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Brick & mortar vs. internet...

C

chollyred

Junior Member
Who here would rather buy at a local brick and mortar store as opposed to buying via the web?

I needed to buy a new video card and power supply, but wanted to pay cash since I'm trying to get rid of my credit cards. Lucky for me, both Monarch Computer and Microcenter have stores near me.

After doing a whole lot of online comparison shopping, I went to Monarch and attempted to buy a 6600GT and a power supply. Turned out that they didn't have it in stock. Their attitude and such really hacked me off. Last night I went to Microcenter. They didn't have the 6600GT (AGP) in stock either. I ended up buying an ATI X850XT (got their rebate deal too) and a Codegen 450W power supply that was 20% off. I really liked the idea and felt much more confortable being able to walk in and pick up boxes and do real comparisons.

Et tu Brutae?
 
Indeed. If you can get the goods at a comparable price to internet shopping, then walk in stores are :thumbsup: .

The main reason most educated buyers buy over the internet is that it is usually cheaper to get something over the internet than it is to get at a store. For example: At Circuit City, an X850 Pro costs $279.99, while on the Internet, you can buy an X800GTO2 for under $190.
 
Take the codegen back! They are complete and utter crap power supplies, not even suitable for budget machines IMO. They are the PC Chips of the PSU world.

While you are in the shop compare the weight of the codegen with the weight of whatever PSU you end up getting. Reason its so light is because there is next to no heatsinking inside the codegen (among other things), it pretty much relies totally on its fan.
 
IF the selection and pricing were the same, i'd MUCH prefer a nearby B&M . . . . damned convenient

however, usually the 'net has pricing and selection advantages [except clearance].

So if you are UNsure, go to a B&M first - hold the HW parts in your hand - compare . . . THEN go buy it form a reliable e-tailer for less. 😉

and the x850xt is superb bang-for-buck especially for us AGPers.
:thumbsup:
[i bought mine from MC online . . . it's over 120 miles driving for me . . . FedEx is a real bargain in comparison.]
 

For hard drives--go with bricks-and-mortar. You can find all sorts of good after-rebate deals that you'll be hard-pressed to find online.

However, when it comes to video cards (and just about everything else), bricks-and-mortar stores are just god-awful! Expect to receive only half the value of what you could purchase online. Also, the selection is very poor. In fact, even the bricks-and-mortar sales prices are laughable.
 
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