OEM vs. Retail

[krwell]

Can someone please explain what the real difference is and which is better? Thanks

 

[killmeplease]

OEM is uaually "white box" packaged. Items are purchased by the case by the distributor and repacked separately for the end-user.

With OEM, you sometimes will not get all the hardware or software that is bundled with the particular retail packaging.

CPU - OEM will not come with a HSF and a full warrenty.

If warrenty is your thing, buy retail. I buy OEM. Most stuff that is going to go bad, goes bad right away. There is usually at least a 30 day by the seller to cover this.

 

[VBboy]

If better is cheaper, go with OEM.

Note that Retail sucks because most companies that sell hardware will refuse to exchange a defective item and will tell you to talk to the manufacturer, which usually takes a lot longer. With OEM, they would send you a replacement (NewEgg.com)

Retail is better for buying at local stores (because it's the only thing you can buy there), but there is a money-back guarantee, etc.

 

[EliZ]

Do you know if the Athlon 1.33ghz processor comes in OEM version too? And what's the difference between the versions?

Because I have only one year of warranty on the processor and it looks too low, so I was wondering if I got the OEM version...

 

[EliZ]

Anyone?

 

[bozo1]

All of the AMD processors come in an OEM version. As was said, with the OEM version, there is no heatsink/fan provided and any warranty is left up to the reseller. Many, including Newegg give you a 30-day warranty. I've seen some only give a 15-day warranty. Some resellers, including MWave give you a 1-year warranty on OEM processors. I prefer to pay the extra $5-10 to buy my CPU from MWave and get the 1-year warranty. Retailed processors come with a 3-year warranty from AMD and come with a heatsink/fan (which many people replace with a better one) and usually run $30-100 more than the OEM version, depending on reseller.

 

[EliZ]

No HSF?

Isn't this something critical for the system?

 

[SnowPunk98]

Yea but you can buy a better one from someone else, OEM is usually better

 

[EliZ]

I already bought the computer, and I guess that I have the OEM version of the processor. So the store will put their HSF there right? Because he told me nothing about it.

 

[bozo1]

<< Isn't this something critical for the system >>



Yes but buying OEM allows you to purchase the HSF of your choice.

Neither is 'better' than the other. The chips are the same regardless of buying retail or OEM. The only differences are HSF, warranty, and price. Buy what works out best for you. Some feel better with the 3-year warranty. I don't care about 3-years as I'll probably be running a different CPU within a year anyway. Others don't care about an only 30-day warranty as the CPU's usually fail quickly if they are going to. I play it in the middle by buying an OEM chip from a reseller that gives me 1-year.

 

[EliZ]

Ok thanks. What about the quesiton I asked in the previous post?

 

[Goldfish]

They probably didn't include a HSF unless you ordered one. Like was said, OEM processors are just the chip itself, retail processors come with a HSF.

 

[EliZ]

:Q :Q :Q

Gotta call him tommorow. Hmmm... And find out how &quot;hetsink&quot; translates to Hebrew.