GPU Price Drops? - PC part sales

Any and all information regarding GPU price drops and increase is welcome here. As we all know, these prices are ridiculous and hopefully we will see some drops soon. Linus tech tips and some others are mentioning we might see some lower prices...
Let me know what your thoughts are and if you have spent the money to buy a GPU recently​

I planned to upgrade in 2020. I was actually buying high end video cards in 2019, like the gtx 2080, to use them for 28 days before returning.
I wish I had just kept one, but I would tell myself to wait for the next generation. The increase in performance is crazy and the 3080 would be in my price zone.
I never managed to upgrade, and at this point I'm forced to continue with my 980. You can't even find older cards at a good price.
I do not think it's ending soon. I think the next generation will be released and a few of us will snag a card not far above MSRP. Depending on what measures are taken by Nvidia and AMD, we will see how it goes.
I believe the video card market will not return soon, and the hard drive market will inflate next. I would buy any M.2 SSDs right now, while you can get a good deal. I never imagined that an entire PC component would be unavailable to purchase in every form.
At this point, I'll likely upgrade by purchasing a pre-built computer. Those companies seem to have deals that allow them to get these high-end video cards.

enitnelavecnahc said:
I planned to upgrade in 2020. I was actually buying high end video cards in 2019, like the gtx 2080, to use them for 28 days before returning.
I wish I had just kept one, but I would tell myself to wait for the next generation. The increase in performance is crazy and the 3080 would be in my price zone.
I never managed to upgrade, and at this point I'm forced to continue with my 980. You can't even find older cards at a good price.
I do not think it's ending soon. I think the next generation will be released and a few of us will snag a card not far above MSRP. Depending on what measures are taken by Nvidia and AMD, we will see how it goes.
I believe the video card market will not return soon, and the hard drive market will inflate next. I would buy any M.2 SSDs right now, while you can get a good deal. I never imagined that an entire PC component would be unavailable to purchase in every form.
At this point, I'll likely upgrade by purchasing a pre-built computer. Those companies seem to have deals that allow them to get these high-end video cards.
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Nice. I wanted to build a new one but I ended up just buying a laptop with a 3070 inside

There is now a 3080Ti out, scan are offering one that's in stock for £1700+
Honestly until they vet people trying to buy these cards, the issue will continue.
My last card was a new evga 1080sc and it was just under £800
For the latest flagship, you need to add £1000
Sad times.

Prices are now very low and maybe more going down

Prices don't have a stable graph. They are always low or high . Old models are going down.

Related

Double the ram?

