Should I cancel Fry's Performance Service Contract?

[jkc054]

First off I was not sure what area to post this question other than computer hardware.

I purchased today a Fry's 2 year Performance Service Contract (PSC) for $49.00. The desktop I purchased today for $400 is a Lenovo H420-77525GU which I just found out is a model specifically built to Fry's specifications which has a standard 1 year limited warranty on parts and labor.

The first year I do not see much value in the PSC as they will ship it to Lenovo for warranty repair which I could do myself at no charge, the only advantage for the first year is that Fry's could give me a loaner computer.

The second year any repairs would be handled by Fry's and not Lenovo and I still could get a loaner computer from Fry's. Also extending my limited warranty with Lenovo for one year would cost $99.00

BLUF is does anyone see any value in keeping my 2 year Fry's PSC as right now since if I cancel it within the next 15 days I can get a full refund. I normally never buy an extended service plan on anything short of a flat screen LCD TV but now I am wondering if I should keep it or cancel it. If I keep it it seems to be a better deal than Lenovo's.

[Nuclear Krusader]

I never saw much value in paying extended warranty, unless the system in question is worth over 1500 dollars.

[SARGE]

A crap shoot. $49 for guaranteed service could pay off. Fry's is good about standing behind their sales. I usually get the extended warranty with mobos I buy from them and if I screw up the build and smoke it, it's covered. And thankfully never needed them. It's a "no questions asked" warranty you bought so even if it fell off the table and broke, it's fixed.

[jdeb]

Lenovo normally uses average to low grade components in their consumer systems. However, I am not familiar what they build for Fry's. I do not see the value in it if the PC only cost you 400.00 but with that being said, with the cost of hard drives these days it may be money well spent (50.00 will not even buy a hard drive) as they are the most prone to failure. Maybe open the side of the case or look in your documentation and give us the specs. I am curious what brand of motherboard and model (stamped on it), hard drive make and model. Power supply make and model. Memory brand should have a sticker on it.

[Nuclear Krusader]

The warranty might replace the hard drive, but not the data, and I doubt the warranty includes data recovery; thus, back up your data religiously.

[jkc054]

I always backup my data.

I just called Frys who called Lenovo who cannot provide information about the hard drive make and model, motherboard make and model, or power supply make and model unless I give them the SN. I have not opened the box and the SN is not on the outside of the box or on my receipt. If I open the box and then return it the restocking fee is $60.00. Frys customer service thought it was odd that Lenovo could not provide more info on the computer without the serial number. Frys said that this model is sold to other resellers not just Frys but Lenovo has discontinued this model so I think I will be returning it unopened for a full refund including a full refund on the extended service plan. Has anyone run into this kind of situation before with Frys or anyone else? This may be a good computer but since I cannot get more info without opening the box to get the serial number, I cannot find the user guide/manual for this model from either Frys website or Lenovos website, and that it is a discontinued model I think I should return it. Funny but when I asked the salesperson at Frys if this was a discontinued model he told me no. I HATE buying computers as I feel it is little better then buying a car at a auto dealership.

[David M]

If Lenovo covers the first year and the contract covers the second year then it is actually a one year performance service contract. You are also paying for what effectively is insurance one year ahead of time. Money has time value. Wouldn't all the insurance companies love to be able to float other peoples money for one year, earning interest on that money?

I don't think it is worth 50 bucks to be covered from the beginning of year two to the end of year two. By then you will have paid $50 one year ahead of time for insurance on a computer that is now worth maybe $200....or the equivalent of 25% of the computers value at the start of the insurance contract. This is a tremendous rip-off. Fry's should be ashamed. It is not even what they call it...a two year contract.

[edfair]

You could use Bellarc advisor or another hardware detection program to get some of the information you want. But that would require opening the box.

Has anyone run into this kind of situation before with Frys or anyone else? Been a while and was with CompUSA. Customer bought 3 identical (supposedly) Samsung machines off the floor. Opened them up to do an upgrade and found 3 different M/Bs.

[glc]

If you need the computer, keep it but get a refund on the extended warranty. For 400 bucks, if it lasts a year, it's paid for itself. It may be cheap, it may be discontinued, but it's a serviceable computer and probably better than most cheap major OEM name brand computers.

[quartet-man]

Would you like some Fry's with that Lenovo?

[jkc054]

I am thinking of returning the Lenovo H420-77525GU and getting an Acer Aspire AX3950-UR30P which has a Intel Core i3-540 3.06 GHz for the same $s.

