What do you guys think of computer shows?

[eyez]

I just saw advertising for a computer show in Timonium, MD. Have anyone every bought anything? Are the deals all that great? Any good experience/horror stories?

 

[SaturnX]

Well I go the local comp show up here in Toronto, Canada, and I think they're alrite.. the plus of the shows is you can usually make deals with the vendors, but the problem arises if you buy something and then it malfunctions and need to take it back to the dealer. Personally, I buy software, and have bought a few harddrives (my IBM 75GXPs).

--Mark

 

[rickn]

small computer shows I dont like. Big shows like comdex can be fun if you get free stuff

 

[Mylle]

they rock.

you can get some great prices there.

 

[gcliv]

rickn is correct, big shows like Comdex are really cool. Free stuff and u see the latest technology. But little local deals for selling computer stuff cheap is a super bad idea. They leave town and if that RAM stick doesn't work...OH WELL.

 

[Shockwave]

Never been to a big big one, the smaller ones I have been to are alright, most of the stuff is pretty much junk in my opinion as far as the cheap prices go. They advertise the prices on the bottom barrel stuff to get you there, but anything decent you want to buy you can get at about the same price at a store. Like "laptops from 99" or whatever. Ya, a 486 laptop.

I think my biggest appeal is going there and watching the salesman flat out lie to people who dont know a damned thing about computers. Makes me laugh...

 

[obenton]

Prices generally no better than what you see online, and often higher - and RMAs can be a problem.

 

[Maverick]

I think my biggest appeal is going there and watching the salesman flat out lie to people who dont know a damned thing about computers. Makes me laugh...

lol...if I had a dollar for everytime I heard a salesman say "oh you NEED 256 megs of ram to load up a browser"...

seriously though, don't buy anything that goes INSIDE your computer from these guys. Limit purchases to software, books, occasional name-brand printers/supplies...and maybe USB devices like cameras. Things where a manufacturer's warranty will cover you. Anything else is risky.

 

[Rand]

Large computer shows kickass, smaller shows are alright. You can get good prices sometimes but unless you know what you want and know the hardware the vendors will rip you off. I can't even begin to count the number of outright lies and misinformation I've heard vendors spout to any willing buyer. RMA's can be a bit of a problem to.

And I've heard some people say that smaller computer shows are a haven for remarked processors and the like.

 

[Robman]

Do your Homework! Make a list of what you'd like to buy, check prices online, take with you and compare. I have bought memory , MB, cases, and drives at shows. One rule I buy only if they're not too far away to take back! I had only one bad MB purchase, they were only 20 minutes from work. I took back and got new one!

 

[Verygreedy]

Be careful! It can turn out to be a garage sale where you get crap! DOA stuff is there sometimes!

 

[Jeff H]

I've only been to the sales/shows in the Minneapolis/St. Paul area and their best value is this - entertainment. There's nothing there that can't be bought from the local VARs, or over the web. I find a disproportionate number of vendors from the Salon, OH area, and my concern is getting any support should you get a bad piece of hardware (tough to know until you get home and slap it in your system).

However, the entertainment value can't be beat. As Shockwave referred to, it's incredible what some of the salespeople will say.

 

[DARRIN]

The small shows that come around here are crappy. All very low end stuff.

 

[Crashedout]

I have been to a few in MD, not the timonium one though(that part of the beltway is a pain in the butt). They are excellent places to get cases, since cases are expensive to ship I pick em up at the shows. Also some of the lowerend generic stuff is about equal to,when you figure in shipping, online stores. Things like fans, heatsinks and misc cables are worth buying at a show. Only on one occasion did I find a vendor at a show that was cheaper for a MD and proc than buying online. Get the coupon from the website so you save a buck on adminssion and take the best prices online with you. Also used stuff can be had there for not a lot, mainly old cdroms and floppys for my extra machines.