I have 2 working titans, i was wondering if it would be possible to de-solder the memory chip off one and solder it into the other one where it has the empty space for ram, would this work? does anyone have a link to the high res photos of the board inside?
nevermind, upon taking apart one of mine and removing the shields i see no blank space for extra ram, i wonder what i was thinking of that i saw had an extra spot, it looks like theres no room under here
I will NEVER understand why a $600.00 retail phone that runs windows would not come with more RAM - it is the ONLY complaint I have with this device!! MAKES NO SENSE!!! How much MORE could it have costed to put a 128MB unit in there???? $10????????????!!!!!!!!!!!!!! ARARARGHHHH!!!!!!!!!!
I think the issue is really just that the phone was late to market. The hardware was well within the standards for WM5 (for which it was apparently designed). By the time the phone actually made it to market, 128MB of memory was now the standard with the introduction of WM6. There are reasons other than cost to not just throw a ton of RAM into a device.
kashabrown said:
I will NEVER understand why a $600.00 retail phone that runs windows would not come with more RAM - it is the ONLY complaint I have with this device!! MAKES NO SENSE!!! How much MORE could it have costed to put a 128MB unit in there???? $10????????????!!!!!!!!!!!!!! ARARARGHHHH!!!!!!!!!!
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Ok, I am so sick of hearing this argument from consumers, who the majority of the time don't have a clue how marketing and the economy works. think about it...if you ran a multi-billion dollar company making these devices, would you throw all your cards on the table in one fell swoop? of course not!
these companies are not stupid...sure they could release a device tomorrow that had 2gigs of ram, an awesome video card, 800x600 res screen, 64gb built in storage, and still be the size of the xv8600 if not smaller...but that would kille the company and also violate market laws no doubt (like when microsoft released internet explorer for free back when netscape navigator cost $30 a month to use...
come on, these companies are in it for the long haul...if they released a deivce with those stats i just listed (and they could easily...think how small a 8gb transflash card is...you could have 128GB (notmb) of ram easily running on those things, but anyway, if they released that, guess what you, the consumer would want 6 months from now? A device that was twice as good, and had twice as much ram, and speed and space, etc...
Why would these compnies shoot themselves in the foot? They are making money hand over fist selling these devices that use technology available 5-10 years ago...heck, if i were a CEO of LG or HTC or Samsung or whoever, I would be loving this.
It just makes sense, and the average consumer makes a post like that with no thought as to what would happen to the economy or company. Just because it can be done and easily done and you want it, doesnt mean the company is going to say "sure, let's skip 5 years of profits, and just give them what we could sell in 2012, now in 2008" - heck no they arent going to do that obviously.
THE BOTTOM LINE: We, the consumers, have a short memory, are very impatient, and want the next best thing no matter how good the current thing we have is. If they put 256mb in the Titan, your last post would have been...."WHY CANT THEY PUT IN 512MB?!?!?!!?" you see? So, these coampnies are making tons of money by dragging out the release of new technology process...I mean think about it...we have dual core 2.4ghz processors in the year 2001. It is SEVEN years later, and we are still selling dual core 2.4ghz computers for $1,500 and up. Sure, you can get a better deal by building your own but the average consumer doesnt know how to do that, so that lack of technical expertise, combined with slow technology drift, keeps these companies in the high profit margins. I mean by now, if we were all 100% tech-savvy we would be demanding (as a whole) 12-core computers, with 20ghz ciphs each core...it's just not gonna happen when these big conglomerates control the flow of technology.
One company kind of broke free of this, and did work on their own. Look up the RED 4K Camera. current professional cameras for filming are $2,000 and up and film 720x480pixels, well HD cameras ar emore expensive, $4000 and up for pro quality and they are 1920x1080 pixels, well the RED 4K Camera came out over 2 years ago and it can film in 3 to 4 times HD res @ 4000pixels. Of course since they are th eonly ones doing it they can charge $20,000 per camera when in reality the parts to make it cost about $500...but do you know how to make a video camera? do you know how to build a PDA? Do you know how to manufacture 64GB ram chips to put in your PDA? Are you a programmer and cna you make the firmware for your custom device? and the list goes on and on....this is why we PAY $600 for a device that costs them $50 to make. Get it?
::: Connor
crobs808 said:
Ok, I am so sick of hearing this argument from consumers, who the majority of the time don't have a clue how marketing and the economy works. think about it...if you ran a multi-billion dollar company making these devices, would you throw all your cards on the table in one fell swoop? of course not!
these companies are not stupid...sure they could release a device tomorrow that had 2gigs of ram, an awesome video card, 800x600 res screen, 64gb built in storage, and still be the size of the xv8600 if not smaller...but that would kille the company and also violate market laws no doubt (like when microsoft released internet explorer for free back when netscape navigator cost $30 a month to use...
come on, these companies are in it for the long haul...if they released a deivce with those stats i just listed (and they could easily...think how small a 8gb transflash card is...you could have 128GB (notmb) of ram easily running on those things, but anyway, if they released that, guess what you, the consumer would want 6 months from now? A device that was twice as good, and had twice as much ram, and speed and space, etc...
Why would these compnies shoot themselves in the foot? They are making money hand over fist selling these devices that use technology available 5-10 years ago...heck, if i were a CEO of LG or HTC or Samsung or whoever, I would be loving this.
It just makes sense, and the average consumer makes a post like that with no thought as to what would happen to the economy or company. Just because it can be done and easily done and you want it, doesnt mean the company is going to say "sure, let's skip 5 years of profits, and just give them what we could sell in 2012, now in 2008" - heck no they arent going to do that obviously.
THE BOTTOM LINE: We, the consumers, have a short memory, are very impatient, and want the next best thing no matter how good the current thing we have is. If they put 256mb in the Titan, your last post would have been...."WHY CANT THEY PUT IN 512MB?!?!?!!?" you see? So, these coampnies are making tons of money by dragging out the release of new technology process...I mean think about it...we have dual core 2.4ghz processors in the year 2001. It is SEVEN years later, and we are still selling dual core 2.4ghz computers for $1,500 and up. Sure, you can get a better deal by building your own but the average consumer doesnt know how to do that, so that lack of technical expertise, combined with slow technology drift, keeps these companies in the high profit margins. I mean by now, if we were all 100% tech-savvy we would be demanding (as a whole) 12-core computers, with 20ghz ciphs each core...it's just not gonna happen when these big conglomerates control the flow of technology.
One company kind of broke free of this, and did work on their own. Look up the RED 4K Camera. current professional cameras for filming are $2,000 and up and film 720x480pixels, well HD cameras ar emore expensive, $4000 and up for pro quality and they are 1920x1080 pixels, well the RED 4K Camera came out over 2 years ago and it can film in 3 to 4 times HD res @ 4000pixels. Of course since they are th eonly ones doing it they can charge $20,000 per camera when in reality the parts to make it cost about $500...but do you know how to make a video camera? do you know how to build a PDA? Do you know how to manufacture 64GB ram chips to put in your PDA? Are you a programmer and cna you make the firmware for your custom device? and the list goes on and on....this is why we PAY $600 for a device that costs them $50 to make. Get it?
::: Connor
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I understand your arguments and mostly they are correct. But $30 bucks a month for Netscape Navigator? I can't remember that. I was surfing the net back in '94 on Netscape and I don't remember paying anything for it (apart from dialup charges - and that was even before IE existed) ****, does that show how old I am???
crobs808 said:
Ok, I am so sick of hearing this argument from consumers, who the majority of the time don't have a clue how marketing and the economy works. think about it...if you ran a multi-billion dollar company making these devices, would you throw all your cards on the table in one fell swoop? of course not!
::: Connor
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Click to collapse
They did it with the Touch.....they must be able to do it with the mogul even if they revamp it a bit. we put a man on the moon recently so why not more ram in a phone.
maccaberry said:
I understand your arguments and mostly they are correct. But $30 bucks a month for Netscape Navigator? I can't remember that. I was surfing the net back in '94 on Netscape and I don't remember paying anything for it (apart from dialup charges - and that was even before IE existed) ****, does that show how old I am???
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well you cant be that old if you dont remember netscape sueing microsoft for anti-trust lawsuits for releasing free software into a market that undercut their $10-$30 netscape versions depending on which one you bought...(remember, netscape gold and all that lol, back in the early 90s (this is pre 1994) - that's just when yahoo finally came around. i mean i am only 26 and i remember having to use Mosaic web browser...the browser that eventually became Netscape Navigator...LINK #1 - Mosaic and this LINK #2 - Netscape - it talks all about the antitrust lawsuits, etc..
