Combo Purchases

[xane]

I've always delighted in a policy of "combo purchases", this is my own term for buying a bunch of stuff from the same supplier that effectively gets a guarentee it will work together. For example, buy a motherboard, CPU and heatsink in one go and if any fail then the supplier can't use the good old "ah well it must be your <other item not bought from us> then" excuse.

However, this policy failed on me when I bought a combo Athlon "C" 1.3Ghz CPU, Epox 8K7A mobo and Thermo-something Heatsink/Fan unit from a small supplier who will remain nameless.

After around 2 months the PC started cutting out, it even cut out at the BIOS screens, and I monitored CPU temperature which did not go that high, even though it was obviously a heat-related issue. I stripped the machine down and rebuilt it but the problem remained, by replacing parts with known working alternatives I isolated it as either the CPU or motherboard.

I took a chance, and replaced the mobo for an Abit KR7, and its been working fine ever since.

I sent back the mobo and they tested it and it works fine, they claim that the fault lies with my PSU (and the alternative one I tried) which seems to kick out 4.8V on the 5V channel, and the Epox is susceptable to this, so it blacks out. Why this started happening after 2 months and why it works fine with the Abit is lost on them.

And because I didn't buy the PSU from them, I have to pay £10 for a "no fault" RMA (in addition to the £6 I paid to deliver it back), I also have a spare £120 motherboard I'll never use and I'm afraid to sell because it is effectively untested.

Epox tech support used the same excuse, actually stating that my 1.3Ghz Athlon requires 350W.

So blaming the PSU is epidemic, my next combo purchase will have to include a new PSU as well, or confirm my current one will work, I suggest people here do the same before they get caught out like I did.

What bugs me is that the supplier I bought from could have just sent back the Epox mobo and got a refund, I'd have been quite happy with a credit note.

 

[Skyler]

I'm going for the KR7, tis a l33t mobo.

Getting a 431watt PSU as well, so I dont expect to have power problems...

 

[doh_boy]

In my experience they'll give you all kind of bullSheep to fob you off.

if it wasn't the PSU it'd be something else!

nature of the beast I'm afraid, they're out to make money so when it comes to giving it back they tend to be a bit *reluctant*

You get some really cool places (for example Aria) but they're still a bit reluctant.

(btw aria are in manc so you may not have heard of them)

 

[(Shovel)]

Indeed. Think about it.
"What graphics card are you using?"
"Geforce 3"
"oooohh, they use a lot of power, you need a new PSU, nothing wrong with the motherboard".

 

[raw.]

Funnily enough i was actualy deciding on a combo purchase today, ive been planning on getting a new pc, but after some thought ive decided that i dont need one yet, i dont use this that much since i started my new job so i was thinking what i could do to improve this without buying a new system, its looking like a llyama 19 inch monitor, a new cdrw and a new HD of some kind.

Not entirely sure yet though.

 

[*Kornholio*]

wild stab in the dark - komplett ??

 

[Embattle]

Originally posted by camazotz

What bugs me is that the supplier I bought from could have just sent back the Epox mobo and got a refund, I'd have been quite happy with a credit note.

Most things have to be tested now where as when components were expensive meant that margin was high and it didn't matter so much...it does now.

 

[JohnyWishbone]

I have had the same problem, I went down the "combo" route, and it turned out my ram was duff, luckily my mate didnt mind stripping down his machine so I could swap parts around. I went back to the small supplier and the twats just gave me the run around, until it degenerated over a week or so into shouting matches in the shop.

I even got citizens advice involved it got so out of hand (this was when ram was not cheap btw). And although they wanted to help, they didnt have any specialists on there books to test it themselves which is waht they would have done if it was electrical, plumbing or mechanical problems you wewre having with other household items.

Eventually, I acquired more ram, for nothing. Bunged tha in the machine and sold it, buying a new "combo" system from another supplier.

I have used these ever since, until the last year when I helped my neighbour build his system, I told him what to buy and proceeded to set up his system, a problem arose and he went back to shop to swap a part. he got the same run around, well it could be your moboard, ram or chip, as you bought them in bits we cannot swap them unless you tell us what is faulty." I said its the moboard and went with him to the shop and they had employed the manager from my arch enemy and he had implemented the same policies, we clocked each other straight away and an argument ensued.

My neighbour had to pay them to build his system, we took the serial numbers of the parts and they had swapped his moboard.

I hate them all

 

[inqy]

combo parts usually mean the cheapest make possible don't they? Thats how they've always seemed to me. I avoid them like the plague.

If someone wants me to help them make a system, I only buy tried and tested decent parts (ie expensive branded stuff). May not be cheap on the wallet but *usually* means a trouble free system.

 

[old.Fweddy]

i like ccl computers.

me, my dad and one of my friends bought a load of stuff from them all as one order - 3 cpus, 3 motherboards, 3 cases, 3 graphics cards, the lot.
about a week after we got them my friend burnt out his cpu trying to overclock it and at about the same time my dad put a dodgy fan on his and blew that circuit on his motherboard. we sent them both back at the same time and said the motherboard stopped powering the fans and melted the cpu. ccl replaced them both straight away, no problem.

 

[JohnyWishbone]

Originally posted by jizzy
combo parts usually mean the cheapest make possible don't they? Thats how they've always seemed to me. I avoid them like the plague.

Nah, not at all m8, when building my own i only go for Gigabyte Moboards, i prefer quantum hdds, an branded ram. Chips can only be one of two kinds and they are branded anyway.

Buying them in combos does often mean cheaper, but not poor quality. The problems occur if something goes wrong.

 

[xane]

Originally posted by jizzy
combo parts usually mean the cheapest make possible don't they? Thats how they've always seemed to me. I avoid them like the plague.

This is my own definition of "combo purchase", meaning I buy all the stuff from the same supplier, I specify what I want to buy and they guarentee it all works together, usually they'll recommend a heatsink as that is often a sticking point, but it is anything but a "cheap" option !

I get RAM direct from Crucial, I doubt anyone would be stupid enough to call them "non-standard", that seems to solve the RAM compatibility. I do remember buying RAM from Dabs for my father's machine and it wouldn't work, they admitted that compatibility problems existed and gave me a refund no question.

Dabs have also replaced a dead Athlon for me too, I am seriously thinking of sticking with them next time.

But the PSU is a different matter, I can see how you need to check the PSU is powerful enough for a CPU, but for the motherboard ?!