What's so great about Newegg?

[Darktan2112]

I keep getting referred to newegg for all my electronic hardware needs, and for a while, I assumed that it was the best place for the best quality and best price... but after a short time of digging through the internet on own, I quickly found cheaper products. For instance, when searching for RAM, newegg points you to name brands, like Kingston and Crucial and Corsair. Well, I don't really like paying extra just because of its brand name.

Am I crazy or way off base?

 

[johnb35]

If you can find the same product somewhere else cheaper then by all means, get it there. However, be careful buying no name brand parts as you won't get the reliability from them as you do the brand name parts.

 

[Darktan2112]

That's kind've funny, because the kingston RAM that I bought for $50 ended up being defective. I sent it back for a refund, of course.

 

[SslagleZ28]

I keep getting referred to newegg for all my electronic hardware needs, and for a while, I assumed that it was the best place for the best quality and best price... but after a short time of digging through the internet on own, I quickly found cheaper products. For instance, when searching for RAM, newegg points you to name brands, like Kingston and Crucial and Corsair. Well, I don't really like paying extra just because of its brand name.

Am I crazy or way off base?

90% of the time you get what you pay for, name brands normally have a better product and they back their product with good customer service. This probably being the #1 reason why people deal with newegg, you cant beat their customer service, if something isnt right and its their fault they deal with it. So you pay $10 for a name brand stick of RAM over a generic, but what if the generic doesnt work, and the customer service from the site is garbage, and the actualy manufacturer you cant get ahold of then you were better off spendin that $10 extra. Ive learned that peace of mind comes with a price and newegg gives that to me lol

 

[tlarkin]

No sales tax
good prices
great combo deals
good credit and financing (I have a $3,000 preferred account with Newegg)
really good customer service
and you skip the hassle of going to a retail store.

I really don't like going into a retail store for several reasons. I dislike dealing with salesmen. I dislike waiting in lines. I really don't want to drive anywhere either. I'd rather just have it delivered to my door step. That is just me though.

 

[johnb35]

good credit and financing (I have a $3,000 preferred account with Newegg)

I got you beat, I have a $4000 preferred account.

 

[tlarkin]

I got you beat, I have a $4000 preferred account.

hahaha I only made one major purchase and then paid it off and never came close to my limit. Though I am willing to bet in this economy and my track record of never missing a payment they would gladly upgrade my account.

I have never spent over $1200 though in one purchase and with 12 months same as cash, it is actually a really good deal. I can build a new PC every 2 to 3 years and not have to pay full price out of pocket.

 

[Darktan2112]

I believe that no-name brand will come out on top - let me demonstrate with some simple math.

Name brand
-$50
-Works 100% of the time, guarenteed or money back.

No-name
-$25
-3 out of 4 are functional, and if it's broke, too bad.

So I purchase 4 of the name brand, all of them working, for $200.

My friend buys 4 of the no-name brand, but OH NO! One of them is broken, and cannot be refunded! He has to buy a replacement, which brings his total to... only $125, which is $75 cheaper than the name brand. Oh, I forgot tax, which bumps it up to $135. Bummer.

In reality, no one sells a product that's defective 25% of the time without going out of business. Also, you can find no-name products for as low as $10 to the name brand's $50. This demonstration doesn't take into account the life span of the product, though I've heard sources claim on the radio that no-name brands average out to live as long as name brands. I can't back their reliability, but I've had lots of success in avoiding name brands.

Yes, no-name parts are a gamble, but the odds are almost certainly stacked in your favor.

Admittedly, I don't know anything at all about preferred accounts.

 

[johnb35]

I prefer quality compared to price and plus I don't buy the most expensive ones out there either. You can still buy the name brand cheaper, it just depends on the product you buy. For example.. memory. There is standard memory and then gaming, higher end memory. Unless you are a real gaming enthusiast then the standard memory will work.

 

[TraptPatriot]

The odds are not in favor of getting the no-name brands. I know this from experience working on cars as well as computers. You get better customer support, better drive updates, better RMA process, and better quality with the "big name" companies. Plus, more often than not, the big name companies are just as cheap if not cheaper.

For instance, G.Skill ram - probably the best RAM I have ever used and never got defectives or errors on any of my sticks. And it is insanely cheap.

Plus, the no name brands don't have the customer base, so if they get shoddy parts from their factory, they won't know. Bigger name means lots of customers, and lots more feedback.

Would you rather be the owner of a piece of hardware from an unknown factory/company with little feedback, or the owner of a item that has been tested and gets revisions, updates, etc? I know my choice...