anyway, back on topic...double the ram didnt happen because of one word..."MONEY!" - you can make WAY more money as a company seeing how far and long you can push the customer.
-connor
Tregrad said:
They did it with the Touch.....they must be able to do it with the mogul even if they revamp it a bit. we put a man on the moon recently so why not more ram in a phone.
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you didnt understand his post, its not about cost or technology, its about marketing
the phone was designed fro WM5, so 64mb ram was more than enough, why should they put 128mb in the phone when in a year they can release a new phone with 128mb and everyone will buy that?
does it suck? sure, but its life, better get used to it
defaultdotxbe said:
you didnt understand his post, its not about cost or technology, its about marketing
the phone was designed fro WM5, so 64mb ram was more than enough, why should they put 128mb in the phone when in a year they can release a new phone with 128mb and everyone will buy that?
does it suck? sure, but its life, better get used to it
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This is the same idea why we don't have cars with fuel injectors that can run 70 miles to the gallon using standard gas. As long as demand is high enough on goods that are out there (i.e. old phones, old cars, and everything else) and people are willing to keep buying them with outmoded technology, there is no reason to sell the next great thing UNTIL someone else threatens to sell the same thing. Is there really any competition for HTC in the US markets? No. LG sux and runs an OS that looks like my mother-in-laws Razr. Samsung is ok, but doesn't have the utility and look of the vogue or titan.
serfboreds said:
This is the same idea why we don't have cars with fuel injectors that can run 70 miles to the gallon using standard gas. As long as demand is high enough on goods that are out there (i.e. old phones, old cars, and everything else) and people are willing to keep buying them with outmoded technology, there is no reason to sell the next great thing UNTIL someone else threatens to sell the same thing. Is there really any competition for HTC in the US markets? No. LG sux and runs an OS that looks like my mother-in-laws Razr. Samsung is ok, but doesn't have the utility and look of the vogue or titan.
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Dude this is so true. They already have several engines that can get 50-100 mpg no problems. But why wold they bother when they can sell us hybrids which cost heaps more and don't get nearly as good mileage.
The latest is a 6 stroke engine that uses a standard four stroke motor and add two extra strokes per cycle using water! as the 'fuel'. The motor doesn't 'make' more power for nothing. This is not some fake 'perpetual motion machine' . The extra efficiency is achieved purely by getting more heat out of the same amount of fuel instead of throwing the heat out the tail pipe.
See this link http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Six_stroke_engine
Its a bit off topic but its a true example of the same thing. they will only do it when the market forces them to do it. $10 a gallon gasoline might be the push. (Look at Europe - they pay about they and their cars average about 40-45 mpg).
maccaberry said:
(Look at Europe - they pay about they and their cars average about 40-45 mpg).
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True, but their cars only hold two and you drive around with their knees in their chests, so you better go on a diet, destroy your way of life and get rid of that SUV. I for one am going to be pulled out of my F-350 dead before i give it up.
thats why i make my own diesel fuel NOW if I could just figure out how to make my own phone LOL.
What yall are saying is true tho. we all know that the technology WE see, is the bottom of the barrel of their ideas. no one here would shoot their whole wad at once to appease the clammering consumer. a smart business man would make as much as they can by letting a bit out at a time while developing more and more "stuff" we desire and are willing to give up our hard earned money for.
Its called "capitalism" I know that a dirty word for the "dirt worshiping squirrel hugger" out there but, thats the way it is so get in the boat or tread water for as long as you can.
i dont get ppl with SUVs....i mean i live in Texas and i dont have an SUV or a truck...just a 4door sedan for me and my family. that's all i need, even with some dirt/rock roads when i go out into the country...a truck would actually be more bouncy and annoying to ride in. ive never liked SUVs for any purpose...but soccer moms for some reason think they need the Xterra or their husbands need Hummers to drive one or two kids to and from soccer practice...i dont get it. SUVs are pointless unless you work in construction.
-connor
Tregrad said:
They did it with the Touch.....they must be able to do it with the mogul even if they revamp it a bit. we put a man on the moon recently so why not more ram in a phone.
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Maybe that was with the help of those $4000 HD digital video cameras
I am with you, I will be buried in my F350 Diesel.
Tregrad said:
True, but their cars only hold two and you drive around with their knees in their chests, so you better go on a diet, destroy your way of life and get rid of that SUV. I for one am going to be pulled out of my F-350 dead before i give it up.
thats why i make my own diesel fuel NOW if I could just figure out how to make my own phone LOL.
What yall are saying is true tho. we all know that the technology WE see, is the bottom of the barrel of their ideas. no one here would shoot their whole wad at once to appease the clammering consumer. a smart business man would make as much as they can by letting a bit out at a time while developing more and more "stuff" we desire and are willing to give up our hard earned money for.
Its called "capitalism" I know that a dirty word for the "dirt worshiping squirrel hugger" out there but, thats the way it is so get in the boat or tread water for as long as you can.
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So what are the chances of the Ram chip from a touch/tilt being soldered into the mogul assuming there is any similarities
they did something similar with the old palms to double the ram can be found here
http://pages.interlog.com/~tcharron/Palm8M/III8M.html
im fairly new to the pocket pc phones but what are the chances of using the extra rom space as a page file?
maccaberry said:
Dude this is so true. They already have several engines that can get 50-100 mpg no problems. But why wold they bother when they can sell us hybrids which cost heaps more and don't get nearly as good mileage.
The latest is a 6 stroke engine that uses a standard four stroke motor and add two extra strokes per cycle using water! as the 'fuel'. The motor doesn't 'make' more power for nothing. This is not some fake 'perpetual motion machine' . The extra efficiency is achieved purely by getting more heat out of the same amount of fuel instead of throwing the heat out the tail pipe.
See this link http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Six_stroke_engine
Its a bit off topic but its a true example of the same thing. they will only do it when the market forces them to do it. $10 a gallon gasoline might be the push. (Look at Europe - they pay about they and their cars average about 40-45 mpg).
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Click to collapse
There is better:
"Although you can definitely pre-order an Aptera if you're okay with space-aged design, Volkswagen is hoping to provide another option for those looking for ridiculous MPG and a little bit of normalcy in construction. Okay, so maybe the 1-Liter isn't exactly standard fare -- with its plastic / magnesium shell and all-glass roof -- but at least it packs four whole wheels and an iconic VW badge, right? According to Motor Authority, the automaker will be producing said vehicle and pushing it to market as early as 2010, and while the minuscule engine will only take you to 75MPH, it will still seat two people -- one in front of the other, though -- and get around 235MPG. No word on a price or any of that good stuff, but we're hearing that they'll only be produced in "limited numbers" whenever they're launched." (from engadget)
As for European cars..europeans don't need to travel as much because the size of the countries in europe are rather small in size comparison to the USA..realistically speaking is over 85mph even really necessary at all?
As for Titan..capitalism is one thing..we aren't asking for 1gb ram even though we would like it...but a decent amount to ensure you don't feel lag would make sense...
I love Europe... but the euro is costing more than the $... not a smart time to go there... YAY U.S. economy!!!!
anyway... I thought this was a WM forum... for a moment I felt I was in a Popular Mechanics forum... my 2 cents
gTen said:
As for Titan..capitalism is one thing..we aren't asking for 1gb ram even though we would like it...but a decent amount to ensure you don't feel lag would make sense...
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remember the titan was designed for WM5, and with WM5 128mb might as well be 1gb, lol
remember the titan was designed for WM5, and with WM5 128mb might as well be 1gb, lol
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The Titan was originally designed for WM5 yes, which is why the decision for 64 MB of ram was made. Then, however, they decided to throw WM6 on it and didn't even bother to give a damn that 64 MB of ram for WM6 is like running Windows XP with 256 MB of ram...it works, but just barely. Instead, as another poster pointed out, they figured that it would work to their advantage as people would enjoy WM6, but be disgruntled (as we all are) with such limited resources. This would lead us to buy yet another phone later on down the line with 128 MB of ram and WM6 (or now WM6.1).

