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Difference Between OEM and Retail?

OverVolt

OverVolt

Lifer
Besides one comes in a little baggy and the others are in boxes. Is there much of a difference on say, HardDrives. Since all the once i bought were OEM at a computer show (a legit one) from a local vendor.

What about RMA process for OEM products, and where do they get OEM products? Thats some stuff i've always wonder'ed.

Thanks!
 
OEM CPU's usually have lower warranties also, and dont give you a HSF. OS's also dont come with tech support along with the reatil box all the big long manuals etc etc.

As for how long, you can see the warranty info on the site if you use online vendors, newegg tells you the info on their products.
 
Yes OEM has a lot of meanings.

If that HDD was pulled from an OEM computer (Dell, Gateway, etc), then the only warranty would be the warranty provided by Dell, Gateway, etc. The broad meaning of that is, no warranty. Most OEM HDD's bought from a retail store like Newegg, Googlegear, etc, carry 1 year warranties. Retail HDDs usually have 3 year warranties, but some retailers like CompUSA only bundle it with 1 year warranties.

The best way is to put the serial number of the HDD into the manufacturer's website to see the exact warranty date of expiration.
 
The OEM drives or whatever will NOT be 'pulls',but they could be overstocks. OEM drives have no cable, mounting hardware, software (like drivecopy etc). The OEM is responsible for the warranty in most cases. OEM video cards sometimes have cheaper (ie slower) components than retail. No manuals either.
 
Originally posted by: redhatlinux

The OEM drives or whatever will NOT be 'pulls',but they could be overstocks. OEM drives have no cable, mounting hardware, software (like drivecopy etc). The OEM is responsible for the warranty in most cases. OEM video cards sometimes have cheaper (ie slower) components than retail. No manuals either.
Click to expand...

Why wont they be OEM pulls? Its perfectly possible. A lot of people who got in on the Dell 1600SC 2x 73GB U320 drive deal sold the 2x 73GB drives on eBay. They wouldnt sell for a lot ($~150ish)because they were OEM pulls, but some people purposely and illegally renamed them OEM (which, being SCSI, would indicate a 5 year warranty and sell for ~$200-250). The bad thing is that they probably got away with it, because the chances of a SCSI drive breaking down is extremely low.

OEM graphics cards were the exact same as their Retail counterparts, until ATI sold the Radeon 8500 is a lower clocked in OEM form. IIRC, all nVidia graphics cards have the same clock speed.
 
OEM Processors - no warranty from the manufacturer. The only warranty you get, if any, is from the place of purchase. Often it is 30 days or less. Some retailers give you a 1 year warranty. Some give you a 1 year warranty only if purchased with a compatible heatsink, etc.
Retail Processors - 3 year manufacturer warranty.

OEM Hard drives - What the manufacturers call 'OEM' and what retailers like Newegg call OEM are 2 different things. To the manufacturer, OEM refers to drives sold in bulk to Gateway, Dell, HP, etc., who have to support any problems with the drive - the manufacturer gives you no warranty whatsoever. What Newegg and similar places sell are considered 'bare' drives, even though they may say OEM which they shouldn't because it's confusing. Those drives should have the same manufacturers warranty as a retailed box product - 1 year for most IDE drives, more for SCSI.
Retail Drives - see above. Back when IDE drives had 3 year warranties, places like CompUsa often sold drives under their own names - usually they were Maxtor drives and identical to the Maxtor branded drive in every way except you had to go to CompUsa for warranty support and the warranty period was often 1 year instead of 3 for the regular packaged drives.

OEM other things - vid cards, etc. - all depends on the manufacturer and the product - some OEM vid cards and other devices have no factory warranty at all, some (and in my experience, most) have the same warranty as the retail packaged product.
 
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