and reputable with the white background, but all the products run together in the middle. I just typo'd "muddle" and realized as I corrected it that yes, the messages they're trying to convey to get muddled, too. :P
  • SonorousSonorous F@H Fanatic US Icrontian
    edited August 2011
    I have had nothing but great service from Newegg. I have ordered enough parts to complete at least 6 full rigs and of the things that were defective I got a prompt replacement. Back in 2004 they even cross-shipped a motherboard because I had a senior paper due. Now it is true that it has been at least a year or more since I have ordered anything more than a fan or some thermal grease from Newegg, but I still can't see them doing shady business. Their service, huge selection, and easy site layout are what put them on the map.
  • Mt_GoatMt_Goat Head Cheezy Knob Pflugerville (north of Austin) Icrontian
    edited August 2011
    one234h wrote:
    @Mt_Goat Holy crap on a stick! I just read your initial post about Newegg being to big for their britches!! That... would've made me fume, too.


    But the important part was that they did come through! They ended up doing me more than right by the time it was all over. ....and that thread was also the home of my drunken post! ;)

    Over the years I have spent just over $18,000 @ the egg. :hair:
  • RootWyrmRootWyrm Icrontian
    edited August 2011
    Total Spent at Newegg: ~$125,000. (Really, a bit more, but I'm excluding returns.)
    Problems with Newegg Orders: 9, excluding excessive delays in shipping (3+ days)
    Problems Newegg Resolved Satisfactorily: Zero.
    Every issue with Newegg has been pulling teeth. Call them up at their hidden number, get the usual lip service or "you can't return that, call the manufacturer." Of course, Newegg knows full well, the manufacturer doesn't handle DOA - ALL defects in the first 30 days are Newegg's responsibility, no matter what they claim. I have not had any problems that took less than a week to resolve (time to actual refund) or did not require demanding at least one manager. Twice I had them ship incorrect special order parts, then try to refuse return and charge restock fees, when the part delivered was wrong - as in PN and SN not matching the invoice.

    Their latest stunt is telling Sapphire owners to call Sapphire. Thing is: Sapphire's warranty statement clearly states, in black and white, that the entire 2 year warranty is serviced through the retailer, period. When you try to get Newegg to honor that warranty? They tell you to piss off, go call Sapphire, warranties aren't their problem. Knowing full well that their reseller agreement with Sapphire obligates them to perform RMA and warranty servicing.
    Newegg's favorite sock puppet calls it absurd. But when confronted with the facts, Newegg grudgingly honors their legal obligations after you make a public spectacle of it. And it's well known Sapphire does not do RMA or warranty direct. It's not as though Newegg's been doing this stunt for over a year straight either - oh wait, they have.

    If that's the sort of company you want to deal with, that's certainly your option. But as the saying goes: caveat emptor. Certainly, Sapphire RMAs are a pain to begin with, but Newegg routinely lies about it and tries to avoid honoring obligations.
  • ThraxThrax 🐌 Austin, TX Icrontian
    edited August 2011
    Probably around $100k between direct and indirect. Problems: 0.

    For every other anecdotal story, there's mastercard.
  • JokkeJokke Bergen, Norway Icrontian
    edited August 2011
    I haven't spent quite as much on Newegg as some here, but the only really problem with them that I can think of is all the boxes. One box for every article is a tad bit much when ordering 5+ items. But that's only my opinion.
  • PirateNinjaPirateNinja Icrontian
    edited August 2011
    I'm in the 20-30k range. They have always shipped efficiently to me (one to many boxes depending on the situation). I've had two RMAs that were simple.
    The fact that Sapphire has a universally shity warranty policy with all resellers has nothing to do with NewEgg.

    Anyways, if you buy NewEgg use Icrontic's affiliate link. The end.
  • Cliff_ForsterCliff_Forster Icrontian
    edited August 2011
    Newegg born, newegg bred, and one day, I'm gonna be newegg dead.... Geek life yo.
  • edited August 2011
    Being a complete n00b here (I hope that term isn't verboten), my opinion probably doesn't count for much, but Newegg all the way. That's due in part to the fact that out here in the hinterlands of the Northeast we don't have a Fry's, or even a CompUSA, although back in the day there was an Egghead Software shop or two around the region. And has anybody beaten the Wiz yet?

    Before Newegg, there were a few local stores that carried reasonably-priced parts, but they died around the time the iMac debuted. There used to be that traveling computer convention that hit the Sheraton, though; somewhere around here, I still have that AMD K6 300 CPU I picked up for $40 from some guy with a card table in the center of the room.
  • one234hone234h Downingtown, PA [USA]
    edited September 2011
    I make my own parts from minerals I mine from the earth itself on expeditions above the arctic circle using nothing but the bones of those who died trying before me.
  • GHoosdumGHoosdum Icrontian
    edited September 2011
    one234h wrote:
    I make my own parts from minerals I mine from the earth itself on expeditions above the arctic circle using nothing but the bones of those who died trying before me.

    He is... the most interesting man in the world.
Sign In or Register to comment.