Intel 3.2GHz Proc and MB = $189.99 @ Fry's

[usernamemax20charact]

LA Times ad

This is a bare Proc and MB comob. Proc has 1MB of cache so looks like it's a Prescott.

 

[newbiepcuser]

Most of these are ECS motherboards, how are the P4 ECS motherboard?

 

[JohnAn2112]

Stability wise, they're probably OK. You probably can't OC them that much, if at all and they're usually the 848 chipset instead of 865 or 875 so you'll be missing the dual channel memory support.

 

[jpeyton]

If it's an 848P-A motherboard, it has 800FSB support, an Intel Chipset (pretty stable), HT support, but no dual-channel memory support. Has SATA, Audio, LAN; overall a good value for something that's essentially a freebie.

 

[Tylanner]

Damnit! When is the overflowing metropolis that is WISCONSIN gonna get a Fry's?

 

[Intelman34]

Originally posted by: Tylanner
Damnit! When is the overflowing metropolis that is WISCONSIN gonna get a Fry's?

Heck yea... all we have are the high priced mom and pop stores.

 

[tk149]

This deal is also at the Chicago (Downers Grove) Fry's. I don't know about the CPU or mobo, since both times I called the store I got transferred to a phone that rang for two minutes then just hung up on me. :|

 

[gunblade]

It is 169.99 in Bay area Fry

 

[fleshconsumed]

Damn, all Frys combos now include prescott processors.... I should have jumped on the last deal when they still had northwood, now it seems the only place to buy northwood is retail for an insane price or used from the forums if you get lucky...

 

[epileptic]

Originally posted by: fleshconsumed
Damn, all Frys combos now include prescott processors.... I should have jumped on the last deal when they still had northwood, now it seems the only place to buy northwood is retail for an insane price or used from the forums if you get lucky...

whats wrong with prescotts?

 

[leonc]

The $169.99 BA Fry's was a classic bait and switch. I went in to buy one. After being told I needed to stand in the line (where is the line? Over there 3 feet from where I am? Where no one is standing?)
I was informed that the MB that comes with the $169.99 package only supports up to 2.8GHz processors. They recommended a $65 MSI board instead. The package price for subbing the MSI board? $239.99.
Kind of amazing that the substitution costs $5 more than getting both boards would. What a scam!

 

[jpeyton]

leonc, they have been instituting this policy at all Fry's lately, including the one I go to in Wilsonville, OR.

THEY ARE REQUIRED to at least mention the upgraded motherboard, if not be pushy about getting it. For the last 6 motherboard/CPU combos I've purchased (both AMD and Intel based), whenever I ask for the CPU and ECS motherboard, they always mention the upgraded motherboard to me at a higher price.

Some salesmen are much more pushy. A couple have handed me an ABIT motherboard without me even asking, and I've had to tell them I asked for the ECS. A couple have lied to me outright (with the Sempron/ECS combo, one said that the ECS board would require a BIOS flash to work with the CPU), and 90% of them have mentioned at least once during our conversations that ECS motherboards are unreliable, unstable, and overall POS.

The best way I've found to make them shut up from the get go: once they mention the upgraded motherboard, just tell them that you've already got a motherboard at home and you're buying the combo strictly for the CPU.

 

[compfreak999]

err ecs is cr ap. but to the extent of a bios flash no

 

[hytek369]

good deal

 

[TimothyX]

No more posting about Fry's deals. Until they get to rural Pennsylvania (which I'm sure is next on their list), all you are doing is upsetting me. Come on Fry's, the keystone state wants YOU! The Amish need sweet tech deals too!!!!!!!!!!!!

 

[Marauder-]

Originally posted by: jpeyton
leonc, they have been instituting this policy at all Fry's lately, including the one I go to in Wilsonville, OR.

THEY ARE REQUIRED to at least mention the upgraded motherboard, if not be pushy about getting it. For the last 6 motherboard/CPU combos I've purchased (both AMD and Intel based), whenever I ask for the CPU and ECS motherboard, they always mention the upgraded motherboard to me at a higher price.

Some salesmen are much more pushy. A couple have handed me an ABIT motherboard without me even asking, and I've had to tell them I asked for the ECS. A couple have lied to me outright (with the Sempron/ECS combo, one said that the ECS board would require a BIOS flash to work with the CPU), and 90% of them have mentioned at least once during our conversations that ECS motherboards are unreliable, unstable, and overall POS.

The best way I've found to make them shut up from the get go: once they mention the upgraded motherboard, just tell them that you've already got a motherboard at home and you're buying the combo strictly for the CPU.

Hmm - I dont think I've ever had this kind of pushy problem at Frys - I think that when I go shopping there - they know I just want what I requested and nothing more. I think it's easier for them b/c then they can peddle their garbage onto an easier sell and they've just got a very quick commission off me.

 

[vladik007]

THat's one of the reason why i hate shopping at Fry's. I have couple not more than 20 minutes from my house , but i hardly ever go there. Every single time i get there to buy HDD deal they have they're mysteriously sold out , but very next day right after the promotion they have full pallets of them , but for little more , usually instead of 99 it's 119 and so on.

I was so mad today that i bought myself Apple 23" cinema. Box looked like new , so i was happy. TO my suprise , when i got home , and opened it , it's NOT brand new , it had to be opened by someone before me.

Now i'm usually not very picky but when my girlfriend laid out $2200 for this , i'm NOT going to accept anything less than brand new. I'm keeping this one for 13 1/2 days and then returning. Gonna get me one from Apple store at the mall.