[Q] For those that used a contract upgrade, was it worth it?

So, I've been on the fence about the Tbolt since the official announcement came out earlier this week. I had been following all the news and specs and LTE expectations and was really excited to buy this phone with my upgrade......a month ago. I know that Verizon and HTC never made official announcements about the Tbolt but with Best Buy starting pre-orders and Verizon reps saying "it's coming tomorrow" it was hard not to expect it to come really soon, ESPECIALLY since Verizon started airing freaking commericials on TV.
Then all of the vague announcements on release date delays and the reports on poor battery life and whatnot made me pause and think if this phone were truly worth it. True, I was all set to get it a month ago, but a month in technology time is eons now. Furthermore people all over this forum have been posting issues with the phone since it launched: SMS showing sim card number instead of phone number, software bugs, overheating issues, battery life.....oh the battery life. I have to say that is one of the biggest factors swaying my decision. My droid x is almost a year old and I can still get by for a while (~2 days) without charging and with moderate usage. If a brand new Tbolt will last me half a day on standby, that could be a dealbreaker.
I'm mostly debating because I don't change phones very often and so using my upgrade is kind of a big deal, whether it's for one or two years. So i'm asking those that used their upgrades for the tbolt, is it worth it? With all of the dual-core LTE phones supposed to come to verizon this year (bionic is the most well-known but there will probably be others) is it a waste to get a tbolt, especially since i have a droid x that functions perfectly well and i am only sometimes in 4G areas (i live in a 4G area but work most of the time out of town with no 4G and therefore have only weekend 4G access). I'm not looking for a detailed review of the phone, I've seen enough of those on blogs and tech sites but I'd like to know if people who used their upgrades felt it was a good decision.
And I know I could just get the tbolt and then sell it later if I wanted something else but that's added trouble and if it's not worth it I don't want to bother.
Yes. Do some research. There is plenty of data available.
If you want an upgrade now, then this is the device to get (especially if you want to lock in the $30 LTE data rate).
If you can wait then better devices will obviously be available in the coming months. You be the judge of your own needs. I do not care for the whole dual-core hype of the Moto Droid Bionic.
I am also a big fan of HTC and want to be able to root. Go with Moto and you can forget being "open".
My suggestion. 1 year contract. Then you are free to do what you want in a short 10 months.
I think it was worth it. I have yet to have any of my 1Ghz+ phones require more power (i.e. dual core isn't something I'm concerned with for my phone). The only Android device I would like more power in is my Xoom and that already has a dual core.
The data speeds are what made it worthwhile going from my Droid X to the Thunderbolt. It's insanely fast, so much so that I'm not even using my home ISP anymore. That to me is worth the upgrade.
bogatyr said:
I think it was worth it. I have yet to have any of my 1Ghz+ phones require more power (i.e. dual core isn't something I'm concerned with for my phone). The only Android device I would like more power in is my Xoom and that already has a dual core.
The data speeds are what made it worthwhile going from my Droid X to the Thunderbolt. It's insanely fast, so much so that I'm not even using my home ISP anymore. That to me is worth the upgrade.
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maybe this is a question for another forum, but is dual-core that big of a deal? from what i've seen there is a widely varied opinion on dual-cores. some say that the dual core atrix is wasted unless you are running a dock (laptop or hd). i've seen some say dual-cores will require more battery power to run twice as many processors than a single-core while others have said that it will require less power because having two cores share the load will net less required power than a single core. makes it really hard for someone like me who doesn't have a super-strong understanding in how it works, my layman's explanation is that dual vs single cores is like comparing a really strong guy lifting a box or two people (both half as strong as that one dude) lifting the box together - this could be entirely wrong for all i know. a friend told me that a dual-core will have one doing the work and the other to pick up slack or help out when things are running hard and that today's smartphone apps and games don't really require that much processor capability right now.
i've been at a loss for all this for a while and am starting to wonder if dual-core will just be a marketing ploy and will not make THAT much of a difference to most users. also doesn't help that a lot of people online are horrified that phones like the tbolt are being released today as single cores and tout dual-core as a screaming necessity.
bkiminfinity said:
i've been at a loss for all this for a while and am starting to wonder if dual-core will just be a marketing ploy and will not make THAT much of a difference to most users. also doesn't help that a lot of people online are horrified that phones like the tbolt are being released today as single cores and tout dual-core as a screaming necessity.
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Multiple cores and processors are very helpful if you:
A. Multitask and a single core/processor drags for you. The OS will split threads and applications between the cores/processors so more gets done.
B. Use software that supports multiple threads and a single core/processor drags for you. The software itself here will use multiple threads across the processors available.
So it is really reliant on the user. The Atrix with the dock feature will almost certainly be used by people to multitask heavily. So as with a desktop/laptop, dual cores will definitely be beneficial.
On my own phone, I rarely multitask and when I do, it isn't heavy usage. I'm not running any heavy processing application on my phone. I read the news, check my email, send texts and make phone calls. Phones could do this with a lot less power than a 1Ghz single core chip (Windows Mobile was doing this for years).
So I'm not concerned with multiple cores. If having a few applications open means swiping between screens shows a split second of lag... I don't really care. The most processing power I use on it is probably tethering and then I have it plugged it and I'm using my laptop or Xoom, not my phone.
I play 0 games on my phone. I've found absolutely no games worth playing yet. When they make something that I find enjoyable, then I might be concerned with the processing power.
bkiminfinity said:
maybe this is a question for another forum, but is dual-core that big of a deal? from what i've seen there is a widely varied opinion on dual-cores. some say that the dual core atrix is wasted unless you are running a dock (laptop or hd). i've seen some say dual-cores will require more battery power to run twice as many processors than a single-core while others have said that it will require less power because having two cores share the load will net less required power than a single core. makes it really hard for someone like me who doesn't have a super-strong understanding in how it works, my layman's explanation is that dual vs single cores is like comparing a really strong guy lifting a box or two people (both half as strong as that one dude) lifting the box together - this could be entirely wrong for all i know. a friend told me that a dual-core will have one doing the work and the other to pick up slack or help out when things are running hard and that today's smartphone apps and games don't really require that much processor capability right now.
i've been at a loss for all this for a while and am starting to wonder if dual-core will just be a marketing ploy and will not make THAT much of a difference to most users. also doesn't help that a lot of people online are horrified that phones like the tbolt are being released today as single cores and tout dual-core as a screaming necessity.
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I might be able to help a little. Dual core's greatest benefit is when the work load can be divided. It will show little benefit if the workload cannot be divided. That is all dependent on the programs that are running. Think of a math problem. 2 x 2 x 2 x 2. Since this problem can be done in any order, the two processor cores can both work on it together and finish it faster than a single core. Lets say core one does the first 2 x 2, core 2 does the 2nd. Then one of the two cores does the final 4 x 4 to get the end result. Now think of another problem, 8 / 2 / 2 / 2. Things must be done in order to get the proper solution so both single core and dual core processors will take the same amount of time.