[rwest]

Q-man that's just bad.

Nothing to special about it, everybody's got it for about the same price:

Lenovo System H420 77525GU PDC G630 4GB 500GB DVDRW Win7HP Retail - LENOVO UNITED STATES 77525GU - Compare Prices and Reviews on Lenovo 77525GU Misc Computers at PriceGrabber

Lenovo H420 7752-5GU Desktop PC - Intel Pentium G630 2.7GHz, 4GB DDR3, 500GB HDD, DVDRW, Windows 7 Home Premium 64-bit at TigerDirect.com

Newegg.com - lenovo IdeaCentre H420 (77525GU) Desktop PC Pentium dual-core G630(2.70GHz) 4GB DDR3 500GB HDD Capacity Intel HD Graphics 2000 Windows 7 Home Premium 64-Bit

Amazon.com: Lenovo H420 77525GU Desktop (Black): Computers & Accessories

Lenovo 77525GU H420 7752

But noone is telling you who actually makes the components inside. Not too bad a system for $400 smackeroos. You couldn't build it for that:

dual core Pentium at 2.7gig / uses Intel's HD2000 graphics
4gig memory / supports 8gig
500gig hdd with Win 7 Home 64bit
180w psu..Geez, that's gotta be cutting close.

It's nothing to write home about, its just a system for $400 bucks. You're not going to do much on it except get on the net, office programs and very light gaming.

Anyway as far as the warranty goes; it's going to depend on your available future funds. If you dont see having the money to replace it in a few years if something goes, then yeh get the warranty. It's probably using the cheapest parts available. It may last longer than the warranty, but $50 for peace of mind is probably worth it when buying a pc built with parts by the lowest bidder.



Just saw your post. Yeh the specs on the Acer are near the same and it's a 3gig processor using newer technology. Bit stronger psu too, but that dont mean a whole lot-they aren't telling us who made the components either.

[jdeb]

I would take a Lenovo over an Acer any day.

[doubledragon5]

Originally Posted by jdeb I would take a Lenovo over an Acer any day.

True that Acer is junk period..

[glc]

Yeh the specs on the Acer are near the same and it's a 3gig processor using newer technology.

Nope - the Pentium G630 is newer technology - it's Sandy Bridge. The i3-540 is an older Clarkdale.

[jkc054]

I decided to go with a local computer store who will build the computer for me that way I know exactly what components I am getting before I buy it and I will also get the benefit of the each component's warranty as well as the store warranty for the computer as a whole for one year. I returned everything to Fry's Electronics for a full refund.

[David M]

You don't want to build it yourself? It's a great learning experience and makes you more comfortable with computer hardware. It is also easier than it seems if you have never done it before. People who don't know any better will think you are a genius.

The people who frequent this forum are more than glad to help if you have any questions or run into any problems. I would not have tried it myself years ago if I had thought I could not get any help.

glc, jdeb and others could put together a parts list that fits your budget of more reliable and cost effective components than the local computer store is going to provide you. Both of them build computers professionally, therefore they know what they are talking about.

[jdeb]

Originally Posted by jkc054 I decided to go with a local computer store who will build the computer for me that way I know exactly what components I am getting before I buy it and I will also get the benefit of the each component's warranty as well as the store warranty for the computer as a whole for one year. I returned everything to Fry's Electronics for a full refund.

That is an excellent decision.

Originally Posted by David M You don't want to build it yourself? It's a great learning experience and makes you more comfortable with computer hardware. It is also easier than it seems if you have ever done it before. People who don't know any better will think you are a genius. The people who frequent this forum are more than glad to help if you have any questions or run into any problems. I would not have tried it myself years ago if I had thought I could not get any help.

That is correct, we would be more than happy to guide you. All we need is a budget, an intended use to get you started.

[jkc054]

My budget is around $400.00 for the computer alone for my wife and myself. I already purchased a new USB keyboard, I am happy with my wired mouse, VGA LED monitor, UPS and my all-in-one injet printer. We use it mainly for word processing, surfing the internet, and I like to stream video (standard definition right now, might at some point want to stream HD video). We have NO plans to do any gaming or video editing.

The computer I used the last six years is an Emachine T6212 with XP SP3, a 160 GB HDD, a CD optical drive reader and a CD/DVD optical drive reader/writer. As you can imagine it is showing its age but still works fine. I have a Comcast Broadband connection.

