Cheap enough?

  • 28 Replies
  • 5134 Views
*

ﮎingulaЯiτy

  • Arbitrator
  • Planar Moderator
  • 9074
  • Resident atheist.
Cheap enough?
« on: February 25, 2012, 02:36:13 PM »
A multithreaded gaming machine for $99.

Processor: AMD Phenom™ II X4 Quad-Core Processor 945 (3.0GHz, 6MB L3 Cache)
Operating System: Genuine Windows® 7 Home Premium (64-bit)
Memory: 8GB DDR3 Dual Channel 1333MHz Memory (4 x 2048MB)
Hard Drive: 1TB SATA hard drive (Green Product - variable RPM)
Video: ATI Radeon™ HD5570 Graphics card with 1024MB of Dedicated DDR3 VRAM
Optical Drive: Blu-ray Disc™ 4X BD-ROM / DVD-SuperMulti Drive and 16X DVD+/-R/RW SuperMulti Drive
Audio: High Definition Audio with 5.1-channel Surround Support
External Ports: (10) USB 2.0 ports (4 Front, 6 Rear), VGA, DVI, (2) PS/2 Ports, HDMI™, (3) Audio Ports
Motherboard: Systemboard with AMD® 880G Chipset
Network: 10/100/1000 Gigabit Ethernet LAN (RJ-45 port)

http://www.frys.com/product/6292170?site=sr:SEARCH:MAIN_RSLT_PG

Problem is you have to buy it in store, and there isn't a Frys anywhere near me. Maybe one of you does have one close by.
« Last Edit: February 25, 2012, 02:38:44 PM by ﮎingulaЯiτy »
If I was asked to imagine a perfect deity, I would never invent one that suffers from a multiple personality disorder. Christians get points for originality there.

?

Thork

Re: Cheap enough?
« Reply #1 on: February 25, 2012, 02:40:55 PM »
That has to be a pricing error. Or maybe its just a sneaky way to get people into the store to enquire where you are told its an error or that they had limited stock

*

ﮎingulaЯiτy

  • Arbitrator
  • Planar Moderator
  • 9074
  • Resident atheist.
Re: Cheap enough?
« Reply #2 on: February 25, 2012, 02:42:05 PM »
That has to be a pricing error. Or maybe its just a sneaky way to get people into the store to enquire where you are told its an error or that they had limited stock
My brother went to a store in California and they were sold out. It doesn't have to be untrue to get a massive increase in traffic. Just like advertising, the costs might be outweighed by the attention.
« Last Edit: February 25, 2012, 02:45:28 PM by ﮎingulaЯiτy »
If I was asked to imagine a perfect deity, I would never invent one that suffers from a multiple personality disorder. Christians get points for originality there.

?

OrbisNonSufficit

  • 3124
  • I love Gasoline.
Re: Cheap enough?
« Reply #3 on: February 25, 2012, 02:43:09 PM »
That has to be a pricing error. Or maybe its just a sneaky way to get people into the store to enquire where you are told its an error or that they had limited stock

Yeah seems like a scam to me too, they would be losing like 500 bucks per pc lol.

*

Tom Bishop

  • Flat Earth Believer
  • 17920
Re: Cheap enough?
« Reply #4 on: February 25, 2012, 02:49:35 PM »
It's a scam to get you into the store. It's permanently sold out. They want you to go and feel disappointed so you can look at their other products.

Maybe they sold a few at a loss so they could put it on the website/flyers/commercials and claim it wasn't a total lie if ever brought before a court, but it's a scam none-the-less.

It's the oldest trick in the book. I'm surprised anyone falls for such ancient schemes. The biggest tip off is that you can only buy it in the store.
« Last Edit: February 25, 2012, 03:19:18 PM by Tom Bishop »

*

ﮎingulaЯiτy

  • Arbitrator
  • Planar Moderator
  • 9074
  • Resident atheist.
Re: Cheap enough?
« Reply #5 on: February 25, 2012, 03:12:07 PM »
It's a scam to get you into the store. It's permanently sold out. They want you to go and feel disappointed so you can look at their other products.

Maybe they sold a few at a loss so they could put it on the website/flyers and claim it wasn't a total lie if ever brought before a court, but it's a scam none-the-less.

It's the oldest trick in the book. I'm surprised anyone falls for such ancient schemes. The biggest tip off is that you can only buy it in the store.

