Best Buy Has Gone Insane Mad Craaazy!
Marik_Steele
To rule in hell... Join Date: 2002-11-20 Member: 9466Members
To rule in hell... Join Date: 2002-11-20 Member: 9466Members
<div class="IPBDescription">ATI 9600 /w 128MB for WHAT price?</div> I've been putting up with my lowly Athlon XP 2000+ and GeForce2 GTS for three years. [edit]Okay, to clarify, the CPU is about a year and a half old, replaced my blown-out T-bird 1.4GHz.] Since Halo, Deus Ex 2, etc. won't even <i>run</i> on it (at least HL2 should run slowly) I was planning on dishing out the $150-200 for a 9600 pro, or 9600 XT to treat myself this holiday season.
Then I get the Thanksgiving Thursday newspaper, and I see a Best Buy ad. I see a Built by ATI 9600, 128MB ram, non-pro, non-xt. Normally wouldn't call my attention.
$70. Thats after $100 in rebates, and it called my attention. Real fast. So did the 120GB Maxtor hard drive for $50 after rebates.
But it's practically a split-second decision, because the store's opening at 6AM tomorrow morning, and if previous experience is worth anything, stuff like this on the shelves will sprout wings by 6:05 sharp. I'm asking all of you guys: is this a typical retail-store trick trying to get a sub-par card off the shelves, or is it a truly good deal? Should I wait for a pre-Christmas or after-Christmas/New Year's sale for the Pro or XT model?
Then I get the Thanksgiving Thursday newspaper, and I see a Best Buy ad. I see a Built by ATI 9600, 128MB ram, non-pro, non-xt. Normally wouldn't call my attention.
$70. Thats after $100 in rebates, and it called my attention. Real fast. So did the 120GB Maxtor hard drive for $50 after rebates.
But it's practically a split-second decision, because the store's opening at 6AM tomorrow morning, and if previous experience is worth anything, stuff like this on the shelves will sprout wings by 6:05 sharp. I'm asking all of you guys: is this a typical retail-store trick trying to get a sub-par card off the shelves, or is it a truly good deal? Should I wait for a pre-Christmas or after-Christmas/New Year's sale for the Pro or XT model?
Comments
If you need speed, wait and shell out. If you want a decent card on the cheap, that sounds like a good deal. Would be happier if it were a Pro version. XT is just gravy for the copy of HL2. <!--emo&:)--><img src='http://www.unknownworlds.com/forums/html/emoticons/smile.gif' border='0' style='vertical-align:middle' alt='smile.gif'><!--endemo-->
I think you're being ripped off there, buddy.
<span style='color:orange'>Heh, figures I misspell something if I'm rushing to get the post done. Typo fixed, thanks.</span>
I wanna get that 2.4ghz laptop for $500 but meh, no $$ :(
When you mentioned that laptop and the price I took a look back at the ad...and got ready to slap myself. My parents (against my suggestions) decided to buy me a laptop just over a month ago. That toshiba is twice as fast and half the price. Figures.
Back to the video cards: I trust NewEgg because I've gone with them before. Which other online retailers can I trust?
Also I'd highly suggest BEING THERE at 5:15, instead of just waking up, unless you're like right next door. Best Buy is absofrigginloutely INSANE on the day-after-christmas-part-1 sale...
Directron.com and monarchcomputer.com are both pretty good sites.
Reseller Ratings - <a href='http://www.resellerratings.com/seller2114.html' target='_blank'>Directron</a> - <a href='http://www.resellerratings.com/seller2079.html' target='_blank'>Monarch Computer Systems</a>
I just ordered my new 9600XT from <a href='http://www.essencompu.com/' target='_blank'>Essential Computers Inc.</a> Everything went smooth and they had free 2nd day air delivery.
Line stretched probably around the whole store (If it wasn't on the sidewalk)
They sold out of 9600's instantly. I doubt they had more then the store minimum of 10. However, I did get the Maxtor 120 GB and a 17" flatpanel monitor instead.
Jesus Christ only the <b>biggest damn sale of the whole *@$*&$@ year!</b>
Best Buy's post-Thanksgiving sale. Wake up at 5AM, freeze your **** off in line for an hour, fight to POSSIBLY get what you're looking for, then spend the next hour in a line stretching through appliances all the way to car stereos for checkout.
I got to my local store by 5:45, and the line outside the door stretched into a coil in the parking lot, disneyland style. The first thing I wanted that they ran out of was the $5 battery backup, was hoping on using it as a gift for my dad (he could hade used it at the office). I did manage to get the $50 hard drive, the $5 CD burner, and the free 100-pack of blank CDs (all prices after rebates.) And I did it in time to go to the OfficeMax a block away and get <i>another</i> cheap 100-pack of blank CDs, 200 free slimline CD cases, and a free CD cleaner. Ooh, and while I was still in Best Buy some random Intel rep came up to me and gave me a free pen and an alarm clock -- should be useful for waking up next time I go on such an early raid <!--emo&:D--><img src='http://www.unknownworlds.com/forums/html/emoticons/biggrin.gif' border='0' style='vertical-align:middle' alt='biggrin.gif'><!--endemo-->
What I am I still doing typeing?
Amen brother, I'm getting a Radeon 9600 Pro 128Mb this christmas to power HL2, et al. It's a snap at ?130 from Amazon.co.uk <!--emo&:)--><img src='http://www.unknownworlds.com/forums/html/emoticons/smile.gif' border='0' style='vertical-align:middle' alt='smile.gif'><!--endemo-->
What I am I still doing typeing? <!--QuoteEnd--> </td></tr></table><span class='postcolor'> <!--QuoteEEnd-->
Yes, I said $50 after rebates for a Maxtor hard drive. My only regret now is that I didn't buy two; a 120GB RAID setup would've been sweet.
Wait a minute, I don't even have enough IDE cables in here for that unless I wanted to change boot drives this weekend...ah well. Right now I'm experiencing the wonder known as Windows 2k's Disk Managment. Hmm...how to re-partition my stuff now that I've tripled my total storage capacity...
<span style='color:gray'>EDIT:</span> Oh btw, the $50 dard drive was a Maxtor 120GB 7200RPM.
Here in Oklahoma City people actually started lining up at 11pm (yes that's right, THE NIGHT BEFORE) to get into the Best Buy... 11pm... WTH PEOPLE? ITS JUST A SALE... Jeez...
agreed kind sir
agreed kind sir <!--QuoteEnd--> </td></tr></table><span class='postcolor'> <!--QuoteEEnd-->
im lookin for a job there after my birfay
gogo employeediscount!