Quote - it would IF I had a local store.. closest REAL hardware story would be best buy, 45 minutes away highway. With gas prices now, that's about $8-$10 each trip. And it's not like best buy is well known for it's great selection or parts.

We stopped by for a 450 watt power supply for my wife last year.. closest they had in stock was a 650, for $299!

And we got her a 450 watt supply with a warranty 3 times longer for $40 shipped from newegg.

Had I bought things locally, I peobably would have easily doubled the cost of her system or more.

(Her ati x1950 pro card at best buy was $350... at newegg it was $1405 shipped!)

I remember jokin gwith her when e left best buy, that with thier prices, we could buy her two online, in case she needed a backup.. LOL!

I've known several people personally who dealt with a lot more than $500 worth of frustration in vain attempts to get a unit that they had to ship out for repair back quickly.  Especially when the "repaired" unit came back with its case cracked & other problems.

Repair delays can really be a problem, not to mention a financial burden, if someone depends upon their PC for their livelihood.  Having to wait eight weeks to get a PC back might end up costing a lot more than double the price of the unit.  Particularly if clients are lost, etc. as a result of PC troubles.

So you pays your money and you makes your choice.  I'm not saying that I wouldn't buy something online -- by no means.  But I do say that it should be done with a full understanding of the potential risks involved.

It helps if you have more than one PC, and can afford to have your new one offline for several weeks while its 'in the shop'.

Something To Do At 3:00AM