kevman,
I looked all over that damned site and couldn't find the thread I had mentioned. However, I do remember reading many comparisons of the VT and Gainward Golden Sample. From what I recall, on average the Gainward regularly overclocked to around 250/510+ and the VT was only a couple MHz below that, basically a wash. Again, this is from my aging memory, so I may be off a little. Hopefully someone else can chime in w/ some hard facts. And don't forget to use a credit card with price matching abilities (like Amex Blue, etc) 'cause the prices on all GF3's should start to drop when the GF4 comes out.
PS I also recall reading that the ram sinks from several manufacturers weren't correctly contacting the ram surface, either poor bonding or warped sinks. It would probably help your overclockability to do a "pre-flight" of the ram and gpu heatsinks just to ensure that they are mounted correctly (Hard OCP also has some info on this in the Abit GF3 Ti 500 test they just did).
I looked all over that damned site and couldn't find the thread I had mentioned. However, I do remember reading many comparisons of the VT and Gainward Golden Sample. From what I recall, on average the Gainward regularly overclocked to around 250/510+ and the VT was only a couple MHz below that, basically a wash. Again, this is from my aging memory, so I may be off a little. Hopefully someone else can chime in w/ some hard facts. And don't forget to use a credit card with price matching abilities (like Amex Blue, etc) 'cause the prices on all GF3's should start to drop when the GF4 comes out.
PS I also recall reading that the ram sinks from several manufacturers weren't correctly contacting the ram surface, either poor bonding or warped sinks. It would probably help your overclockability to do a "pre-flight" of the ram and gpu heatsinks just to ensure that they are mounted correctly (Hard OCP also has some info on this in the Abit GF3 Ti 500 test they just did).
Can we stop abusing AMEX's price matching policy? I mean, it's a great thing to have when used legitimately, especially with the way hardware rapidly depreciates. But if people keep raping them with these rebate scams they are going to kill it altogether.
... if you think about it, AMEX Blue is really tight on WHO they give Blue cards out to (you don't just go up to anybody and ask them if they have an AMEX Blue - they'll probably tell you they don't have one). In any case, I don't think it's illegitimate how people use the PM policy. it's a fact of the matter: people simply will find lower prices on products with policies like this. AMEX should be expecting to get thousands of calls from people who want their money back. You definately are right about the AMEX PM policy deal getting killed or taken down though; it's inevitable.. and it can't last forever.
keep in mind, not all amex users are penny saving ATers, and not even all ATers have amex blue. on average, the normal person is too lazy to go through the hassle of going back and pricematching AFTER THE FACT unless it is worth a lot of money. most people will just buy this card for 150 after rebate and then mvoe on with their lives rather than to keep looking at prioces waiting until they can pricematch it and make their money back. it's just my opinion but to an extent, even i am like this. though i have to say, i just ordered an amex blue card a few weeks ago, it is sitting at home waiting to be activated. but even i would only use it for cases like this, cuz i will be too lazy to go back and give it is a second look once i have it, especially with the way prices drop these days.
Gonad,
I don't think anyone on this thread is trying to pull a scam. The PM site clearly states that their price is $149 without any mention of that price requiring a rebate. The Microtech Computer's price is therefore a valid price to use for the BVG (I placed one card in my cart to see if it mentioned anything about a rebate but did not continue through the entire checkout procedure primarily because I received a security warning about their certificate authenticity).
I agree, there have been numerous cases where people will post an obvious pricing error and encourage others to "take advantage of it before they notice" but I don't think that is the case here especially considering that the same card is only $5-10 more at Newegg.
As for Amex stopping the BVG program, it's certainly possible but in reality the percentage of Amex card holders who take advantage of this program is most likely very small. I'm sure Amex did a trade-off study to find out how many card holders would have to take advantage of the BVG program before they started losing money. Hopefully they aren't close to that number yet.
On another note, the other thread mentions that Amex won't BVG until the PM policy of the store where the purchase was made has expired. See jplee3's post in the middle of this thread regarding the BB PM policy as this could affect when you can do the Amex BVG PM. This is confusing as I'm not sure as to when you can present a PM to Amex; for example if I bought the card from BB today, can I print out the Microcenter web page tomorrow and use it to BVG PM in 15 days, or do I have to wait until 15 days from now to print out the Microcenter web page? Anyone know?