I agree that it is probable that a few units were actually sold.
But, I'd only consider it to be "falling for that scheme" if you ended up buying something else there that you normally wouldn't have.

I don't see it as foolish to rush amazing deals, and I'd imagine everyone who got that deal would agree.
If I was asked to imagine a perfect deity, I would never invent one that suffers from a multiple personality disorder. Christians get points for originality there.

*

Lorddave

  • 18127
Re: Cheap enough?
« Reply #6 on: February 25, 2012, 03:15:17 PM »
It's a Gateway.
Why would you want it even for $99?
You have been ignored for common interest of mankind.

I am a terrible person and I am a typical Blowhard Liberal for being wrong about Bom.

?

Thork

Re: Cheap enough?
« Reply #7 on: February 25, 2012, 03:15:46 PM »
It's a scam to get you into the store. It's permanently sold out. They want you to go and feel disappointed so you can look at their other products.

Maybe they sold a few at a loss so they could put it on the website/flyers and claim it wasn't a total lie if ever brought before a court, but it's a scam none-the-less.

It's the oldest trick in the book. I'm surprised anyone falls for such ancient schemes. The biggest tip off is that you can only buy it in the store.

I agree that it is probable that a few units were actually sold.
But, I'd only consider it to be "falling for that scheme" if you ended up buying something else there that you normally wouldn't have.

I don't see it as foolish to rush amazing deals, and I'd imagine everyone who got that deal would agree.

But if you rushed to the store, couldn't find what you wanted but thought, I'm here now, I'll choose a game ... well then it has done its thing because you bought from them. Tom is correct. If its too good to be true, it usually is.

*

Parsifal

  • Official Member
  • 36118
  • Bendy Light specialist
Re: Cheap enough?
« Reply #8 on: February 25, 2012, 03:59:57 PM »
No, it's not cheap enough. You're paying for a crappy, overpriced operating system.
I'm going to side with the white supremacists.

?

OrbisNonSufficit

  • 3124
  • I love Gasoline.
Re: Cheap enough?
« Reply #9 on: February 25, 2012, 04:17:02 PM »
It's a Gateway.
Why would you want it even for $99?

yeah, you will get skimped on a PSU, Mobo, case and fan quality with that PC.  But if i bought it i would just rip the phenom, HDD, CD drive, and gpu out and stick in a new psu, case and mobo.  You would save like 240 bucks doing that.

?

Blanko

  • 7206
  • Terrorist
Re: Cheap enough?
« Reply #10 on: February 25, 2012, 07:44:48 PM »
No, it's not cheap enough. You're paying for a crappy, overpriced operating system.

You can use it to download all the lunix distros you want.

*

Parsifal

  • Official Member
  • 36118
  • Bendy Light specialist
Re: Cheap enough?
« Reply #11 on: February 25, 2012, 09:07:49 PM »
No, it's not cheap enough. You're paying for a crappy, overpriced operating system.

You can use it to download all the lunix distros you want.

That doesn't alter the fact that you're paying for shit you don't need and shouldn't want.
I'm going to side with the white supremacists.

*

Lorddave

  • 18127
Re: Cheap enough?
« Reply #12 on: February 25, 2012, 09:18:45 PM »
No, it's not cheap enough. You're paying for a crappy, overpriced operating system.

You can use it to download all the lunix distros you want.

That doesn't alter the fact that you're paying for shit you don't need and shouldn't want.
What if you want to play Skyrim?
You have been ignored for common interest of mankind.

I am a terrible person and I am a typical Blowhard Liberal for being wrong about Bom.

*

Rushy

  • 8971
Re: Cheap enough?
« Reply #13 on: February 25, 2012, 10:22:55 PM »
I'm the average consumer. Can you tell me any reason that I would not want to purchase Microsoft Windows?

*

Ocius

  • Official Member
  • 7596
  • Space President
Re: Cheap enough?
« Reply #14 on: February 25, 2012, 10:42:08 PM »
There's a Fry's about 10 miles from where I live. I used the "check store availability" thing, but their server must be down. It said "cannot connect to store". I tried a couple other products and it said the same thing. I'm kind of tempted to go there tomorrow and see if this is actually real.

*

Vindictus

  • 5455
  • insightful personal text
Re: Cheap enough?
« Reply #15 on: February 25, 2012, 10:47:08 PM »
I'm the average consumer. Can you tell me any reason that I would not want to purchase Microsoft Windows?

