Not This Shit Again, Best Buy

"Satoshi "Zipang" Katsura" (sundowne36) 01/18/2016 at 00:49 • Filed to: Computers

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So my previous 980 ended up being defective (insert sounds of anguished sobbing here, because that happened) so I reluctantly said goodbye to the old 980... Only to receive a new one with a rather beaten up box on it.

Is there a way I could just get a new box without having to go through an entire product exchange again?

Eric @ opposite-lock.com > Satoshi "Zipang" Katsura 01/18/2016 at 01:06

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Why do you care about how the box looks? The card inside being safe and operational is all that matters.

samssun > Satoshi "Zipang" Katsura 01/18/2016 at 01:07

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Run Furmark on the thing and if it doesn’t explode you’re probably ok.

Luke's Dad Sold His 2000TL To Get a Sienna > Satoshi "Zipang" Katsura 01/18/2016 at 01:12

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Did you have it shipped to you? Take the invoice and the card to a Best Buy and exchange it? I think I’ve seen that card in stock in stores before.

Satoshi "Zipang" Katsura > Eric @ opposite-lock.com 01/18/2016 at 01:29

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Because whenever I shop at Best Buy and I come home with a shoddy looking packaging, 9 times out of 10, the product’s defective.

Eric @ opposite-lock.com > Satoshi "Zipang" Katsura 01/18/2016 at 01:33

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Perhaps you should ditch Worst Buy (I didn't realize people even bought stuff there unless they were old or desperate) and just order from reputable online merchants (ex: newegg).

Satoshi "Zipang" Katsura > Eric @ opposite-lock.com 01/18/2016 at 02:07

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I’ll probably give them a try if it’s hard to haggle at BB.

Do they carry reference design cards..?

facw > Satoshi "Zipang" Katsura 01/18/2016 at 09:03

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Newegg carries just about everything in terms of computer hardware. Hell, they have 7 different versions of EVGA’s GTX 980 in stock:

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produc…

wiffleballtony > Satoshi "Zipang" Katsura 01/18/2016 at 09:12

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I can’t help your current situation. However in the future www.newegg.com

JustAnotherG6 > Eric @ opposite-lock.com 01/18/2016 at 10:30

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Or if you insist on a brick and mortar store try Micro Center. They don’t have stores everywhere but often have at least one within driving distance of most cities and they sell online like Newegg.

Eric @ opposite-lock.com > Satoshi "Zipang" Katsura 01/18/2016 at 12:38

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Newegg is about the best place on the internet to buy hardware. They usually have the lowest price, they actually know what they’re selling, and returns (rare) are generally painless. I buy everything I can from Newegg, followed by Amazon, and followed by B&H. Between the three, you’re likely to get very close to the best price on almost anything.

The vast majority of nVidia cards out there are reference designs. The only things you’re paying for are board/component quality, heat sink design, and vendor categorization/clocking of the GPU. I believe EVGA makes the best cards and has the best coolers (ACX, high quality fans), but most are using nearly identical components in high-end cards and almost everyone has followed them with very similar heat sinks/fans.

Eric @ opposite-lock.com > JustAnotherG6 01/18/2016 at 12:49

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There are only two west of the center of the country: Los Angeles and Denver.

A more universal option is Fry’s. They’re pretty good as physical stores go and carry components that you actually want/need.

JustAnotherG6 > Eric @ opposite-lock.com 01/18/2016 at 12:53

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aaaand, I haven’t seen a fry’s in the middle of the country.

Eric @ opposite-lock.com > JustAnotherG6 01/18/2016 at 13:10

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Sure enough. Both are kind of sparse, but Micro Center seems to be East Coast with a few outposts in the middle and west, while Fry’s is mostly West Coast, AZ, TX, and a few scattered elsewhere. I believe Fry’s is actually the bigger chain, though.

NJAnon > Satoshi "Zipang" Katsura 01/18/2016 at 19:35

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I’ve been lucky so far with the hardware acquisitions in store (your mileage may vary). I’d have more unrest purchasing computer hardware (specifically video cards) online and knowing the item will have to pass by a 2nd round of possibly crabby shipping employees and be shuffled in a shipping truck in the hot heat and then hope that delivery person doesn’t drop your item or step on it.

Curiousplay > Satoshi "Zipang" Katsura 01/27/2016 at 21:42

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NewEgg has just about everything, and a far larger amount of deals as well as better prices. There’s little point going to other places, besides maybe Amazon. The whole site basically exists for building computers and audio/video entertainment setups.

fkrepubligion > Eric @ opposite-lock.com 01/27/2016 at 21:49

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You’d love the Newegg warehouse stores in the Tampa Bay area...one is in Clearwater, the other is in Tampa. Its kind of like Frys here, in Seattle.