I assume I want as a minimum a 500 GB HDD at 7200 RPM, a 450 Watt PS, gigabyte (or is is gigabit) ethernet, 4 GB Ram (expandable to ?), not sure what CPU I need, would like at least 6 USB 2.0 ports and 1 USB 3.0 port. I own a 250 GB external USB 2.0 HDD to back up my data.

I want a computer that hopefully will last a long time and can be expanded later on such as adding a GPU card. It is important that when I stream video it is smooth and not glitchy. Right now I occasionaly play DVDs but until I get a HD monitor I won't need a Blue Ray optical drive.

That's it in a nutshell. Since my current computer is still working I am not rushed to getting another one but I still would like to either purchase or build as soon as possible while I have the money.

[SARGE]

Man, for $400 and what you want to do, tough one to build.

[jdeb]

$474.00 including operating system. If no OS is needed, 100.00 less

ASUS P8H61-M LE/CSM
Newegg.com - ASUS P8H61-M LE/CSM (REV 3.0) LGA 1155 Intel H61 Micro ATX Intel Motherboard

Intel Pentium G840 Sandy Bridge 2.8GHz
Newegg.com - Intel Pentium G840 Sandy Bridge 2.8GHz LGA 1155 65W Dual-Core Desktop Processor Intel HD Graphics 2000 BX80623G840

Crucial 4GB (2 x 2GB) 240-Pin DDR3 SDRAM DDR3 1333
Newegg.com - Crucial 4GB (2 x 2GB) 240-Pin DDR3 SDRAM DDR3 1333 (PC3 10600) Dual Channel Kit Desktop Memory Model CT2KIT25664BA1339

HITACHI Deskstar 7K1000.D HDS721050DLE630 (0F13178) 500GB
Newegg.com - HITACHI Deskstar 7K1000.D HDS721050DLE630 (0F13178) 500GB 7200 RPM 32MB Cache SATA 6.0Gb/s 3.5" Internal Hard Drive -Bare Drive

Sony Optiarc 24X DVD Burner
Newegg.com - Sony Optiarc 24X DVD Burner, Bulk Package 24X DVD+R 8X DVD+RW 12X DVD+R DL 24X DVD-R 6X DVD-RW 16X DVD-ROM 48X CD-R 32X CD-RW 48X CD-ROM Black SATA Model AD-7280S-0B - CD / DVD Burners

Antec Basiq BP430 430W
Newegg.com - Antec Basiq BP430 430W Continuous Power ATX12V Version 2.2 80 PLUS Certified Active PFC Power Supply

HEC Blitz Black Steel Edition ATX Mid Tower Computer Chassis
Newegg.com - HEC Blitz Black Steel Edition ATX Mid Tower Computer Chassis Gaming Case w/ Front Blue LED 120mm Fan & Top 120mm Fan

Microsoft Windows 7 Home Premium SP1 64-bit - OEM
Newegg.com - Microsoft Windows 7 Home Premium SP1 64-bit - Operating Systems

[SARGE]

Bravo for scraping the skillet dude. 4gb for streaming video though?

[rwest]

Originally Posted by glc Nope - the Pentium G630 is newer technology - it's Sandy Bridge. The i3-540 is an older Clarkdale.

Wow, I missed that one.

...and jdeb also proved me wrong with the build he provided.

I quit.

[David M]

Dang jdeb. Pretty soon glc will be coming to you with questions.

[Masaki 7-11]

