Retail - OEM

oem is original from the manufactuer and usually no middle man and retail is through 2 or 3 people and can sometimes cost up to 30% more depends on where you are ordering from...
 
OEM is what a computer manufacturer or any other manufacturer bundles with their products. That means that the OEM item will probably not come with a fancy box or instructions. Retail is something that you can go but in a store like Best Buy Wal-Mart, Circuit City, etc. and have the box and all of the instructions.
 
good example of this is when it comes to buying the CPU. A retail box will generally come with the Heatsink and fan included. The OEM box will be just the chip so you need to purchase a HSF seperately
 
OEM (original equipment manufacturer) is not to be sold on it's own, first of all. That is illegal. It is to be sold with other computer equipment. Second, it usually comes with a greatly reduced warranty (not always though). The reason is that the VAR you bought it from is supposed to provide the warranty and that is why the product is cheaper. Lastly, you get no tech support for an OEM product from the manufacturer. Again, this is the job of the VAR.

I buy OEM products for my builds and then take the responsibility of supporting my clients. I have recourse through my suppliers though. You won't. I do suggest where at all possible, unless you don't mind taking the "risk", that you purchase retail parts so that you can get the best warranty and support.
 
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