l7777 said:
I might be able to help a little. Dual core's greatest benefit is when the work load can be divided. It will show little benefit if the workload cannot be divided. That is all dependent on the programs that are running. Think of a math problem. 2 x 2 x 2 x 2. Since this problem can be done in any order, the two processor cores can both work on it together and finish it faster than a single core. Lets say core one does the first 2 x 2, core 2 does the 2nd. Then one of the two cores does the final 4 x 4 to get the end result. Now think of another problem, 8 / 2 / 2 / 2. Things must be done in order to get the proper solution so both single core and dual core processors will take the same amount of time.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
that is really helpful, thank you. so it does seem that it depends on how heavily you would use the phone and that most users probably don't have a dire need for dual-cores (at least i don't think i would). thanks again!
Personally, I don't think dual core is worth it, with the only one impending to be released is the Bionic, and I don't trust Moto at all to not lock it down like the X. But that's also my usage patterns, I just need to be able to get in touch with people and updates to and from websites, which isn't really too much of a necessity for dual cores yet.
As for this phone, I've ordered it this morning, and I already feel like it was worth it. I've played around with Dinc and D1, and when I went in store today to play with it, it was so much more responsive. And any issues will be tweaked with custom roms/kernels, something that can't be ensured with Moto phones.
Also, for people who ordered it online, when did you get your tracking numbers and stuff? I had to order it online to get my discount, and my card has the pending charge on it, but I haven't gotten a tracking number, and my confirmation order number doesn't show up in their system. I'm hoping it went through so it gets shipped today and not monday.
Russ36363 said:
Personally, I don't think dual core is worth it, with the only one impending to be released is the Bionic, and I don't trust Moto at all to not lock it down like the X. But that's also my usage patterns, I just need to be able to get in touch with people and updates to and from websites, which isn't really too much of a necessity for dual cores yet.
As for this phone, I've ordered it this morning, and I already feel like it was worth it. I've played around with Dinc and D1, and when I went in store today to play with it, it was so much more responsive. And any issues will be tweaked with custom roms/kernels, something that can't be ensured with Moto phones.
Also, for people who ordered it online, when did you get your tracking numbers and stuff? I had to order it online to get my discount, and my card has the pending charge on it, but I haven't gotten a tracking number, and my confirmation order number doesn't show up in their system. I'm hoping it went through so it gets shipped today and not monday.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
It seems they're being a bit slow. I put two orders in very early yesterday and both are shipping today. Just keep your fingers crossed.
In the FWIW department I was talkjng with an HTC rep yesterday and specically asked about the phone being locked down and he said it wasn't at all. I was even able to install Easy Tether right there in the VZW store though I didn't get a chance to try it out.
So I listened to the thoughts here and got a thunderbolt on a one year contract. I wanted to share my experience in case it could help someone else. I had seen in this forum that a discounted contract price was offered to those that had employee discounts on their accounts. People had posted that they were able to get their discounted prices in store and walk out with a thunderbolt. I went to a Verizon store (not an authorized retailer, a full corporate store) and tried to do the same but was turned away with them saying they cannot match online prices. So I tried another Verizon store in a different town today and was told the same thing. I was frustrated because of the success others had in their Verizon stores so I set out and tried a third store. This time instead of just turning me away this sales rep shared with me her own frustrations about not being able to match corporate prices and missing out on sales. So we chatted about how it sucked and I asked if there were some way I could obtain my discount without actually being given my discount price (e.g. credits to my account, super cheap/free accessories, waved activation fees, etc.). She said there was nothing she could do without getting into trouble with her manager so I was about to give up. But then she suggested that we could just ring up a thunderbolt and see what options presented. While doing so she discovered that my corporate discount prices actually were available in store so I was able to get a one year contract thunderbolt for $229 with no activation fees. she said that maybe because my company has so many lines with Verizon (not hard to believe since we have more than 100k employees) that we can get discount prices in store that others may not. So if you tried to get a good price in store but were turned away keep trying and ask the sales rep to ring it up to see if discounts are available, even if they don't think so. Persistence works!
I am pretty happy so far with the phone. I wish it came with swype cause i got used to it on my Droid x. can't really speak to battery life since I haven't charged it at all since unboxing and also am not currently in a 4g area. But I do like the look and feel of it and sense has been running pretty snappy so far. Thanks all who shared on this thread!
Dual core mostly is overrated because you probably won't need it for what you do on your phone on a normal basis. But even with the Bionic's dock, are the interface and the apps actually running in a "64-bit" mode?
I am sure glad I got mine!
I can't comment on all the advanced capabilities most on this forum are discussing. Still a novice here. But I can say the upgrade was definitely worth it for me for (1) much better voice clarity over the Incredible; (2) much faster data speeds; and (3) ability to zip a quick reply to a text or e-mail without disconnecting a voice call.
Additionally, I got $50 for checking internet pricing before going to the store. The price in store was $50 higher, which I did not know until at checkout. I told him I'd just seen the lower price online before leaving home, and he knew nothing of it. I had him log onto my verizon account to convince him. Then it was a long process of back and forth with management to get a price match. No one in the store was aware of the lower price online. In order for the rep to get his commission, the solution was to process the purchase online and issue a $50 credit separately to my account. This could have been because of my company discount provision combined with my upgrade due, or could have been an online special. Either way, I got 50 bucks by being persistent--and by letting them know I was prepared to go home and order online.
bmcclure937 said:
My suggestion. 1 year contract. Then you are free to do what you want in a short 10 months.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
it's not 10 anymore.you have to wait the full 12,but it's still worth it in my opinion.
Yes to the one year contract with the tbolt. Dual core is too new to be fully taken advantage of by anyone. A 1ghz processor is more than enough beef to handle just about anything you can throw at it, especially with 768mb of ram.
On a side note... When did they get rid of the 10 month early upgrade? I was looking forward to getting my early upgrade...
suzook said:
it's not 10 anymore.you have to wait the full 12,but it's still worth it in my opinion.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
thats not true...i just signed up for a 1 year upgrade and it says my next upgrade is Jan 20, 2012. So unless my math is mistaken, that is 10 months. The thing they changed, I believe, is that there is no NE2 anymore. If you have a 2 year contract, you have to wait 20 months before upgrade is available where as you would only have had to wait 12 months before.
^ That's correct, I bought mine on 3/17 and when I go online to my account, it says I am eligible to upgrade on 1/17/12. That's 10 months.

