OEM or Retail

[valken]

I'm interested in getting a general idea how folks feel about getting an OEM vs a Retail CPU.
Why would you bother getting OEM & then shell out more $$ for HSF unit later (total costs seem
to pretty much equal out)

are retail versions worth it with the included HSF and the longer waranty?

thx in advance for any help....

 

[DaSinical1]

Well, take my expierence for example.
I bought an oem AMD xp1700+ for $120 and a HHC-001 Heat Pipe Cooler for $40. I am able to overclock it to an xp2000+. Therefore I paid $160 for a $260 cpu.
Mark

 

[Theslowone]

Yeah more then likely the hs you can get with oems can be better then the hs that comes with the retails.

 

[MoFunk]

Yep, I hate the HSF that come with retail. Plus I have An Alpha PAL8045 that just stays with me regardless of what I do. If you are like me and get a new CPU every few months and have a great HS that doesn't need to be replaced, then OEM saves me money. Then again sticking with the same CPU for more than a few months would save me money too but that is besides the point!

 

[Gerbil333]

When you buy a retail processor, you are buying not only the chip, but a heatsink/fan, a manual or installation guide, a nice painted cardboard box, ect. You also pay a considerably higher amount for this.

When you buy an OEM processor, you get the chip packaged in an anti-static bag. However, it is MUCH cheaper.

You can then buy a nice fan, and still save a lot of money.

For example, I recently upgraded from a 1ghz Thunderbird to this Athlon XP 1600+. I bought it OEM for $120 (a few weeks ago), and I ordered a high-end Coolermaster fan for $7 + $6 shipping. That's a total of $133, which is much less than a retail box. And I got everything I needed.

So, go OEM. Buying retail means you get a nice cardboard box. Who cares?

 

[syztemshack]

i never buy anything retail. oem is just as good but cheaper, i dont need their nice boxes.

 

[Squisher]

There is also an in between option, you can often get a longer warranty on OEMs from some retailers if you purchase a HSF from them. TCWO will add a 1 year warranty if you bundle a HSF with your CPU.

 

[Dan]

If given a choice, I always go OEM. I typically want to use a much better HS/F than what's supplied with a retail chip. And a 1-year vs. 3-year warranty is moot; I upgrade far to frequently for it to be relevant to me.

 

[CtK]

but with retail u get the warrenty and i think that what most ppl want

 

[Theslowone]

But as soon as you oc its void(if you oc), and from my experience(not a lot but enough) if the processor initially works say the first few days of burn in and running then it usually is good. But for not much more now for retail its not nearly as bad as "back in the day" when retail cost you almost as much as two oems.

 

[Kingofcomputer]

the price diffference between retail and oem is almost nothing now.
even not using the stock HSF, I'd only buy retail unless I know the vendor ships the bare cpu in a good protection box.

 

[Wind]

<< I'm interested in getting a general idea how folks feel about getting an OEM vs a Retail CPU.
Why would you bother getting OEM & then shell out more $$ for HSF unit later (total costs seem
to pretty much equal out). >>


Most ppl get OEM CPU & then a better HSF bcoz of O/Cing. O/Cing: -
1. Void of warranty. So, retail ver w/ 3 yrs warranty doesn't apply anyway.
2. A better HSF translate into better cooling & higher achievement in O/Cing.



<< are retail versions worth it with the included HSF and the longer waranty? >>


Yes...if u r not into O/Cing.

 

[gerrick]

Retail! AMD retail not as attractive since OEN HSF can't cool the chip right. And you can get a good warranty on an OEM chip from AMD so long as it is purchased from an AMD Auth dealer. Retail is only way to go on Intel cpus since the HSF cools properly and OEM intel chips have no warranty.

 

[Pecos]

I remember it was just a scant couple of years ago when the chatter was 'retail only' because everyone believed that the retail chips were the better quality and the lesser qualities went out OEM.

Not positive of the AMD front, but in the Intel arena it just depends which is found to have more success overclocking.

 

[oldfart]

With Intel you get a very nice HS/Fan and a 3 year warrantee for just about the same price as OEM. I can usually do a fair amount of overclocking with the retail unit.

 

[eplebnista]

I generally buy OEM as well.

My $.02,
eplebnista

 

[WageSlave]

You also pay a considerably higher amount for this.


at newegg

1700+ oem 122$

1700+ retail 132$

not a big dif..

Plus im sorry but saying that ocing voids the warranty is really stupid.. there is no way to tell if you oced a chip or not.....

 

[gerrick]

I agree with wageslave on AMD only. AMD chips are known to just burnup anyway. I guess if you unlocked it they would be able to tell. Intel may hassle you since the chips and take quite a bit of abuse. I don't know I've never had to return a chip before.

 

[baldy]

Gerbil333

"For example, I recently upgraded from a 1ghz Thunderbird to this Athlon XP 1600+. I bought it OEM for $120 (a few weeks ago), and I ordered a high-end Coolermaster fan for $7 + $6 shipping. That's a total of $133, which is much less than a retail box. And I got everything I needed."

get real, are you saying the $7 coolermaster heatsink/fan combo is a real good setup. Adequate at best for stock speeds, clocking can be forgotten altogether.

anyway, OEM is not always the way to go. sometimes spending and extra $7 to $9 (ala Thompson's computer wharehouse) for a crappy heatsink fan setup is the way to go. why? see below>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>> kinda OEM, not completely retail, doesn't come in a retail package.

pretty simple, 15 day warranty without the purchase of said heatsink, versus a 1 to 3 year warranty with purchase. in this case (i have a personal story to go with this, but i digress), getting the heatsink and fan (crap that it is), is cheap insurance should that processor have to wait for a motherboard, as in my case, a bit more than 15 daze, and if you had a DOA 1900+ on your hands, you wouldn't know until after the time period had expired, if not for the divine intervention of AMD (after a phone call to the West Coast Office), i would have never gotten the sucker replaced. i did sweat this one big time as i had paid some $260 for the 1900+ at the time, thought it was going to come down to a credit card major dispute type thing.

happy clocking, or whatever.

baldy

 

[valken]

Thanks all for your feedbacks...
Sounds like retail is only worthwhile if the price difference is small enough
to warrant the extra protection.

 

[WageSlave]

I think that if it is within 10$ go retail.. anymore OEM..... I think the best deal around right now is the retail 1700+

 

[Wind]

<< Plus im sorry but saying that ocing voids the warranty is really stupid.. there is no way to tell if you oced a chip or not..... >>


LOL. XP...depends on wht u use to fill the "pits". T-birds...depends on ur unlocking technique used ie. soldering, pencil trick, trace tape...etc.

 

[WageSlave]

True, true...



if you are connecting bridges thats a different story, but if you are just overclocking FSB they could never tell

 

[Wind]

<< but if you are just overclocking FSB they could never tell >>


Agreed.

 

[alrocky]

I'd shy away from any OEM CPU unless it was in a packaged sealed by the manufacturer. Not all OEM CPUs are sealed and thus you have no idea how much handling or abuse they've received. If you are overclocking the CPU, you do not compare the oc OEM CPU (+HSF) price vs the retail CPU price, but rather the oc OEM CPU (+HSF) price vs the retail price of a CPU at the OEM's overclocked speed.