 

[SslagleZ28]

I believe that no-name brand will come out on top - let me demonstrate with some simple math.

Name brand
-$50
-Works 100% of the time, guarenteed or money back.

No-name
-$25
-3 out of 4 are functional, and if it's broke, too bad.

So I purchase 4 of the name brand, all of them working, for $200.

My friend buys 4 of the no-name brand, but OH NO! One of them is broken, and cannot be refunded! He has to buy a replacement, which brings his total to... only $125, which is $75 cheaper than the name brand. Oh, I forgot tax, which bumps it up to $135. Bummer.

In reality, no one sells a product that's defective 25% of the time without going out of business. Also, you can find no-name products for as low as $10 to the name brand's $50. This demonstration doesn't take into account the life span of the product, though I've heard sources claim on the radio that no-name brands average out to live as long as name brands. I can't back their reliability, but I've had lots of success in avoiding name brands.

Yes, no-name parts are a gamble, but the odds are almost certainly stacked in your favor.

Admittedly, I don't know anything at all about preferred accounts.

Maybe you never know... you wanna take that gamble with a power supply? lol. I like my stuff working the first time, and I like them to last. Its why people buy Samsung and Sony TV's over Sanyo and Insignia(sp?) you pay more for better quality. But if you have has success then it works for you, i wont knock that.

 

[TraptPatriot]

Also, you have to factor in the length of uses and when the parts go defective. Like I said, I work on cars, and one of the major things with name-brand over no-name-brand is the service life. Sure, once part may work fine right when you install it, but 6 months down the road you have to buy another one because of shoddy welds, machining process, etc. Whereas, the name brand part more often than not lasts 5+ years.

 

[StrangleHold]

Works has nothing to with it. Its the quality of the part and its performance vs. cheap no name.

Your using memory, I would rather have a stick of G Skill memory that runs at 7-7-7-24 with 1.6V for 50 bucks. Then a stick of no name that runs at 9-9-9-25 with 1.8V for 25 bucks.

All beef burger vs. soy bean burger. Because it works. lol

 

[Mattu]

No sales tax

Yeah I wish for us Tennesseans... We get charged sales tax along with New Jersey and California. However, when they offer free shipping on an item, it typically outweighs the price comparison if Tigerdirect has the same item with shipping charges, since tax is cheaper than shipping.

 

[Darktan2112]

Works has noting to with it. Its the quality of the part and its performance vs. cheap no name.

Your using memory, I would rather have a stick of G Skill memory that runs at 7-7-7-24 with 1.6V for 50 bucks. Then a stick of no name that runs at 9-9-9-25 with 1.8V for 25 bucks.

All beef burger vs. soy bean burger. Because it works. lol

It often depends. Sometimes quality just doesn't matter - sometimes it does. For instance, my girlfriend's laptop charger just needs to charge the laptop and survive for a few years. It definitely doesn't need to be compatible with other types of laptops, so I save $30.

 

[tlarkin]

I believe that no-name brand will come out on top - let me demonstrate with some simple math.

Name brand
-$50
-Works 100% of the time, guarenteed or money back.

No-name
-$25
-3 out of 4 are functional, and if it's broke, too bad.

So I purchase 4 of the name brand, all of them working, for $200.

My friend buys 4 of the no-name brand, but OH NO! One of them is broken, and cannot be refunded! He has to buy a replacement, which brings his total to... only $125, which is $75 cheaper than the name brand. Oh, I forgot tax, which bumps it up to $135. Bummer.

In reality, no one sells a product that's defective 25% of the time without going out of business. Also, you can find no-name products for as low as $10 to the name brand's $50. This demonstration doesn't take into account the life span of the product, though I've heard sources claim on the radio that no-name brands average out to live as long as name brands. I can't back their reliability, but I've had lots of success in avoiding name brands.

Yes, no-name parts are a gamble, but the odds are almost certainly stacked in your favor.

Admittedly, I don't know anything at all about preferred accounts.

Well, on certain things no name may be OK. Like only a certain number of companies actually manufacture parts. Like for example Asus, is a manufacturer and they sell their own line of electronics. They also manufacture parts for other companies to their spec as well. Same goes for LG and Hitachi and Samsung.

So, when you buy a Sony TV it probably has LG parts in it. However, the quality of the components may be higher quality than the off brand, which was also made by LG. Do they perform the same? Sure, they do. Are they engineered the same, for the most part yes with some exceptions. However, do they have the same quality to them? The answer is no.

I hate using car analogies but they are easy to get a basic point.