I don't think anyone on this thread is trying to pull a scam. The PM site clearly states that their price is $149 without any mention of that price requiring a rebate. The Microtech Computer's price is therefore a valid price to use for the BVG (I placed one card in my cart to see if it mentioned anything about a rebate but did not continue through the entire checkout procedure primarily because I received a security warning about their certificate authenticity).
I agree, there have been numerous cases where people will post an obvious pricing error and encourage others to "take advantage of it before they notice" but I don't think that is the case here especially considering that the same card is only $5-10 more at Newegg.
As for Amex stopping the BVG program, it's certainly possible but in reality the percentage of Amex card holders who take advantage of this program is most likely very small. I'm sure Amex did a trade-off study to find out how many card holders would have to take advantage of the BVG program before they started losing money. Hopefully they aren't close to that number yet.
On another note, the other thread mentions that Amex won't BVG until the PM policy of the store where the purchase was made has expired. See jplee3's post in the middle of this thread regarding the BB PM policy as this could affect when you can do the Amex BVG PM. This is confusing as I'm not sure as to when you can present a PM to Amex; for example if I bought the card from BB today, can I print out the Microcenter web page tomorrow and use it to BVG PM in 15 days, or do I have to wait until 15 days from now to print out the Microcenter web page? Anyone know?
<< IS this card worth it? I am thinkig about getting a Geforce3 but I don't know what's the best one. Basically, if I buy this one, how much time before it gets outdated? can it be oc'ed? >>
This was covered a good bit in the Video Forums and a little bit in the Black Friday turkey day thread. I got this card (and a few others for gifts) during the BB deal a few months ago and this card is impressive IF you get a good fab date. Basically, cards made after week 43 of last year do well as it seems VT upgraded both the RAM and the core (possibly the GF3 Ti500 core). A few review sites believed there was some improvement in RAM quality but the real difference came in the GPU yields leading some of them to believe the cores were identical to the Ti500 VT's. Furthermore, later 3.3ns rated cards couldn't even come close to the VTs with 5ns rated Hynix chips, again pointing at a superior core on the VT. From the results posted in the previous Video forum threads (mine included), the VT Ti200's could reach Ti500 speeds (~240/510) with stock cooling and minimal effort. You will need good case cooling though, as this card will heat up the inside of your box in a hurry OC'd. This whole conspiracy theory had ppl believing VT was using Ti500 GPU cores on their Ti200's due to a shortage of lower yield cores, so YMMV with recently made cards. This is really only a good deal if you can PM or you have BB GCs or credit laying around. ~$150 is pretty much market price nowadays for a GF3 Ti200.
Chiz
kevman
Diamond Member
- Apr 20, 2001
- 3,548
- 1
- 81
<<
<< IS this card worth it? I am thinkig about getting a Geforce3 but I don't know what's the best one. Basically, if I buy this one, how much time before it gets outdated? can it be oc'ed? >>
This was covered a good bit in the Video Forums and a little bit in the Black Friday turkey day thread. I got this card (and a few others for gifts) during the BB deal a few months ago and this card is impressive IF you get a good fab date. Basically, cards made after week 43 of last year do well as it seems VT upgraded both the RAM and the core (possibly the GF3 Ti500 core). A few review sites believed there was some improvement in RAM quality but the real difference came in the GPU yields leading some of them to believe the cores were identical to the Ti500 VT's. Furthermore, later 3.3ns rated cards couldn't even come close to the VTs with 5ns rated Hynix chips, again pointing at a superior core on the VT. From the results posted in the previous Video forum threads (mine included), the VT Ti200's could reach Ti500 speeds (~240/510) with stock cooling and minimal effort. You will need good case cooling though, as this card will heat up the inside of your box in a hurry OC'd. This whole conspiracy theory had ppl believing VT was using Ti500 GPU cores on their Ti200's due to a shortage of lower yield cores, so YMMV with recently made cards. This is really only a good deal if you can PM or you have BB GCs or credit laying around. ~$150 is pretty much market price nowadays for a GF3 Ti200.