You're going to buy it anyway (if you haven't already), so how is giving you such a reason going to change anything?


*

Parsifal

  • Official Member
  • 36118
  • Bendy Light specialist
Re: Cheap enough?
« Reply #16 on: February 25, 2012, 11:13:00 PM »
What if you want to play Skyrim?

I hear The Pirate Bay has great prices on operating systems. Even a $99 system won't beat theirs.

I'm the average consumer. Can you tell me any reason that I would not want to purchase Microsoft Windows?

You can do everything the "average consumer" wants to do and more with a GNU/Linux distribution that caters to noobs, such as Ubuntu, which is both free as in price (i.e., much cheaper than Windows) and free as in freedom (you can share it with your friends without being a criminal), and is supported by a friendly community rather than a faceless corporation. As an added bonus, you no longer need to worry about viruses, DRM or having your wallet raped every time a new version of your OS is released.

Why would you (as the average consumer, not a hardcore gamer) want Windows?
I'm going to side with the white supremacists.

*

Ocius

  • Official Member
  • 7596
  • Space President
Re: Cheap enough?
« Reply #17 on: February 25, 2012, 11:15:34 PM »
The Pirate Bay is terrible.

*

Lorddave

  • 18127
Re: Cheap enough?
« Reply #18 on: February 25, 2012, 11:24:30 PM »
What if you want to play Skyrim?

I hear The Pirate Bay has great prices on operating systems. Even a $99 system won't beat theirs.
Let me know how that works out for ya because as far as I know, windows 7 shuts down after 3 days without activation.  Or 30, one of the two.
You have been ignored for common interest of mankind.

I am a terrible person and I am a typical Blowhard Liberal for being wrong about Bom.

*

Parsifal

  • Official Member
  • 36118
  • Bendy Light specialist
Re: Cheap enough?
« Reply #19 on: February 25, 2012, 11:31:04 PM »
Let me know how that works out for ya because as far as I know, windows 7 shuts down after 3 days without activation.  Or 30, one of the two.

I'm sure someone, somewhere, has cracked it. A quick search on The Pirate Bay confirms this.
I'm going to side with the white supremacists.

?

OrbisNonSufficit

  • 3124
  • I love Gasoline.
Re: Cheap enough?
« Reply #20 on: February 25, 2012, 11:48:30 PM »
What if you want to play Skyrim?

I hear The Pirate Bay has great prices on operating systems. Even a $99 system won't beat theirs.
Let me know how that works out for ya because as far as I know, windows 7 shuts down after 3 days without activation.  Or 30, one of the two.

it does not shut down after thirty days, and you can get it to stop checking if its activated with a hack.  So you trick it once with a dummy key code and then tell it not to check anymore and you are set.  Of course i am not advocating this route.  Honestly since i actually need windows (i am "hardcore" (whatever that means) gamer) i really don't mind paying for it.  Not to mention that windows 7 is really not too bad.  I have had no issues with viruses, no issues with crashing, really i have no issues at all.  I would definitely give some other OSes a try if i could game on them, i am not saying W7 is the best, but if you game then you need it, and its really not that bad.

*

Rushy

  • 8971
Re: Cheap enough?
« Reply #21 on: February 26, 2012, 09:18:32 AM »
You can do everything the "average consumer" wants to do and more with a GNU/Linux distribution that caters to noobs, such as Ubuntu, which is both free as in price (i.e., much cheaper than Windows) and free as in freedom (you can share it with your friends without being a criminal), and is supported by a friendly community rather than a faceless corporation.

Well that is a benefit, I suppose.

As an added bonus, you no longer need to worry about viruses, DRM or having your wallet raped every time a new version of your OS is released.

What happens when I do come across a linux virus? As the average consumer I'll have listened to thousands of Linux drones and not have gotten any antivirus software. Well, I guess all my data is gone. Why would I have to buy a new OS every time a new one comes out? Many people still use XP, do they not?

Why would you (as the average consumer, not a hardcore gamer) want Windows?

As the average consumer I'm not computer savvy and run into problems quite often. Windows offers 24/7 toll free customer support. What does Linux offer?

*

Lorddave

  • 18127
Re: Cheap enough?
« Reply #22 on: February 26, 2012, 09:31:29 AM »
As the average consumer I'm not computer savvy and run into problems quite often. Windows offers 24/7 toll free customer support. What does Linux offer?