Thanks Asus for Standing by your Product

I am extremely disappointed in your company and the poor business practices.
I purchased a transformer prime based of the specs and supposed solid company making the unit. I read many articles about the issues the prime had but made a poor decision believing the delay in reaching retail was to fix the issues with the unit. After purchasing I found that the GPS is almost useless and our way to fix it was to remove the reference to GPS from the product sheet. This was very underhanded and shows a lack of standing behind your product. I have also lost a SD card because the SD slot was poorly implemented and results in them being easily springing out of the unit.
Now I find out that instead of fixing these issues you decide to scrap the Prime within weeks of release and ship a newer unit and leave us early adopters in the cold. On top of that not only are you releasing a fixed and fully functional unit you upgrade their screen resolution again leaving us out in the cold. I realize that there is always something new on the horizon but you clearly
released an untested unit that is a black eye on you company and instead of making it right you sweep it under the carpet and hope the new
launch will make everyone forget about the troubled prime. The pathetic thing is this will work but thousands of early adopters who spent there
money on your product are left in the corner crying that we have a product that was sold to us not fully functional.
Noted.
-Asus
Falhawk said:
Noted.
-Asus
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Yes, Asus only read the thread title and moved on. They are feeling pretty good right now. High fives all around the office.
L3rry said:
High fives all around the office.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
lmao
but the army of betatesters who actually paid for being betatesters are waiting outside with razorblade thin TF201s in their hands
You're just wasting bandwidth
Sent from my Transformer TF101 using Tapatalk
The new one isn't coming til q2 and it costs more.
Also is asus only allowed to release one product a year or something? Newer better stuff comes out every couple of months.
Sent from my Galaxy S2
Wow, the new features are:
1. Back design change to enhance GPS/Wifi
2. Higher resolution screen
3. 2MP front camera.
This is certainly a bug fix release. How do you sell the current Prime along side the newer one with a $100 different in price for higher res screen and modest increase in MP for front camera? The current prime will be quietly phased out shortly after the release and the price for the new one will drop to the current Prime price. I kind of feel dry fu**** now.
keitht said:
I kind of feel dry fu**** now.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
would sir like some vaseline?
new hardware is always coming out. do you want to wait another six months and then another six months and then another six months when new hardware keeps getting announced. you pick your point and you dive in the river.
it's just like buying a new car, it depreciates as soon as you drive it off the lot.
lancer3397 said:
would sir like some vaseline?
new hardware is always coming out. do you want to wait another six months and then another six months and then another six months when new hardware keeps getting announced. you pick your point and you dive in the river.
it's just like buying a new car, it depreciates as soon as you drive it off the lot.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Only problem is that there is not much new hardware here and it is releasing before they even have stock in retail. It is a bug fix release period.
Wow, people are impatient. This whole GPS thing just happened. Why does anyone expect ASUS to have already decided how they're going to handle it?
If we're in the same place at the end of January, beginning of February, then maybe it'll be time to pull out the pitchforks. Until then, hows about we relax a little?
lancer3397 said:
would sir like some vaseline?
new hardware is always coming out. do you want to wait another six months and then another six months and then another six months when new hardware keeps getting announced. you pick your point and you dive in the river.
it's just like buying a new car, it depreciates as soon as you drive it off the lot.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
If you buy a 2011 car in July, you know that the 2012's are coming out in the Fall. If you buy a 2012 car in the Fall, you'd assume it'll be "new" until the 2013's come out. How would you feel if they announced a 2012.5 immediately after you purchased? And that the dealer knew and even had the brochures in his desk and didn't show them to you? You may still buy the 2012 but at least you'd have had the option of waiting. Kind of a clunky analogy but it makes the point.
On the plus side Prime owners, all the smug cnuts rubbing our faces in it will get the shaft from Asus in about 6 months so we piss all over them too at that time. And they will have paid more to get screwed over.
The people saying to calm down because new tech comes out often are missing the point. The issue here is that it's pretty clear that the new Prime is coming out to address defects of the current one. It's not a "new" product in the traditional sense.
keitht said:
Only problem is that there is not much new hardware here and it is releasing before they even have stock in retail. It is a bug fix release period.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
how are they releasing it before there is stock of the tf201? this thing is slated to be out in q2, and with the delays that surrounded the prime and tf101, it probably won't hit stores before fall.
as to the lack of new hardware,
remember the iphone 3gs, 4s?
the droid 3/4/x2?
a plethora of HTC devices?
many companies offer slightly refreshed versions of hardware as "new" versions, it's nothing new and since they are charging more for the new tablet AND it won't be out before june most likely i don't really see the problem.
if anyone is unhappy with this development, everyone here is still in their return windows, no one is holding a gun to anyones head and forcing them to keep the prime.
now what i do find issue with is them not offering to replace the back cover for prime owners who want the better functioning gps/wifi, but since the dimensions seem to be the same (since the docks are compatible) they still could offer something like that for us.
nyijedi said:
The people saying to calm down because new tech comes out often are missing the point. The issue here is that it's pretty clear that the new Prime is coming out to address defects of the current one. It's not a "new" product in the traditional sense.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Exactly. The Asus execs all sat in a room and said, how can we fix our design flaw issue here so it doesn't haunt us all year? Let's fix the back plate design flaw and add a couple of small new things so that it appears to be a new product and slap a new model number on it. Once released, we will quietly phase out the original prime and blame poor sales on the decision. Then we drop the price of the newer prime and all is fixed.
Which is my issue. I understand new tech comes out quickly. I had a Xoom day 1 and in less then a year upgraded it. My issue is that they are being very unethical in how they are handling the design flaws. When did it become acceptable to sell a product that is advertised with certain abilities and then saying later that because you removed it from the spec sheet after launch they are no longer accountable. And when has any company announced an upgrade before the original is truly sitting on shelves.
ogar1978 said:
Which is my issue. I understand new tech comes out quickly. I had a Xoom day 1 and in less then a year upgraded it. My issue is that they are being very unethical in how they are handling the design flaws. When did it become acceptable to sell a product that is advertised with certain abilities and then saying later that because you removed it from the spec sheet after launch they are no longer accountable. And when has any company announced an upgrade before the original is truly sitting on shelves.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Agreed. Regardless of whether I decide to keep my Prime or not (I'm leaning towards keeping it, as I want a tablet now and don't see any other suitable alternatives currently available), I will never be buying another product from Asus again. There are plenty of other companies that make similar products. I'll 100% be using them over Asus in the future.
whoopde do. When it comes out in six months i'll sell my prime for $250 or $300 and buy one.
I am not within my window to return it as once you opened the unit many companies will not return them. Best Buy only allows a 14 day window on tablets which is also past for many of us.
adiliyo said:
how are they releasing it before there is stock of the tf201? this thing is slated to be out in q2, and with the delays that surrounded the prime and tf101, it probably won't hit stores before fall.
as to the lack of new hardware,
remember the iphone 3gs, 4s?
the droid 3/4/x2?
a plethora of HTC devices?
many companies offer slightly refreshed versions of hardware as "new" versions, it's nothing new and since they are charging more for the new tablet AND it won't be out before june most likely i don't really see the problem.
if anyone is unhappy with this development, everyone here is still in their return windows, no one is holding a gun to anyones head and forcing them to keep the prime.
now what i do find issue with is them not offering to replace the back cover for prime owners who want the better functioning gps/wifi, but since the dimensions seem to be the same (since the docks are compatible) they still could offer something like that for us.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Nexus tablet
This is when a Nexus tablet is needed. We know it will be updated by google and if history holds true it will work properly.

