Boxed & OEM products

[akif]

The mobo i bought recently (Intel-D865GBF) was not in a separate box.
I was told that it came with about a dozen mobos in a single container (box) containing ONE manual for all of them.
Is this a boxed product?

I was viewing an Intel site that said that 3yr. warranty is only for the boxed products.

Whereas, i was also ensured of a 3yr. guaranty by the vendor from which i bought this mobo.

The one i got is a boxed product or an OEM?

[Budfred]

It sounds like it is OEM to me... Did you get that assurance of a 3 year warranty in writing??? Even if you did, it may not matter unless this is a stable vendor who honors their promises...

[Paleo Pete]

Sounds like OEM to me too. "Boxed" would come in a cardboard box, (Intel anyway, AMD comes in a plastic one), with warranty booklet and heatsink/fan inside along with CPU.

OEM (means Original Equipment Manufacturer) would not be in the box or have a copy of the warranty usually. OEM warranty is one year, the vendor usually will add a year or possibly two of in-house warranty.

OEM is usually less expensive, while boxed carries more full factory warranty. I've never seen a difference in quality, and have used both and sold both, built new machines with both and had no problems offering a 3 year warranty...

it may not matter unless this is a stable vendor who honors their promises...

That's the important part...

[Whyzman]

Also, usually the term "boxed" is accompanied by the word "retail" (i.e., They are purchased by consumers in a retail store).

That being the case, the "presentation" of the product on the shelf is a major concern to the manufacturer. Retail boxed usually have great "eye candy" in the form of eye-catching graphics etc.

OEM are also often refered to as "white boxed" (i.e., They come in a plain white box sans the graphics and "eye candy").

OEM products are usually purchased "wholesale" by companies who assemble computers which are then sold to the general public at retail.

OEM products often are not accompanied by connecting cables, manuals, or driver CDs (you are instructed that you will need to download the drivers or manual from the manufacturer's web site).

OEM seldom, if ever, come bundled with additional software which can be either full version or introductory programs.

The trade off for the white boxed or OEM part is pretty much price. Since the part will come already installed in the computer folks purchase there's no need to attempt to attract someone's attention or vie for space on a shelf in a retail outlet.

The trade off, as mentioned, also then includes a lesser manufactuer's warranty along with the OEM wholesaler picking up the customer service end of things.

You need to pay attention to the product descriptions (some shady folks will attempt to pass offknock-offs or "close but not quite" products to the unwary).

However, reputable dealers will let you know their OEMs are identical to the retail and warrant the product at their expense beyond the standard 1 year or 90 days that accompany most OEM products.

That being the case, a clean customer service record is of tantamount importance! The wholesaler is taking personal responsibility to warrant and make sure you will want to come back to purchase again.

For some it's just a "numbers game" and with the anonymity the Internet can provide, some folks are only interested in the immediate buck and don't care if you come back and visit again...Caveat Emptor!

(EDIT) All that being said, there can be some great values purchasing OEM. I have purchased from reputable folks such as NewEgg (as have many of the folks who regularly visit here) and have nothing but high praise and have had my computer shopping dollar "stretched" allowing me to get additional items...or, to upgrade to a newer version that might have taxed my wallet if purchased retail...;)

[Steve]

Sounds like OEM to me too. "Boxed" would come in a cardboard box, (Intel anyway, AMD comes in a plastic one), with warranty booklet and heatsink/fan inside along with CPU.

Pete, sounds like your saying that Intel retail mobos come with a cpu. :confused:

All the Intel mobos that I have bought have been OEM. If this is true I'm gonna start buying retail! ;)

[akif]

I was given all the cables(SATA, 80pin IDE and 40 pin IDE) with this board.

Besides, 3 year warranty is written on the reciept.

The BIOS string matches to that i found on the Intel site.

Here, some vendors are selling the same board with 1 year warranty and about 8-USD cheaper.

[Paleo Pete]

Sorry, missed this one earlier...

Steve...Good point, my opening comment does look that way...actually I was thinking motherboards and typing CPU...if that makes any sense...All retail motherboards I've seen came in cardboard boxes, don't know of one in plastic, that's CPUs...and the Intel is still in a plastic box, it's just inside the cardboard one... :rolleyes:

akifWhat you describe is a typical OEM, except that you don't always get a full set of cables...the vendor is covering 2 years of the warranty while the manufacturer covers one year. The less expensive vendors can sell it at better prices because they don't have to worry about warranty replacements for the next 2 years.