Look at a Ford Focus versus a BMW. Both have 4 cylinder engines, both get good gas mileage, both can go 80MPH and both get you from point A to point B, however the BMW has obvious features and engineering that make it a superior car.

However, if you get by fine with the Ford Focus then who cares? There are certain parts though that don't really transfer to this analogy. Like Power supplies. You never ever want to cheap out a power supply because it supplies power to your whole computer.

 

[Darktan2112]

Well, on certain things no name may be OK. Like only a certain number of companies actually manufacture parts. Like for example Asus, is a manufacturer and they sell their own line of electronics. They also manufacture parts for other companies to their spec as well. Same goes for LG and Hitachi and Samsung.

So, when you buy a Sony TV it probably has LG parts in it. However, the quality of the components may be higher quality than the off brand, which was also made by LG. Do they perform the same? Sure, they do. Are they engineered the same, for the most part yes with some exceptions. However, do they have the same quality to them? The answer is no.

I hate using car analogies but they are easy to get a basic point.

Look at a Ford Focus versus a BMW. Both have 4 cylinder engines, both get good gas mileage, both can go 80MPH and both get you from point A to point B, however the BMW has obvious features and engineering that make it a superior car.

However, if you get by fine with the Ford Focus then who cares? There are certain parts though that don't really transfer to this analogy. Like Power supplies. You never ever want to cheap out a power supply because it supplies power to your whole computer.

Pretty much ends the thread.

 

[TraptPatriot]

Well, on certain things no name may be OK. Like only a certain number of companies actually manufacture parts. Like for example Asus, is a manufacturer and they sell their own line of electronics. They also manufacture parts for other companies to their spec as well. Same goes for LG and Hitachi and Samsung.

So, when you buy a Sony TV it probably has LG parts in it. However, the quality of the components may be higher quality than the off brand, which was also made by LG. Do they perform the same? Sure, they do. Are they engineered the same, for the most part yes with some exceptions. However, do they have the same quality to them? The answer is no.

I hate using car analogies but they are easy to get a basic point.

Look at a Ford Focus versus a BMW. Both have 4 cylinder engines, both get good gas mileage, both can go 80MPH and both get you from point A to point B, however the BMW has obvious features and engineering that make it a superior car.

However, if you get by fine with the Ford Focus then who cares? There are certain parts though that don't really transfer to this analogy. Like Power supplies. You never ever want to cheap out a power supply because it supplies power to your whole computer.

I don't think that is a good example because Ford and BMW are different companies and the cars are way different. Different bodies, different parts in the engine/trans, different everything.

But, you are correct in saying if you get by fine then who cares. I know when to get the cheaper parts and when not to, as everyone should.

 

[SslagleZ28]

I don't think that is a good example because Ford and BMW are different companies and the cars are way different. Different bodies, different parts in the engine/trans, different everything.

But, you are correct in saying if you get by fine then who cares. I know when to get the cheaper parts and when not to, as everyone should.

Then compare a 2011 Corvette ZR-1 to a 2011 Chevy Cruze. :good:

 

[tlarkin]

I don't think that is a good example because Ford and BMW are different companies and the cars are way different. Different bodies, different parts in the engine/trans, different everything.

But, you are correct in saying if you get by fine then who cares. I know when to get the cheaper parts and when not to, as everyone should.

Just like cheaply built hardware is not in the same class has high quality built. When they opt to use a lower rated, cheaper made resistor in their circuitry it is indeed a lower quality part.

Then you have the engineering aspect. Volkswagen makes a CPU chip for their cars that adds 80 Horse Power. From just a chip. So, when you design a motherboard, what chipset do you use, how long are the pipes between everything, what material is it made of, can it handle more heat, do the pipes allow for more bandwidth?

Really the analogy still applies, but like I said earlier - I don't really like using car analogies because they don't always fully parallel computers. Each component is manufactured differently. Even if two motherboards use the same north bridge chipset, they did not engineer the board around them the same or use the same specifications on the chipset on both motherboards. Just like in a car, all 5 speed transmissions have 5 speeds, but they aren't designed and work exactly the same.

Then you have drivers. Drivers dictate performance in the OS. Some no name company is going to use generic drivers provided by MS for their hardware. Good companies develop their own. Intel, ATI, Nvidia, AMD, Apple, are all examples of companies that develop drivers specifically for their products and do not just use some generic one, or some bridge into some API that the OS developer has given them. A driver can make a difference in I/O performance.

There is nothing wrong with buying cheap, but in my experience for the most part you do get what you pay for and higher quality items are more expensive. That doesn't always make the 1000s of times better, and that doesn't mean you cannot get by on something else, but it generally holds true.