Cancelled Pre-orders (PROOF email required)

Just wondered how much of an impact this new device was having on pre order cancellations.
I've been looking forward to this device for over 6 months. We've essentially ended up with a broken/prototype device whilst Asus promote a *fixed* version.
This is disgusting as far as customer relations go. I'm almost certainly cancelling my pre order tomorrow. Hoping to hear a statement from Asus regarding this complete mess!
Please post screens of your cancelled orders. May be if we can get some numbers regarding impact Asus may listen.
Regards,
One pi55ed off potential customer
Sent from my GT-I9100 using xda premium
Ive owned my prime for 4 days now, the announcement was the last straw though.
GPS dead, wifi crippled, and now asus is pretty much jumping ship to their new prime 2.0..
Im working on returning it for a refund right now.
I wish I had preordered just to be able to go in and cancel, I'd hope that the store would be left with lots on the shelf. That's the only way we could expect our voices to be heard.
There are far too many people willing to ignore this situation that nothing is going to be done about it.
The TF700 announcement made up my mind
Once Asus started pushing the new model, the message came to me loud and clear.
From: "[email protected]" <[email protected]>
Reply-To: "[email protected]" <[email protected]>
To: "[email protected]" <[email protected]>
Subject: Amazon.com - Your Cancellation (104-6829271-3232250)
Date: Mon 01/09/12 10:04 AM
Attachments
Name Type Save View
Message text/plain Save
Dear Tedr44,
Your order has been successfully canceled. For your reference, here's a
summary of your order:
You just canceled order #104-6829271-3232250 placed on December 21,
2011.
Status: CANCELED
_____________________________________________________________________
1 of ASUS Transformer Prime TF201-C1-GR 10.1-Inch 64GB Tablet (Amethyst
Gray)
Sold by: Amazon.com LLC
_____________________________________________________________________
In most cases, you pay for items when we ship them to you, so you won't
be charged for items that you cancel. In some cases (e.g., you use a
gift card or your debit card is processed as a PIN-less transaction),
you may see a charge for a cancelled item. If you are charged for a
cancelled item, we will refund you within 1-2 business days.
Thank you for visiting Amazon.com!
---------------------------------------------------------------------
Amazon.com
Earth's Biggest Selection
http://www.amazon.com
-----------------------
Well, I didn't cancel a pre-order but mine was RMA'd for replacement. I switched that to a refund...not too sure if I'm going to bother with ASUS or just wait to see what else is available.
I talked with an agent so I haven't got an email confirmation yet but I'll post when I do.
Here's an announcement for a tab with 1.7 ghz Tegra 3, DDR3 memory and SRS sound.
http://www.engadget.com/2012/01/08/lenovo-lepad-k2010-ideatab-k2-hands-on/
I would be very angry if the TF700T was priced closer to TF201. Now that would really make me send it back with a nasty letter to Asus. But the fact that it's $100 more for both 32 and 64GB, that tells me Asus didn't just "jump ship". The learned from their stupid mistakes, made a new one and are selling it right alongside with the current one. That means the best bang for your buck tablet is still a Transformer Prime that's only $600 with a 64GB storage.
What bothers me though is the fact that Asus could barely meet demands with this whole pre-order fiasco and has the ****ing balls to go ahead and actually spent time (time that should have been focused on getting me my goddamned Prime) to come out with another product to sell. That tells me either they have A.D.D. or they have A.D.D. and all they want is money. How can they leave the people who pre-ordered left hanging to dry? That, to me, is a piece of **** company.
At this point though I have no choice but to stick to my Prime (TF201) pre-order because my Xoom has been hijacked by my 2-year old and I need a tablet badly --meaning waiting isn't an option and buying another Tegra 2 would be going backwards at this point. FML.
I deal mostly with media and games, the office work belongs to Windows. The TF700 is ideal for streaming hd video specially now that I've upgraded to 6 mbps on my dsl to watch the Netflix hd movies. The new res standards are out and I will let the dust settle before deciding.
As the trend indicates, one thing is for sure, Asus moves faster than other tablet manufacturers.
The new TF700T feels like a "filler". By Q4 and the 2012 holidays, they will have the true 3rd gen Transformer. So whoever pays the extra $100 for the TF700T model, might be in for some serious buyer's remorse. Think about it.
TF1 -> TF2 -> TF2.5 -> (only a few months from the summer) and you've got TF3. Like I said in another thread. The TF700T are for those who badly need the GPS. The higher resolution at a premium of $100 more is baloney. As for the 2MP front-facing camera? That's a gimmick. From 1.3MP to 2MP means nothing. Take it from a photographer and someone who has an 8MP webcam that's supposedly "HD" and "1080p". Skyping still looks crappy.
I'm not knocking on the TF700T, but if you guys want to drop the TF201 for it, think about it really hard. Like I said before, the best bang for your buck is still the TF201. Line up all the Android tablets and you will see all the specs are similar except for the fact that for the same price in a Galaxy Tab 10.1 or a Xoom/Xoom 2, you can have an Asus with double the storage. That to me is very important as I sync my DSLR wirelessly to my tablet to show clients my shots in real time... and RAW files eat storage space like no one's business.
I understand that Asus is pushing products out the order ahead of the others but in their haste the product design and performance turned out faulty. I'm looking forward to the 700 simply because it appears the problem is fixed and the specs are better although I'd like to see a faster clock to handle the higher res.
I just got shafted, Mediamarkt said no returns on licensed products, whatever the phuck that means.
So I guess the dead GPS and shoddy Wifi are "on me".
Asus issued the warranty so you should contact them next to present your case, good luck!
tedr44 said:
I understand that Asus is pushing products out the order ahead of the others but in their haste the product design and performance turned out faulty. I'm looking forward to the 700 simply because it appears the problem is fixed and the specs are better although I'd like to see a faster clock to handle the higher res.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
You can rely on devs here to bring that to you in due time, regarding the faster clock speeds. The CPU and GPU will be the same. So it doesn't matter what the clock speeds are set at since you can always change it later on anyway.
I can't blame Asus for designing the aluminum back the way they did. I'm pretty sure their R&D department felt the pressure from higher up to make it so that it pretty much sells as a bundle with the dock. Meaning, they probably said something along the line as "Design the tablet so that people would definitely feel compelled to buy the dock." Hence the designers made it look all aluminum so that when it's shut close with the dock, it looks sexier than a MacBook Air. Remember how Asus was bragging about the swirled brush aluminum design? It was a decision to make a chic looking ultra portable device. I don't think it was in haste, but I do believe the GPS flaw as a result was in hindsight.
As for the TF700T, let's face it. People who will buy that will definitely say "What an ugly netbook this makes!" It looks like two separate devices that clicks into one with the top bit looking really out of place. I have never seen a laptop, in all the years of owning laptops, with a black bar on top like that. That was what Asus wanted to avoid with the TF201 --the matching color, material and texture so that when you buy the dock, you gawk in awe at the handsome "transforming" device.
so whos pissed they cancelled before ICS came out and fixed a majority of the issues?
Sokonomi said:
I just got shafted, Mediamarkt said no returns on licensed products, whatever the phuck that means.
So I guess the dead GPS and shoddy Wifi are "on me".
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Yeah, Asus will and should cover you. No worries. Get their international toll-free number and give them a call.
Also emphasize the fact that the metal case affects not just gps but wifi and bt as well though not as pronounced is still below par.
DroidHam said:
so whos pissed they cancelled before ICS came out and fixed a majority of the issues?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
As someone who has had ICS on my Xoom for about a month now, not to mention waking up to CM9 this morning, I am definitely looking forward to the development on the TF201 Prime. I, for one, am contemplating getting back into devving for the Prime.
Though I like and appreciate the artwork, it is not a prime consideration for me. It can be as rugged and ugly as a military grade laptop as long as the specs are working as advertised. I'm starting to like the 700 because of the new specs that will function without any mods. In that respect, no mod will come up with the 1080p res without slowng it down.
tedr44 said:
Also emphasize the fact that the metal case affects not just gps but wifi and bt as well though not as pronounced is still below par.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
The WiFi and BT issue is software, I think. Correct me if I'm wrong. The slower WiFi and shoddy BT due to the aluminum backing is a myth started by paranoid early Prime adaptors. Apple has been making aluminum and magnesium unibodies with no WiFi or BT problems. Concrete or whatever your house has are bigger factors. GPS is a different story.
These wireless devices work on rf with differing frequencies and that affects their ability to pass through or penetrate barries. It could be a combination hw/sw, I'm not exactly sure until they put it on a bench and run a battery of tests. That's what really irritates me about Asus, they've done nothing but cover up the problems.