Chiz >>
I've got a ANTEC SX830 with 4 fans, I think it should be cool enough in there. Is there any way to tell what the fab date is on the box or the card itself?
Yeah, there is an etching on the card in this format XXZZ. XX is the week the card was made, ZZ is the year. I don't know if 02 is possible, but I'm guessing VT made some cards this year 
There is also a sticker on the HSF, seems this number is consistent within 1 or 2 weeks from the etching on the board. Also, you can get a BIOS editor to find out when the BIOS was imaged although this won't necessarily tell you when the card was fabbed. I don't think there's a way to tell from the box itself though. Chances are you'll get a card made after week 43 if your local BB has decent inventory turnover, the Turkey Day sale and all those "smart" people who pre-purchased/PM'd seemed to clear out the old stock.
As for having enough cooling in your case....again, YMMV. I had to cap off my OCing at 250/520 due to the immense heat build-up. I could run at higher speeds, but the heat build-up would cause my system to lock-up and crash, and I have a silly amount of cooling in my case. You can check out my sig for details. Also, I like it pretty warm in my apt. in the winter, so I will probably be able to crank it back up once I switch back to AC, but my temps would shoot up to ~47C when it runs past 250/520 and its around ~39C non-OC'd....~41C at 250/520.
Chiz
There is also a sticker on the HSF, seems this number is consistent within 1 or 2 weeks from the etching on the board. Also, you can get a BIOS editor to find out when the BIOS was imaged although this won't necessarily tell you when the card was fabbed. I don't think there's a way to tell from the box itself though. Chances are you'll get a card made after week 43 if your local BB has decent inventory turnover, the Turkey Day sale and all those "smart" people who pre-purchased/PM'd seemed to clear out the old stock.As for having enough cooling in your case....again, YMMV. I had to cap off my OCing at 250/520 due to the immense heat build-up. I could run at higher speeds, but the heat build-up would cause my system to lock-up and crash, and I have a silly amount of cooling in my case. You can check out my sig for details. Also, I like it pretty warm in my apt. in the winter, so I will probably be able to crank it back up once I switch back to AC, but my temps would shoot up to ~47C when it runs past 250/520 and its around ~39C non-OC'd....~41C at 250/520.
Chiz
I was looking through the rebate, and here are the following requirements:
Rebate Form
Copy of Receipt
Original UPC barcode cut from Box
It seems to me that one could buy the card at BB, copy the reciept, return the card, buy the card for $150 elswhere, and then use all of the information off of the new box. Let me know if this might work. I really need a new video card and I hate to spend $150 since the new GF4s will be out soon.
Rebate Form
Copy of Receipt
Original UPC barcode cut from Box
It seems to me that one could buy the card at BB, copy the reciept, return the card, buy the card for $150 elswhere, and then use all of the information off of the new box. Let me know if this might work. I really need a new video card and I hate to spend $150 since the new GF4s will be out soon.
It seems to me that one could buy the card at BB, copy the reciept, return the card, buy the card for $150 elswhere, and then use all of the information off of the new box. Let me know if this might work.
-ok... not the best thing to do unless your motive is to SCAM
-ok... not the best thing to do unless your motive is to SCAM
Just to give you guys an update...I just called Amex to pricematch...and they gave me no problem whatsoever. 50 bucks comin my way.
Just to give you guys an update...I just called Amex to pricematch...and they gave me no problem whatsoever. 50 bucks comin my way.
imo, this deal just got pretty hot. $100 for a gf3 is a good deal. might have to get in on this
imo, this deal just got pretty hot. $100 for a gf3 is a good deal. might have to get in on this
thanks Matt Stone for the update
by the way, what did you use (fax copy of receipt to AMEX, prinout of Microtech's site, etc...) when you did the PM?
did you PM with AMEX right after you bought the card, or did you wait a couple of days?
by the way, what did you use (fax copy of receipt to AMEX, prinout of Microtech's site, etc...) when you did the PM?
did you PM with AMEX right after you bought the card, or did you wait a couple of days?
