Do you continue to support Mem-Ex or other local computer retailers?

[Xtrema]

Looks like WD class action suit started on both side of the border.

https://www.tomshardware.com/news/wd...rive-us-canada

[The_Rural_Juror]

Like the lawnmower class action? $25 check in 20 years?

[revelations]

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Like the lawnmower class action? $25 check in 20 years?

Maybe 10$ in 10 years per drive.

[Mitsu3000gt]

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Can anyone comment on the IPR for a complete desktop system? Either prebuilt or assembled by memex? I had thought previously that if you had the IPR on the whole thing, and one part failed, that they would get you whatever part was needed to get it back up and running, not just "some equivalently priced part" which someone above suggested. Is that still the case?

I think I made that comment, so I will answer your question.

So how IPR works, is if you have IPR on everything that is related (say, the CPU and mobo) and the CPU fails, and no motherboards are sold with that socket anymore, they will upgrade you to their opinion of an equivalent, which will likely be done solely based on their cost, and give you a new one. If, say, you just had IPR on the CPU but not the mobo, and mobos with that socket weren't sold anymore, they would give you a new CPU but you would be responsible for purchasing a new mobo. Pretty much everything else in the system can be replaced individually, the CPU/Mobo are the only parts you would be likely to run into an issue like that with, so it's still not necessary on the entire system even if you are worried (MemEx would love to sell you IPR on the case as well, lol). I would never buy full system IPR, as it's a total waste to pay for IPR on cables, fans, case, etc. IMO. For 4 years worth of IPR it's a 20% premium which is outrageous given realistic failure rate probabilities (for most computer parts it's around 1-3% or less). Even hard drives, which are probably the most common failure point, have low single digit failure rates when you look at a proper sample size.

Where their IPR policies become a problem is for example my situation. I have a GTX 1080Ti, you can't buy it anymore, and it has a special GPU (different from the 1080 non-Ti and below) that with the right drivers actually behaves more like a Quadro card in creative software. That is the reason I purchased it. If I had IPR on that GPU and it failed tomorrow, they would not give me a newer 2080Ti (the closest equivalent for my usage case), they would look at some basic gaming benchmarks probably, and give me a 2070 Super or something like that, which would not be an equivalent in terms of the sole reason I purchased a 1080Ti nor would it have the same amount of VRAM, which I also need. An argument would surely follow, and I would lose. They don't care why you chose a particular part, and they get to choose your replacement based on any criteria they deem acceptable, which is obviously whatever costs them the least money or whatever product they want to move that they can argue is a "replacement".

Also, as previously mentioned, they reserve the right to keep your stuff for up to a week while they do everything in their power to try and find a reason to deny your IPR, much like an insurance company would with a claim. So it's not really "instant" at all, and sometimes dealing with the manufactures is even quicker than IPR, for example with EVGA product, though talking to their employees they would have you believe dealing with the manufacturers directly is an absolute nightmare to be avoided at all costs. Like most if not all extended warranties, their staff gets bonuses based on how many they sell, so that's why they push them so hard.

[Mitsu3000gt]

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Didn't they just started doing SMR the last few years? That said, I had to replace a Seagate 4TB and bought a Red recently. Never bother to check.

I am not sure when they started to be honest, as it's only come to light recently that they were re-branding garbage drives as premium NAS-specific drives. I don't know how long it's been going on for.

[scboss]

NE location has always been good to me. Other locations I get mixed feedback. They will always try to sell an IPR but you cant blame them.

I always go into the store knowing exactly what i want and with research on prices so they can match. I got warranty on my monitors (one which i used and was super easy to switch) and on my gpu. Although I wouldnt get the same gpu back if it was discontinued its good to know ill get something of similar performance. Worst case I can sell it.

I think if you go into the store being a salesman and trying to get a deal none of the tactics they use work. I personally always warranty monitor and gpu but other then that i find it completely useless

[ZenOps]

I've slowly bought a dozen of the Adata power banks last year. Great stocking stuffers, hope they get more cheapies in this year.

[Maxx Mazda]

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It’s funny that memex is expensive now. Back in the day their low prices decimated the wholesale and mom and pop computer shop market. It was cheaper for me to source parts through memex than my wholesaler. So it’s ironic that they’re the expensive guys now.

Anyways I still use them regularly even if amazon is cheaper. To a degree anyways, 30 bucks or so difference, I’d rather support local. Plus an excuse to drive these days.

I remember when I built this Pentium 3 machine like 100 years ago, I hadn’t heard of MemEx yet, so I bought all the parts at the CompuSmart in Crowfoot. I think they were sorta where the Chapters is now? As soon as I discovered MemEx later on I was blown away by their prices and selection.

[Gman.45]

I always went to the store on MacLeod trail on the East side, next to the Indian Taj Mahal restaurant. Built machines back in the P2 450 and P3 500 days like MaxxMazda back 20 years ago now, right when the @home network was around in Calgary with the first "cable modem" connections.

I still buy stuff there if they price match. I too only buy the IPR on monitors, and only then on ones that a: don't have similar manufacturer warranty, and b: are over 1$k. I bought 2 Asus ROG Swift PG27UQ 4k/144hz/1000nit monitors when they first came out, and the salesperson on the phone told me that Asus had an IPR as good as MemExs for 3 years (and they did/do) when it came to pixel issues, so that's an exception where I didn't buy IPR for LCDs.

Mostly nostalgia now is why I still buy there I think - Not in Calgary very frequently now, no longer have "a guy" there, and their prices as said aren't the lowest very often, and price match can be a pita.