Originally Posted by jdeb $474.00 including operating system. If no OS is needed, 100.00 less ASUS P8H61-M LE/CSM Newegg.com - ASUS P8H61-M LE/CSM (REV 3.0) LGA 1155 Intel H61 Micro ATX Intel Motherboard Intel Pentium G840 Sandy Bridge 2.8GHz Newegg.com - Intel Pentium G840 Sandy Bridge 2.8GHz LGA 1155 65W Dual-Core Desktop Processor Intel HD Graphics 2000 BX80623G840 Crucial 4GB (2 x 2GB) 240-Pin DDR3 SDRAM DDR3 1333 Newegg.com - Crucial 4GB (2 x 2GB) 240-Pin DDR3 SDRAM DDR3 1333 (PC3 10600) Dual Channel Kit Desktop Memory Model CT2KIT25664BA1339 HITACHI Deskstar 7K1000.D HDS721050DLE630 (0F13178) 500GB Newegg.com - HITACHI Deskstar 7K1000.D HDS721050DLE630 (0F13178) 500GB 7200 RPM 32MB Cache SATA 6.0Gb/s 3.5" Internal Hard Drive -Bare Drive Sony Optiarc 24X DVD Burner Newegg.com - Sony Optiarc 24X DVD Burner, Bulk Package 24X DVD+R 8X DVD+RW 12X DVD+R DL 24X DVD-R 6X DVD-RW 16X DVD-ROM 48X CD-R 32X CD-RW 48X CD-ROM Black SATA Model AD-7280S-0B - CD / DVD Burners Antec Basiq BP430 430W Newegg.com - Antec Basiq BP430 430W Continuous Power ATX12V Version 2.2 80 PLUS Certified Active PFC Power Supply HEC Blitz Black Steel Edition ATX Mid Tower Computer Chassis Newegg.com - HEC Blitz Black Steel Edition ATX Mid Tower Computer Chassis Gaming Case w/ Front Blue LED 120mm Fan & Top 120mm Fan Microsoft Windows 7 Home Premium SP1 64-bit - OEM Newegg.com - Microsoft Windows 7 Home Premium SP1 64-bit - Operating Systems

That's a pretty good setup. If you want to cut down price a bit more and bring it closer to $400, you could go for this case/psu combo for about $30 less than the power supply and case separately:
IN WIN BK644.BN300TBL Black 0.6mm SECC Japanese ECO Steel MicroATX Mini Tower Computer Case 300W Power Supply
Newegg.com - IN WIN BK644.BN300TBL Black 0.6mm SECC Japanese ECO Steel MicroATX Mini Tower Computer Case 300W Power Supply

300W is plenty for running a low end computer with integrated graphics, it will even give you enough headroom to put in a graphics card later on (assuming it's a lower end one that's mainly used for hd video and not for gaming) and the power-man psu it comes with is FSP design, so it's pretty reliable.

You can also cut down the price by a little over $30 by going with a dual core sandy bridge celeron:

Intel Celeron G530 Sandy Bridge 2.4GHz LGA 1155 65W Dual-Core Desktop Processor Intel HD Graphics BX80623G530

Newegg.com - Intel Celeron G530 Sandy Bridge 2.4GHz LGA 1155 65W Dual-Core Desktop Processor Intel HD Graphics BX80623G530

Not a noticeable drop in performance from the pentium with websurfing, word processing and streaming; it has the same graphics as the pentium, so it should be able to play blu-rays and hd from what I've read.

[David M]

Originally Posted by Masaki 7-11 That's a pretty good setup. If you want to cut down price a bit more and bring it closer to $400, you could go for this case/psu combo for about $30 less than the power supply and case separately: IN WIN BK644.BN300TBL Black 0.6mm SECC Japanese ECO Steel MicroATX Mini Tower Computer Case 300W Power Supply Newegg.com - IN WIN BK644.BN300TBL Black 0.6mm SECC Japanese ECO Steel MicroATX Mini Tower Computer Case 300W Power Supply 300W is plenty for running a low end computer with integrated graphics, it will even give you enough headroom to put in a graphics card later on (assuming it's a lower end one that's mainly used for hd video and not for gaming) and the power-man psu it comes with is FSP design, so it's pretty reliable. You can also cut down the price by a little over $30 by going with a dual core sandy bridge celeron: Intel Celeron G530 Sandy Bridge 2.4GHz LGA 1155 65W Dual-Core Desktop Processor Intel HD Graphics BX80623G530 Newegg.com - Intel Celeron G530 Sandy Bridge 2.4GHz LGA 1155 65W Dual-Core Desktop Processor Intel HD Graphics BX80623G530 Not a noticeable drop in performance from the pentium with websurfing, word processing and streaming; it has the same graphics as the pentium, so it should be able to play blu-rays and hd from what I've read.

But is that a high quality power supply? You don't want to go low quality on something that is connected to everything else AND can destroy everything else if it goes bad, other than the case and the OS, obviously.

[SARGE]

You guys can squeeze a dime and get a quarter. I always said my brother could do that

[David M]

I have this printing machine that makes me twenties for two cents each.



I'm kidding of course.

[rwest]

Originally Posted by David M But is that a high quality power supply?

I thinK GLC said the Iwin PSU's are made by Enermax. It may have been just the one specific item though. I wouldn't bet on it without verification first though.

Originally Posted by David M I have this printing machine that makes me twenties for two cents each.

I'll be sending you a lot of coins real soon!

[SARGE]

PCM ( the fellers) rules...