<Just to give you guys an update...I just called Amex to pricematch...and they gave me no problem whatsoever. 50 bucks comin my way. >
Matt Stone, did you actually talk with one of the people who do the pm verification or did you just call them up and open the case and fax them the info? What did you tell the csr when they asked you if the store you purchase the card from has a price match policy? After you open up a case and send them the price match info they send it on to a reviewer to determin if it meets the requirements. Since best buy will not match on-line stores they may do the pm. I don't know.
Matt Stone, did you actually talk with one of the people who do the pm verification or did you just call them up and open the case and fax them the info? What did you tell the csr when they asked you if the store you purchase the card from has a price match policy? After you open up a case and send them the price match info they send it on to a reviewer to determin if it meets the requirements. Since best buy will not match on-line stores they may do the pm. I don't know.
Oh...hmm, I thought I was in the clear.
I called the BVG # and a nice lady asked for the info. I had to tell her that I bought from best buy, and the total charge amout. She asked how much it was at Best Buy, and I said 200. Then she asked where I was price matching it to...and I said Microtech Computers Online website...she asked me their price, and after I gave it to her gave me the confirmation number. I haven't faxed the info yet...so I guess there is the possibility that I get turned down, but I specifically said that I was price matching with a website, and she didn't question me.
Sorry for the confusion guys.
I called the BVG # and a nice lady asked for the info. I had to tell her that I bought from best buy, and the total charge amout. She asked how much it was at Best Buy, and I said 200. Then she asked where I was price matching it to...and I said Microtech Computers Online website...she asked me their price, and after I gave it to her gave me the confirmation number. I haven't faxed the info yet...so I guess there is the possibility that I get turned down, but I specifically said that I was price matching with a website, and she didn't question me.
Sorry for the confusion guys.
after calling the bvg number, here's some info.:
* AMEX will issue you claim number
* will take 2-3 weeks processing time
* need to either snail-mail or fax over the following:
- copy of the sales receipt and
- a printed and dated copy of the advertised item from which you want to PM (microtechcomputers.com)
! will NOT accepct emailed scans of the above 2 documents
she also asked me if the store i bought the card from has any PM policies, and i just told her it's from BB. i guess i can wait for the 2-3 week processing time, since the rebate can be postmarked 30 days from the date of purchase.
* AMEX will issue you claim number
* will take 2-3 weeks processing time
* need to either snail-mail or fax over the following:
- copy of the sales receipt and
- a printed and dated copy of the advertised item from which you want to PM (microtechcomputers.com)
! will NOT accepct emailed scans of the above 2 documents
she also asked me if the store i bought the card from has any PM policies, and i just told her it's from BB. i guess i can wait for the 2-3 week processing time, since the rebate can be postmarked 30 days from the date of purchase.
kevman
Diamond Member
- Apr 20, 2001
- 3,548
- 1
- 81
<< Oh...hmm, I thought I was in the clear.
I called the BVG # and a nice lady asked for the info. I had to tell her that I bought from best buy, and the total charge amout. She asked how much it was at Best Buy, and I said 200. Then she asked where I was price matching it to...and I said Microtech Computers Online website...she asked me their price, and after I gave it to her gave me the confirmation number. I haven't faxed the info yet...so I guess there is the possibility that I get turned down, but I specifically said that I was price matching with a website, and she didn't question me.
Sorry for the confusion guys. >>
Ditto for me. I told them it was a website and I don't think it should be a problem. I pm'd before with 6th Ave electronics in the past and I think that they odn't PM online siter either. I'm optimistic that they will honor the BVG, but I'm still hesitant to open my card. Doesn BB take back open box hardware components?
Yikes, they upped the price on the PM site to $169! Does anyone have a scan of the page when the price was $149 that they can post or email to me? THANKS!
Damn, now MicroTech has the price listed as $169 on their website but it still shows up at $149 on PriceWatch. Still a decent price but now it's $20 less to get back from Amex.:frown:
I'm with you guys- seems like a pretty kick butt card for around 100, so I jumped on it ... then got home to notice the pricematch site bumped their price.
I knew I should have PDF'ed that web page on Monday...
Anyone got a copy they can send or post with the price still at $149? Thanks!
I knew I should have PDF'ed that web page on Monday...
Anyone got a copy they can send or post with the price still at $149? Thanks!
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