Anyone with experience with Microcenter Open Box products? (Or open box in general?)

[jh4n6]

I'm interested in purchasing a laptop from my local Microcenter. They've got an MSI GT70 0ND-444US for around $750, which seems like quite a deal. The caveat is that it's an open box item. Is this a bad idea? I don't want to end up with an expensive paperweight. The product comes with a 15-day return policy, which allows me to return it for any reason for the full purchase price. It also has a one year manufacturers warranty, which can be extended. Thoughts?

 

[dave_the_nerd]

Open box is usually just a returned item. People return all sorts of things for all sorts of reasons, ranging from "mom said I couldn't" to "wife said I couldn't."

It's probably fine, and it's got a return option and a manufacturer's warranty. If you were in the market for a new gaming... umm... geez, almost nine pounds?...lap... desk... thing... okay, how about "semi-portable all-in-one computer with built in battery backup?"

Well, if you were in the market, and it's a deal, then you might as well. It's a killer deal. (About half off of retail, by the looks of it.)

 

[corkyg]

It can also be an item displayed in the store. I have bought a couple of open box items and never had a problem with them.

 

[code65536]

I've bought three open-box items from Micro Center. A keyboard and two laptops. They were all in pristine condition. Manufacturer warranty still applied. Maybe I've just been lucky, but my experience has been flawless.

* I pulled up the open box ID on my phone and asked a sales floor rep to pull out the item for me to visually inspect. Wanted to make sure there weren't glaring problems like dents or scratches.

* The sales rep told me that they test and re-image the systems that are returned, and put it out as open box only if they pass; they're otherwise returned to the manufacturer.

 

[jh4n6]

Thanks for the comments. Having looked around a bit more, I see that, in addition to the MSI GT70 0ND-444US, there is also an open box Toshiba Qosmio X875-Q7190 for almost an identical price.

They also have near identical specs. I've only found two differences even worth mentioning:

1. The MSI's GPU is a better (GTX 675M instead of Toshiba's GTX 670M; from the benchmark's I've seen the difference is small, but consequential).

2. The MSI is a lb heavier. As you note dave, 8.5 lbs is slightly ridiculous. I plan on taking this around with me a lot of places, so I wouldn't mind it weighing a bit less.

(The MSI has a Blue-Ray player, but I don't own a single disc, so I don't care about that.)


Should I just decide which difference is more important to me and go with it? I've tried searching the internet to get a feel for customer service and reliability with Toshiba vs. MSI, but am still not sure if one is better than the other.

Also, could I install an SSD in either one of these? I would especially like to do so while leaving the HDD in.

 

[dave_the_nerd]

Also, could I install an SSD in either one of these? I would especially like to do so while leaving the HDD in.

Certain configurations of the GT70 shipped with SSDs in RAID in addition to the HDD, so the answer is probably "yes."

The flip side of that is that, at least according to one review, accessing the HD bays requires removing a panel and breaking the warranty seal.

 

[Via]

I no longer buy open box. Too many bad experiences over the years.

The last open box I bought was a coffee maker from BB&B. It was about $15 cheaper ($55 as opposed to about $70) and looked brand new, but the electronics stopped working properly after about 2 months.

 

[piasabird]

Open box use to refer to how OEM's ordered parts that might come like 10 motherboards or 10 video cards at once in a box. This is similar to how processors come in a tray with no packaging. It doesnt exactly mean that anymore. Returns should be called refurb or something different.

 

[Matt1970]

Open box use to refer to how OEM's ordered parts that might come like 10 motherboards or 10 video cards at once in a box. This is similar to how processors come in a tray with no packaging. It doesnt exactly mean that anymore. Returns should be called refurb or something different.

I never heard it called open box. 15 years ago we referred to it as bulk packed.

 

[dave_the_nerd]

I never heard it called open box. 15 years ago we referred to it as bulk packed.

Bulk packed or whitebox.

 

[Matt1970]

Bulk packed or whitebox.

Yep, whitebox as well.

 

[nForce2]

I bought a USB hard drive at Frys a few years back, and while copying my data to it, discovered a problem where it would click and lock up after about 20 minutes of sustained writing. I wiped the drive, re-formatted it with a different file system, and tried again on a different PC with a different OS... Same problem. ~20 mins and it was dead, every time.

I took it back, explained that it had a hardware or firmware problem and gave the specifics, and they gave me a refund. While I was still shopping, I watched a tech plug it in, copy a few files, and then unplug it. 5 minutes later, it was back on the shelf as an Open Box item with a 15% discount. D:

So nope, I do not trust open box items! Some may be fine... MOST may be fine. But that technical judgement call is up to the store employees- and not all of them know what they are doing.

 

[frozentundra123456]

I have only bought one open box item, a tablet. I am not happy with the performance and it has a lot of bugs, but I don't know if there is something wrong wit it or if they are all like that. Personally I would be reluctant to buy an open box item for something as expensive and complex as a gaming laptop, but that is just my personal feeling. I do wonder how extensively they are tested, and how competent the testing person is. If the price is a big enough saving, I suppose it could be worth the risk.

 

[flimsy]

often not everything needed is still in the open box.

 

[thepaleobiker]

Resurrecting an old thread : There's this Open Box RX 480 in the microcenter near me, for $170 after tax. But it says NO WARRANTY ? Other Open Box items seem to have warranty just fine. Is this a bomb waiting to explode on me?

http://www.microcenter.com/product/...aming_X_Overclocked_4GB_GDDR5_Video_Card?ob=1

Should I go for it? I'm using AMEX so I've a 90 day return protection for an extra peace of mind.

Regards,
Vishnu

 

[VirtualLarry]

You can get a brand-new Sapphire Nitro RX 480 4GB card for $189.99 from Newegg.

 

[thepaleobiker]

You can get a brand-new Sapphire Nitro RX 480 4GB card for $189.99 from Newegg.

I'm getting 3 RX 480s from Microcenter today, they add up to about $180/card after tax. Its interesting to note that all RX 480s have the DOOM Game code - I might try share them for a small fee to recoup some cost.

Do you mine altcoins Larry?