 

[mra]

If a Fry's associate gives you crap, tell him you want to cancel the purchase then if there's another guy right next to him, ask that guy for the combo. Don't let assholes get commission.

 

[Zap]

Hmmm I've encountered the same motherboard upgrade routine at the San Diego Fry's. Never went for one. Just picked up the 3.2E deal today, OEM CPU with ECS 848P-A motherboard. The CPU by itself is $215 at Newegg right now so this is a hot deal. BTW, the "upgrade" they offered me was for a retail box CPU with MSI PT880-LSR board for $240. Ummmmnnnnahhhh. They also had a $169 deal last week, but the newspaper ad clearly stated that it was for an OEM 3.0E, not 3.2E.

 

[Childs]

Out of curiosity, did anyone who bought this combo get it to work? The CPU posts then just reboots constantly on mine. I'll take it back tomorrow but I'm curious if its just this board or what. Switched memory, power supplies, even monitors! I thought it was a short so I booted with the board on a desk and nothing connected but a video card and power supply, and still didnt boot without rebooting. They tried to get me to get the MSI too, and now I know why. I just wanna know if this mobo will work with this processor at all. If not, then this is pretty shady, even for Frys. Since the price was good I'll probably just chuck the board if they won't upgrade it, or exchange it for whatever combo they have tomorrow.

 

[epileptic]

I had no problems with my 848p-a board. I got the 2.4a prescott combo and the board let me OC to 3.2ghz. You probably just got a bad board, but you should double check that your HSF is seated properly as that would cause it to shut off after some seconds. everyone always rips on the ecs boards but they get the job done, and you gota love the price.

 

[Manzelle]

Frys in DC or shut the hell up already with these deals.

 

[Childs]

Originally posted by: epileptic
I had no problems with my 848p-a board. I got the 2.4a prescott combo and the board let me OC to 3.2ghz. You probably just got a bad board, but you should double check that your HSF is seated properly as that would cause it to shut off after some seconds. everyone always rips on the ecs boards but they get the job done, and you gota love the price.

Actually, this board doesn't support any Prescott higher than 2.8Ghz. As soon as I walked up to the guy he said "You got the 3.2 combo right?". FUnny thing was, they didn't want to upgrade the board or credit the board towards the purchase of another, just return the whole combo or keep it and throw away the board. I had to talk to the PIC (person in charge) and get a refund on the board. Anyways, at the return counter there was a like 10 848Ps, apparently from the 3.2 deal. This was at 9:30AM. I would be curious to see how many were returned on Saturday.

What sucks is, I got the refund on just the board (making the CPU only $130), and picked up 865 based board for $20 more, and that fvcker doesn't support Prescott higher than 2.8Ghz either!

 

[epileptic]

Originally posted by: Childs

Originally posted by: epileptic

Actually, this board doesn't support any Prescott higher than 2.8Ghz. As soon as I walked up to the guy he said "You got the 3.2 combo right?". FUnny thing was, they didn't want to upgrade the board or credit the board towards the purchase of another, just return the whole combo or keep it and throw away the board. I had to talk to the PIC (person in charge) and get a refund on the board. Anyways, at the return counter there was a like 10 848Ps, apparently from the 3.2 deal. This was at 9:30AM. I would be curious to see how many were returned on Saturday.

What sucks is, I got the refund on just the board (making the CPU only $130), and picked up 865 based board for $20 more, and that fvcker doesn't support Prescott higher than 2.8Ghz either!

Thats pretty funny they sold a combo that doesnt work together...
the ecs box even says prescott cpu support and the specs show cpu up to 3.2ghz
maybe a bios flash would get it goin, if ecs even has a new bios out.

 

[Childs]

Originally posted by: epileptic

Originally posted by: Childs

Originally posted by: epileptic

Actually, this board doesn't support any Prescott higher than 2.8Ghz. As soon as I walked up to the guy he said "You got the 3.2 combo right?". FUnny thing was, they didn't want to upgrade the board or credit the board towards the purchase of another, just return the whole combo or keep it and throw away the board. I had to talk to the PIC (person in charge) and get a refund on the board. Anyways, at the return counter there was a like 10 848Ps, apparently from the 3.2 deal. This was at 9:30AM. I would be curious to see how many were returned on Saturday.

What sucks is, I got the refund on just the board (making the CPU only $130), and picked up 865 based board for $20 more, and that fvcker doesn't support Prescott higher than 2.8Ghz either!

Thats pretty funny they sold a combo that doesnt work together...
the ecs box even says prescott cpu support and the specs show cpu up to 3.2ghz
maybe a bios flash would get it goin, if ecs even has a new bios out.

Well, it does Norwood P4s up to 3.2, and Prescotts up to 2.8. This whole Prescott thing is fairly disgusting, as it seems the only mobos that support anything greater than 2.8 are either 875 chipsets, or a 865 Pro with a bios update after the fact. Well, if you don't have a frickin 2.8 or lower you are out of luck on the 865s, but they don't mention it. In fact, on the motherboards they just say P4 up to something like 3.6, then Prescott Ready.

So far, I've returned a 848 based board, one 865PE, and soon a 865PE Pro....in a 24 hour period!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! All supposedly Prescott Ready. The bios, according to the sticker on the mobo is from 2003, but the latest one is from 2004, and according to the FIC CPU compatibility chart, Prescotts faster than 2.8 are only validated on the latest one. What kind of sheit is this??? I've never had so many problems with an Intel CPU/chipset ever.

This is for a relative, so I'll keep trying to keep the costs down, but if this was for me, I would have returned this Intel POS.