 

[mlg]

I went to one in Rochester,NY and didn't like it at all-no way I'd trust that bunch with my money. It's a smaller city in the Rust Belt, so it didn't attract many vendors, and the mood was like some sort of Gypsy caravan. Everybody had the same no-name case for sale(no Enlight, Fong Kai,Inwin, or Antec) and pretty much the same collections of stuff, period. Pretty much the same accent too-I could have really used a Russian interpreter, because their English got bad when I tried to ask any questions. Someone suggested that turnout was low because the last show got raided for selling sofware illegally. I picked up few cards anyway, but they all had badly maintained websites and lousy reviews on resellerratings.com

 

[shiznut123]

I went to one in FairPlex/Pomona, California. It was awesome. They had a lot of everything. I really liked the cheap monitors they sold.

 

[DoOLiE11]

small ones suck, the ones in my area they look like they just stole all the stuff off the back of a truck and are selling it in a hurry. and i notced nothing ever works from those places

 

[Thump553]

You'll do better on-line.

I live on the East Coast, used to go to fairs alot. There is LOTS of poor quality stuff there, I've had a few RMAs, but all eventually were ok.

I agree with the comment that the best they are good for now is to buy cheap CD cases & sleeves-but is this worth the admission fee ($5-7 in this area) the wasted weekend time, the crowds & gas?

Here they do have good prices on used monitors if you're willing to gamble on that. Software (opened bundle packs usually) can be pretty cheap.

 

[RickH]

I went to the shows in Maryland for years before moving to Michigan. I had no problems what ever. You need to know what you want, don't pay too much attention to what the salesperson says. If he tries to tell you something that you are sure is incorrect about a product and push another item off on you, it's probably because he is out of the first item. You will pay a little more at a show than the Net, but not much. If there is a problem most of the show vendors also have store front opperations, plus they will back at the next computer show in a week or two. If you need cables, adapters, cases, oddball parts (72 pin EDO for example) go to the show. By the way Michigan has very poor shows compared to Maryland. Good luck. R.

 

[nippyjun]

The problem that i've found with computer shows is two fold:

1. If you have a problem with what you purchase you are often SOL. Often the stores aren't even close to where I live, and if you call them they basically say get lost.

2. The prices are often no better then what I can get on the net from a reputable seller.

 

[Zorn]

I've been to the Timonium show at least a dozen times. It's not bad if you know what you want, want to buy everything at once, and/or you want to save shipping costs on heavy items like cases and monitors. I started going to these marketpro shows almost five years ago. Back then, you could get some awesome deals. However, since the proliferation of computer vendors and online deals, the savings are not always there and, indeed, the computer show prices are often not the best deal, sometimes not even close. Still they serve a purpose, especially when a relative wants you to build a system on short notice. At those times, I just head over to the local computer show with a shopping list and grab what I need from various vendors. It's almost like a trip to the grocery store.

 

[networkman]

I like the smaller shows that they have around my area(Grand Rapids, MI) every 4 to 6 weeks; generally, the prices are keeping in line with what I'd expect elsewhere on the Web, but I've been able to find many different hard-to-find cables and adapters at the smaller shows that I've not been able to find on the Web.

 

[RickH]

networkman----I have been to the shows in GR. Very sad compaired to a Market Pro show in Maryland. The Maryland shows have 75 vendors, not 10.

 

[igowerf]

Shockwave, I've had experience with salespeople lying over the stupidist things. I found a little Y splitter that lets you plug two sets of speakers/headphones into a single stereo out. I wanted to buy it so that I could have headphones and speakers hooked up at the same time. This little plastic doohickey was $1. I asked the sales lady if it split into two stereo channels or into a left channel and a right channel. She didn't understand what I was asking so she responded with, "Yeah... uh... you don't need any setup for this. You just plug it in. It detects and sets up it's own IRQ."

Also, my friend bought a Quantum 20GB ATA/66 7200 RPM drive for $80 from a sales person at a show. The drive was defective and they gave a 6 digit phone number on the receipt. We've been to the show several times and we've only seen them there once.

 

[Barrak]

I go Market Pro Shows all the time. I can often get internet prices at the shows. Great prices and have never had a problem with anything I have gotten