Forums.
You have been ignored for common interest of mankind.

I am a terrible person and I am a typical Blowhard Liberal for being wrong about Bom.

*

Rushy

  • 8971
Re: Cheap enough?
« Reply #23 on: February 26, 2012, 09:37:19 AM »
As the average consumer I'm not computer savvy and run into problems quite often. Windows offers 24/7 toll free customer support. What does Linux offer?

Forums.

Forums will bombard me (the average consumer) with conflicting ideas on how to solve my problem. They will perhaps even be condescending or scoff at why I didn't use a proper method. Not to mention I'm not going to think of forums as the first thing I should go to. I'm probably going to google Linux tech support. The first links are for phone support and the others are for forums, a word which I don't know the meaning of.

?

Thork

Re: Cheap enough?
« Reply #24 on: February 26, 2012, 09:38:49 AM »
As the average consumer I'm not computer savvy and run into problems quite often. Windows offers 24/7 toll free customer support. What does Linux offer?

Forums.
So if you get a problem with your browser or something ... you are screwed.

Every year is "the year of linux". Linux people are a very vocal minority but the fact is ... they cannot even give Linux away. :(

?

General Disarray

  • Official Member
  • 5039
  • Magic specialist
Re: Cheap enough?
« Reply #25 on: February 26, 2012, 10:29:49 AM »
Beware, Fry's is notorious for offering these fantastic deals for in-store purchase only, then being sold out at every location. They will offer the exact same product at a higher price, but it won't have the same Fry's item code, therefore the discount won't apply.
You don't want to make an enemy of me. I'm very powerful.

?

Cat Earth Theory

  • 1614
  • I practise the Zetetic Method!
Re: Cheap enough?
« Reply #26 on: February 26, 2012, 11:32:40 AM »
As the average consumer I'm not computer savvy and run into problems quite often. Windows offers 24/7 toll free customer support. What does Linux offer?

Forums.
So if you get a problem with your browser or something ... you are screwed.

Every year is "the year of linux". Linux people are a very vocal minority but the fact is ... they cannot even give Linux away. :(

It has its uses.  I'm actually writing this from a laptop that has no harddrive.  I run a linux distribution called Debian Live off an SD Card.  It's pretty great being able to surf the internet while I wait for a replacement harddrive.

Still, though, I'd rather have windows  :(
It just can't be beat for compatibility.
If you focus on the cloud, and conceive of it just as you would a dream you are trying to interpret, with practice its meanings and memories will be revealed to you.

*

EnigmaZV

  • 3471
Re: Cheap enough?
« Reply #27 on: February 26, 2012, 04:07:23 PM »
Still, though, I'd rather have windows  :(
It just can't be beat for compatibility.

Oh Really?

Debian Processor compatibility:
x86, AMD64, Intel EM64T, ARM, HP PA-RISC, Intel IA-64, MIPS, PowerPC, SPARC, S/390. (source)

Windows 7 Processor compatibility:
x86, AMD64, Intel EM64T (source)
I don't know what you're implying, but you're probably wrong.

?

Cat Earth Theory

  • 1614
  • I practise the Zetetic Method!
Re: Cheap enough?
« Reply #28 on: February 26, 2012, 04:31:56 PM »
Still, though, I'd rather have windows  :(
It just can't be beat for compatibility.

Oh Really?

Debian Processor compatibility:
x86, AMD64, Intel EM64T, ARM, HP PA-RISC, Intel IA-64, MIPS, PowerPC, SPARC, S/390. (source)

Windows 7 Processor compatibility:
x86, AMD64, Intel EM64T (source)

Err, I meant being able to run software, not hardware compatibility.  Sorry for using the wrong term.

I do love linux a lot, though, and basically only use windows when I need to write a paper or make a presentation because openoffice sucks ass.  Or if I want to play a computer game, which isn't too often.

edit: Well, that's not really fair to say, actually.  Openoffice would work fine if it was the standard.  The problems come about when I have to save a file in a windows format and transfer it to a windows computer and everything gets all messed up.
« Last Edit: February 26, 2012, 04:37:05 PM by Cat Earth Theory »
If you focus on the cloud, and conceive of it just as you would a dream you are trying to interpret, with practice its meanings and memories will be revealed to you.