When is the best time to buy computer parts?

Getting the right set of computer parts, whether for a brand new PC build or an upgrade, involves a good amount of research and most importantly, patience. It is wise to purchase individual PC parts over a period of time which can help you save some money. But as I mentioned, this requires a lot of patience especially if you have been planning to build a new PC for some time.
If I am being honest, there is never a good time to buy computer parts. You might get a new monitor today, but in a few years or even months, it will be replaced by a new model that will be brighter, sharper, have a higher resolution, or even a faster refresh rate.
Yearly sales
One can anticipate a potential drop in price during recurring yearly sales. Amazon hosts multiple sales throughout the year with the biggest one being Prime Day that is usually hosted in the month of June. Similarly, Newegg is also a good place to buy PC parts at discounted rates during their Supreme Tech, and clearance sales. Additionally, Newegg also has Shell Shocker exclusive deals where prices change every day on different types of products. There are also smaller sales on occasions like Valentine's Day, Labor Day, and of course right before the holiday season.
Black Friday and Cyber Monday are your best bet if you are looking for the best deals on PC parts. These are the biggest electronic sales where you can expect discounts, deals and price drops on a large range of hardware, peripherals, and other small PC parts. Retailers and sellers often host pre-Black Friday sales for long periods and those are not to be missed.
Having said that, don’t expect price drops on every single component. A lot depends on what you want to buy especially if you are seeking a particular model or a brand. There is a good chance that some component is not even included in the sale or the discounted price is not marginally better than the original cost.
Amazon Prime Day - June 21-22, 2021
Black Friday - November 26, 2021
Cyber Monday - November 29, 2021
Generational upgrades
This can be very tricky for the layman. However, if you are a PC enthusiast you can potentially capitalize when a newer generation of product is released. For instance, the introduction of Intel’s new 11th-gen CPUs has led to a small drop in the price of the outgoing 10th-gen CPUs. So yeah, it is s good time to get your hands on Intel’s Comet Lake processors.
The most obvious thing to note here is that you are not getting the latest piece of hardware, potentially missing out on a new feature or two. But if you don’t mind using hardware that is only one generation old, then this is a good way to save some money.
This isn’t always the case though, as it was evident when NVIDIA introduced its new GeForce RTX 3000-series last year. The entire GPU market has fluctuated with older generation parts selling at a premium, almost double the cost of their original retail price.
Price trackers
A good way to stay updated with the changes in the pricing of PC parts is by visiting PCPartPicker if you live in the US and PriceSpy if you live in the UK. These websites offer a breakdown of prices for a particular product from a list of vendors. This helps in comparing components, especially older generation models where you can end up saving a significant amount.
There are various external factors that can affect the price of PC parts. The most recent one is the ongoing chipset crisis along with crypto mining that has lead to an increase in the prices of graphics cards all over the world. Today, getting a new graphics card has become next to impossible, let alone getting one at retail price.
With this general chip storage and mining requirements (RTX and hard drive), I would be glad to buy a piece of hardware at MSRP... Not many deals these days...
The best time to buy computer parts? When you can afford them.
There's a bad time?
Haha
After building many PC's over the years starting in the early '90's there is never a good time to buy PC parts. Every last one of them become obsolete before you drive home and start building. This is why I retired from build PC's as I was always in the hunt for the latest and greatest. I have a stack of MB, graphic cards, HDD's, sound cards etc. You can never keep up. The best advice I can give is to buy the most forward looking motherboard and hopefully you'll get a few years out of it.
The best time to buy anything is when you need it, or, when it's in season.
When it's in stock and on sale.
Depends You Planning To LULZ
I got lucky when I built my Mecha-Godzilla PC a year ago, especially for the video card. Turns out I didn't really need one after all but I thought I did at the time, and I feel lucky for paying less than $200 for an nVidia 1650 (overclocked). So video cards were already expensive but they jumped up even more right after that
kunalneo said:
Getting the right set of computer parts, whether for a brand new PC build or an upgrade, involves a good amount of research and most importantly, patience. It is wise to purchase individual PC parts over a period of time which can help you save some money. But as I mentioned, this requires a lot of patience especially if you have been planning to build a new PC for some time.
If I am being honest, there is never a good time to buy computer parts. You might get a new monitor today, but in a few years or even months, it will be replaced by a new model that will be brighter, sharper, have a higher resolution, or even a faster refresh rate.
Yearly sales
One can anticipate a potential drop in price during recurring yearly sales. Amazon hosts multiple sales throughout the year with the biggest one being Prime Day that is usually hosted in the month of June. Similarly, Newegg is also a good place to buy PC parts at discounted rates during their Supreme Tech, and clearance sales. Additionally, Newegg also has Shell Shocker exclusive deals where prices change every day on different types of products. There are also smaller sales on occasions like Valentine's Day, Labor Day, and of course right before the holiday season.
Black Friday and Cyber Monday are your best bet if you are looking for the best deals on PC parts. These are the biggest electronic sales where you can expect discounts, deals and price drops on a large range of hardware, peripherals, and other small PC parts. Retailers and sellers often host pre-Black Friday sales for long periods and those are not to be missed.
Having said that, don’t expect price drops on every single component. A lot depends on what you want to buy especially if you are seeking a particular model or a brand. There is a good chance that some component is not even included in the sale or the discounted price is not marginally better than the original cost.
Amazon Prime Day - June 21-22, 2021
Black Friday - November 26, 2021
Cyber Monday - November 29, 2021
Generational upgrades
This can be very tricky for the layman. However, if you are a PC enthusiast you can potentially capitalize when a newer generation of product is released. For instance, the introduction of Intel’s new 11th-gen CPUs has led to a small drop in the price of the outgoing 10th-gen CPUs. So yeah, it is s good time to get your hands on Intel’s Comet Lake processors.
The most obvious thing to note here is that you are not getting the latest piece of hardware, potentially missing out on a new feature or two. But if you don’t mind using hardware that is only one generation old, then this is a good way to save some money.
This isn’t always the case though, as it was evident when NVIDIA introduced its new GeForce RTX 3000-series last year. The entire GPU market has fluctuated with older generation parts selling at a premium, almost double the cost of their original retail price.
Price trackers
A good way to stay updated with the changes in the pricing of PC parts is by visiting PCPartPicker if you live in the US and PriceSpy if you live in the UK. These websites offer a breakdown of prices for a particular product from a list of vendors. This helps in comparing components, especially older generation models where you can end up saving a significant amount.
There are various external factors that can affect the price of PC parts. The most recent one is the ongoing chipset crisis along with crypto mining that has lead to an increase in the prices of graphics cards all over the world. Today, getting a new graphics card has become next to impossible, let alone getting one at retail price.
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Just a small note for Canadian aligned part seekers, in relation to pcpartpicker.com - specify ca.pcpartpicker.com or you will at some point forget to make the adjustment and start getting all excited and giddy with the amazing prices that are happening at a time that does not coincide with cyber monday, black friday or the news that quantum computing just rendered all compy tech that is not included in the quantumyummygoodness effectively.. ineffective, the amazing prices are actually in USD and you didnt realize your cache refreshed or you're using a different browser or device - which you will then at least consider smashing a la "Hulk mad" mode. Yes of course it seems sensible at the time. So does fighting Thor. But its not his fault, its yours. You're welcome for the disaster aversion assistance, and apologies for the shattering of ignorance's "bliss", at least in this regard anyways.
roirraW edor ehT said:
I got lucky when I built my Mecha-Godzilla PC a year ago, especially for the video card. Turns out I didn't really need one after all but I thought I did at the time, and I feel lucky for paying less than $200 for an nVidia 1650 (overclocked). So video cards were already expensive but they jumped up even more right after that
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May all your future "rodes" be as bumpy as my life since my current upgrade which started on January 23rd, 2021 and ends at some point in the yet to be determined future, I friggen hope.
Why the glum chum?
Amazon. Amazon is the reason for my bumpiness. Due 3x bad MSI B550 Carbon Wifi motherboards, followed by 2x altogether WRONG Gigabyte Wifi Elite z390 INTEL boards which were supposed to be Gigabyte Aorus Master x570 AMD boards, since I already had a Ryzen 5 3600 cpu waiting, and had also paid for at more than double the cost of the wrongfully delivered board - and this is where the inexplicable and nasty starts - at which point I was told that they would offer no other replacements, my only ootion being that once I returned the 5th board <as if I didn't return the first 4 promptly or notify them when they sent me 2 of the same product and returned the extra insulated water bottle as im an honest.. idiot>, they would send the 2 refunds.
They eventually sent back the refund for the Aorus <I had double paid for the first MSI board, and then upgraded to the Aorus Master with my tax return, so at one point was out $700ish to this mess>, but the initial 285.88 that I paid for the MSI Carbon board in January, which bank account by then had been closed for months, <an account that had been closed 3 months without my knowledge - after the first mb purchase made on Jan 23rd > - and this was now August 16th.
Amazon claims CIBC accepted the refund, CIBC said they didn't recieve it, <and still could not locate the refund with transaction codes given to me to take in to the bank so they could track it down>.
Then Amazon made a promise to rectify the issue within 72 hours after making me wait 15 more business days, after which they said 'too bad, we arent going to do anything'.
Thats not even bringing up the fact that I had explained to them that I had JUST been illegally evicted <after 5 years of residence> by the new landlord who wanted to jack the rent way up, like everywhere else during covid, and that I was living in my car <a Coupe no less> with my cat and dog for 2 months and was out of money. I also had a storage unit full of my things, costing me monthly until I could find another apartment.
So, I've had a brand new Phanteks white case, with aio rgb addressable liquid cooling, a new cpu still in box, new white 850 watt platinum plus ps fully modular, killer addressable rail rgbs, 2 sticks of white Crucial Ballistix RGB 3600mhz cl15 ram, new white grouped cables with rgb combs, m.2 512mb nvme pcie 4, corsair dark core rgb mouse, all gathering dust, until it was stolen while someone "helped" me move. I did talk to a buddy of mine, who is the right guy to know, and got it all back, BUT STILL WITHOUT A MB AMAZON. I started a new job, but by the time I backpay covid debt, and save up, itll be obsolete again. oh and i saved up the parts to build it, and did get to use it for a glorious 2 weeks before MSI Carbon board number 2 took a dump. All 3 had flashback bios issues. I spent days and weeks on them trying to get them going again. Never had bios flashing issues that i couldnt recover before those. Im 43, been building my whole life.
Oh, right, my point.. sorry didnt expect all that despite leaving out all kinds of details - I had to stick with my pair of MSI 970 GTXs 4MB Gaming gpus, selling one along with my old rig to afford the new parts because i couldnt find ANY that were anywhere NEAR affordable.
Hence the bumpy rode wishes, but not really obv just jerking around bro, seriously. Glad you got yours before things went full retard.
1st total upgrade in abour 12 years, after mb mods kept my Asus Crosshair V Formula Z relevant, even now. I have pictures of my gloriously short run, during the two weeks, if anyone is interested pm me. Sorry to detract from thread. All 3 24" Samsung monitors, also collecting that figuratively tear stained dust.
What? Fine. Not ALL figurative tears. Stupid covid. Hulk sad.
When the college/university midterm ends as students sell their desktops looking for laptops.
Right before a new hardware release comes out and there is a large amount of supply

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