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We all love upgrading our rigs, from the extra horsepower we can add to our desktops to the additional storage space we so desperately need. Though the one thing I think we can all agree upon is the price tags on various components: they are not so fun. But how do you go about finding the best deals with the best quality? Do you go to an independent site or a trusted site? In stores or online? Brand new or second-hand? Well… let’s talk about that.
There are typically two types of places you can buy from:
Going In-store or shopping Online.
In-Store:
Going in-store allows you to actually look at the hardware you’re buying and easily compare to other products on the shelves, though you do run the risk of inviting those pesky human beings to come and do that talking thing to you. Maybe you like that, maybe you’re a social butterfly and it doesn’t matter…
Online:
Or maybe like me you hate human interaction and instead like to shop online away from those silver tongued flesh-people. Another benefit of going online is the ability to compare prices across different sites, some will have offers/sales on while others won’t, but you can run into the problem of shipping costs (though very rarely I find I need to ship anything from elsewhere).
Then we have another category, the secret one if you so will. This one is reserved for those who have such technical wizardry they can sometimes get unbelievable prices:
The world of Second-Hand.
Second-Hand (Repairs):
If you can bag yourself a cheap, battered graphics card online and fix it up at home you could potentially save a boatload of money, at the risk of wrecking the component completely if you’re not careful…
Second-Hand (General):
But second-hand doesn’t always have to encompass repairing a damaged component. Sometimes someone else has upgraded their PC themselves and has no use for their old graphics card; sometimes in good shape, sometimes in not-so-good shape. Either way there most certainly is a range of second-hand components online that are in perfectly working condition, just waiting for a new home, needing your love.
So which group do you fit into? Let us know! Here at Game-Debate we all have our own preferences, but let’s see which one is the most popular…