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OWC versus Newegg
- Thread starter daneoni
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Hard drives are the same between PCs and Macs. But there are variables SATA vs. IDE, 2.5 vs 3.5 which you have to know for your particular machine.
If you know what you are doing and are confident that you can order the correct drive then NewEgg is an option. Cheap prices no customer service or support, possibility of restocking charges if you order the wrong thing and want a refund.
However if you are new to this, and would prefer a company who can recommend and ensure you get the right drive for your Mac then OWC is the better company.
And always, check the warranty of the drive you are receiving. You want the full 3 year (or 5 year from Seagate) factory warranty. You don't want a pull, a reconditioned, a 'retail special' or an OEM drive with zero to one year factory warranty.
If you know what you are doing and are confident that you can order the correct drive then NewEgg is an option. Cheap prices no customer service or support, possibility of restocking charges if you order the wrong thing and want a refund.
However if you are new to this, and would prefer a company who can recommend and ensure you get the right drive for your Mac then OWC is the better company.
And always, check the warranty of the drive you are receiving. You want the full 3 year (or 5 year from Seagate) factory warranty. You don't want a pull, a reconditioned, a 'retail special' or an OEM drive with zero to one year factory warranty.
Ah i see. We know the drive we want 2.5" Ultra ATA-100 100-120GB 5400RPM basically for PowerBooks
Dunno about the restocking fee though....
I cannot comment on Newegg. I bought one thing from them. It was a good experience and I have no complaints. I have made many purchases from OWC. They have always been very good experiences too. I have never received a lil gift from either, but OWC has always shipped 'that' day, if I purchased early enough. Everything has arrived per schedule, and as agreed to.
It looks like there are two very solid sources, which is good for us consumers. It would seem that price comparison is a good strategy.
I have purchased several items from both OWC and Newegg, and my experiences have been fantastic. They both ship very fast, and customer service from both companies has been great as well. I've made at least one return to each company, and each time was a very smooth and easy process.
When deciding between the two companies, I usually let price dictate who I purchase from. I live in Illinois, so OWC charges me sales tax, but I don't get charged sales tax from Newegg.
One other company that I have had very positive experience with is zipzoomfly.com. I have purchased a couple hard drives from them, and I consider this company on par with both OWC and Newegg (their prices are often less expensive than OWC and Newegg).
When deciding between the two companies, I usually let price dictate who I purchase from. I live in Illinois, so OWC charges me sales tax, but I don't get charged sales tax from Newegg.
One other company that I have had very positive experience with is zipzoomfly.com. I have purchased a couple hard drives from them, and I consider this company on par with both OWC and Newegg (their prices are often less expensive than OWC and Newegg).
OWC is great, use them a couple of times with no issue, but if Newegg is cheaper, use them. Never been charged a restocking fee for returning something. Just read the reviews first, and remember to factor in shipping and tax. Sometimes buying a bunch of stuff will be better with Newegg even with shipping, sometimes OWC runs a special with a shipping discount. Also, sign up through http://www.xlr8yourmac.com/ for discounts on OWC and Transitl for their e-mail. I go in through http://eshop.macsales.com/Specials/MailList.cfm and save a couple of bucks sometimes.
Both are great. And the drives are made by whoever, Seagate, Maxtor, Western Digital. Not sure if one place has a better return/exchange policy on DOAs than the other. I got my 500GB Seagate from newegg but my RAM, Ministack and keyboard cover from OWC, but they are the only ones who carried the Ministack. Newegg usually has better prices and selection of drives.
I'd add FRY's to the list of frequent companies I buy from.
However, I refuse to buy from NewEgg anymore. Trivial thing of course -- I ordered a monitor from them on Dec 14th. When it was lost by UPS twice, I ordered from another company and when the NewEgg monitor finally arrived on Jan 7th I refused delivery from UPS. NewEgg hit me for the $21.44 shipping anyway and refused to give in.
All in all, they held my $800 for a total of 7 weeks before i got it credited to my visa.
I don't see how UPS charged them for somehting that took 3 weeks to attempt delivery and they shouldn't charge me for it either.
With FRY's, I once just flat-out changed my mind on something and refused delivery. the full amount was credited to my visa 3 days later without so much as a phone call.
Newegg is my God. Ridiculously fast shipping, unbeatable prices, and customer service that is second to none. I've bought over $5,000 worth of stuff from in the past couple of years and they have never let me down.
I had an issue with an OEM hard drive that I ordered, they exchanged ASAP and even footed the shipping.
I had an issue with an OEM hard drive that I ordered, they exchanged ASAP and even footed the shipping.
Sounds like your issue is with UPS. Had you contacted Newegg before refusing the item, you might have had a case. I had an issue with something, and they refunded my shipping both ways for my trouble (had to send it back because it didn't work). Despite their policy, I've never been charged a restocking fee either. Even if returning something for a refund. Though in that case, I did have to pay a couple of bucks to return it.
I've used both and I tend to buy hard drives for the mac from owc because they're guaranteed to work and fit. For work we bought a hard drive from somewhere once (might have been newegg - might not) that worked but didn't quite fit right (screws misaligned or something) in a G4 powermac and that really annoyed us. Had we bought it from owc, we could have returned it. We ended up having to spend more money to put it on an external case.
I personally bought my last two hard drives (one internal and one external) from OWC and I love them both. And I wouldn't say there is a difference in a shipping, depends on the method.
I personally bought my last two hard drives (one internal and one external) from OWC and I love them both. And I wouldn't say there is a difference in a shipping, depends on the method.
Owc
I gotta say OWC.
I have bought probably $15,000 worth of stuff from them over the years for work and personal, and they always take care of me. I have probably bought 100 memory sticks from them, and in that time two have had to go back, and they always traded them in , even if subsequent testing showed that the RAM was OK, they always let the trade-in stand. Best customer service I have had in just about any company, never a run-around.
I do really like their branded external disk mechanisms too, never had one fail yet, out of 10 or so. [crosses fingers].
FWIW
I gotta say OWC.
I have bought probably $15,000 worth of stuff from them over the years for work and personal, and they always take care of me. I have probably bought 100 memory sticks from them, and in that time two have had to go back, and they always traded them in , even if subsequent testing showed that the RAM was OK, they always let the trade-in stand. Best customer service I have had in just about any company, never a run-around.
I do really like their branded external disk mechanisms too, never had one fail yet, out of 10 or so. [crosses fingers].
FWIW
I cannot recommend Fry's on-line store. I have attempted to make three different purchases from them. Each time I received a confirmation, but no merchandise. They did not charge my card, they just failed to fulfill the order and with no further contact. I attempted to contact them repeatedly. I even went to the regular store. The manager there said the on-line store was its own entity and he could not help me. He admitted they were still 'working things out'.