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Need You Opinion!! Shop online or goto computer show?

N

NormanTheCow

Member
Hi Everyone,

I am thinking about building a new computer.
I need advise from you if I should just buy the components through pricewatch online or just goto a computer show and get the stuff there. I would like to get the stuff for as cheap as possible.

The stuff that I am considering to buy are:

Enlight 7237 w/ 300 ps
Thunderbird 1ghz cpu w/ hsf
Asus A7V motherboard
Radeon 32mb DDR video card
Soundblaster Live

Since I live in Los Angeles I am thinking about the Computer show that's held at Pomona Fairplex every month.

Please give me suggestions! Thanks!
 
Hey, I used to go to the compie fairs in Pomona all the time when I lived down there, that was the shiznit stuffs in the 80's...got my first 286 XT there. 🙂 NEway, try your luck here in the Bull/Sell/Trade forumn, you'll get a pretty good deal, better than PW or the fair probably. And just a word to the wise, the mods will lock multiple posts of the saem thing... Good luck!!
 
I do most of my computer shopping online nowadays because I can always get "exact" components I want. However, being able to see and touch is important for me too (especially for monitors and cases)and the fact that you don't have to wait after you buy is a big plus for computer fair or buying locally.

In your case I would go with Internet shopping because you already know what you want. It sucks to walk around the whole show and end up not finding the components that you want.

Tony
 
Thanks for the inputs.

Then if I do shop online, where are some good places to buy my stuff besides through pricewatch or post at the sale/trade forum??
 
I use the computer show allot... Here is why... There is nothing more annoying than having to return an dead component to an online vendor. I buy from local companies(Some of the vendors at the shows come from 100's of miles away), so I can easily and quickly replace bad parts.
 
I agree with Spook although I still do a fair amount of Web purchasing.

Where do you live? If you're in an area that has frequent and reasonably large computer shows (I'm in NYC), it's usually worth it to try to find a good local vendor at a show and develop a relationship, especially for important components (eg motherboards) that just might need to be replced. Obviously if you can buy *everything* from one local vendor you should be able to cut a good deal and get support.

I went to a large local show 4 weeks ago "on a lark" when I was thinking of buying a Socket A + 1 GHz Athlon. I found a great vendor, got an MSI Pro2A + 1 GHz retail Athlon for $295 AND when I had a problem with the setup, I dropped by and they helped me out. Can't beat that.

Good luck,

fraz
 
Why not shop both? For instance, you can probably save a few bucks by purchasing the case locally, and avoid shipping charges. But on the other items, you are probably more likely to find a better deal in the AT ForSale forums, or other online retailers.
 
If you buy at the show, only buy from local vendors as others have said. It's a good idea to get stuff such as cases and monitors at a show because you can save on shipping costs for big stuff like that. For things such as RAM, MB/CPU, video cards, HDD, and DVD/CDROM/CDRW drives, you can often do better online.
 
Buying from a show can be tricky. I have done Marketpro shows for two different companies in the past and I leaned a lot about my competitors.

Some companies are like circuses; packing up and moving to the next town with each show. Buy only from local vendors at a show or from a company that ALSO has a strong web presence as well. MAKE SURE you understand the warranty policy of the company you buy from too.

This sort of "select buying" almost makes online buying seem a bit easier, but with larger items like cases and monitors, I'd like to see in person and wouldn't want to have to ship across the country for warranty if I have a problem just to save $5 up front.

 
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