I hate shopping at Best Buy now; I used to like it better than CompUSA because there's no restocking fee and aren't as condemning if you do ever return something, but they have really let this service plan garbage go to their heads. I understand that in some cases the service plan is helpful and I also understand that a lot of people don't know much about what they're purchasing and are easy prey for the service plan, but spending five minutes trying to convince me that I need a service plan all while I'm saying "No thanks I'm not interested" and variations of that phrase in the most polite ways possible does not make for a very pleasant shopping experience. I dread interacting with sales people at Best Buy for that very reason and now since they've moved to having the cashiers push the service plans on you I dread even paying for my purchases. I know it's not the fault of the sales people, I know that Best Buy puts a decent amount of pressure on them to push these service plans - so maybe it's time for the highers up at BB to recognize the type of environment they're creating at their stores. I used to love BB, but now I hate buying anything from there - it's been getting worse over the past couple of years and I think it's definitely hit new lows.
Anyways, I was down at Best Buy picking up some more copies of Doom 3 as well as a 5.1 setup for Derek's upcoming Doom 3 Sound Guide.
I've managed to actually play some Doom 3 during Doom 3 week, which is harder than you'd think. See after benchmarking for several hours I'd take a break, walk around the house, grab a drink of water and sometimes go upstairs to play a game or two. During that time I'd usually play Doom 3, which seemed to run soooo slow on the 9800 Pro I was playing on (isn't that sad?). The game itself is a lot of fun, but it honestly scares the hell out of me. It doesn't take much to startle me, and Doom 3 is definitely more than enough. I've been playing on a regular monitor with a 2.1 speaker setup ever since I got the game, but I'm contemplating hooking a 6800 Ultra system to my TV and playing using my home theater setup. I'm pretty sure that's the most immersive experience I could get, and I'm also pretty sure that it will result in some form of cardiac arrest. I may give that a try later tonight :)
Despite my fascination with Doom 3 I'm far from a horror-film fan, I can't stand anything that is designed to scare me. Maybe it's the shadowing or the fact that unlike in a horror film I've got a gun in Doom 3 that gives me the ability to deal with scariness factor a bit better :)
I gotta run to a NVIDIA meeting, I'll post more later...
Take care.
Anyways, I was down at Best Buy picking up some more copies of Doom 3 as well as a 5.1 setup for Derek's upcoming Doom 3 Sound Guide.
I've managed to actually play some Doom 3 during Doom 3 week, which is harder than you'd think. See after benchmarking for several hours I'd take a break, walk around the house, grab a drink of water and sometimes go upstairs to play a game or two. During that time I'd usually play Doom 3, which seemed to run soooo slow on the 9800 Pro I was playing on (isn't that sad?). The game itself is a lot of fun, but it honestly scares the hell out of me. It doesn't take much to startle me, and Doom 3 is definitely more than enough. I've been playing on a regular monitor with a 2.1 speaker setup ever since I got the game, but I'm contemplating hooking a 6800 Ultra system to my TV and playing using my home theater setup. I'm pretty sure that's the most immersive experience I could get, and I'm also pretty sure that it will result in some form of cardiac arrest. I may give that a try later tonight :)
Despite my fascination with Doom 3 I'm far from a horror-film fan, I can't stand anything that is designed to scare me. Maybe it's the shadowing or the fact that unlike in a horror film I've got a gun in Doom 3 that gives me the ability to deal with scariness factor a bit better :)
I gotta run to a NVIDIA meeting, I'll post more later...
Take care.
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Dark Ninja - Tuesday, August 17, 2004 - link
9800 pro is not slow... but unfriendly in 3D gaming wise. i installed CounterStrike 1 year ago with it, the GPU was way over the recommended, but for some obnoxious reason it delivered nothing but corrupted interlacing on my non-interlaced LCD monitor. it wasnt the monitor's fault for certain. then i checked, it was the memory on it, wasnt even callibrated for me! i kinda expect all ATI cards are like this, thats why i kinda opt for NVIDIA more cos their cards are much more reliable and qualityDark Ninja - Tuesday, August 17, 2004 - link
well what do u expect? these are stereotypical "fat-deals" american superstores... i wouldn't feel scared or annoyed, but enjoy them expressing some rubbish, wasting their time, vicariously see their shares drop... and laugh confidently to their bankruptcy.. sorry just gettin excited to playing the good'ol Transport Tycoon agen...r35553h - Thursday, August 12, 2004 - link
I used to work for Fry's and CompUSA...pressuring customer for service plans is the last thing I want to do to a customer but then again...I made most of my money there...that's why I don't want to work retail no more...especially for those dumb idiots at retail corporates. Do you know how much profit they make out of those service plans? Do you how how much I make? Next to nothing! And you guys wonder why those sales people on those stores are so stupid? Because those retailers never took care of the good ones!!bbomb - Sunday, August 8, 2004 - link
9800Pro slow? I use that card to play D3 and granted it stutters a bit when you first enter certain areas but once it gets cached it runs just fine for me. Usually in the 40ish range.Phil - Sunday, August 8, 2004 - link
It is a mistake to think BB has no restocking fee. I purchased a laptop there before last XMAS but could not get the wireless to function, which was the only reason I got it so I could be on the internet while taking a dump, (haha). Then found the performance lacking( guess I was too used to desktop systems). So I go to take it back and notice the 15% restocking fee. They never mentioned the restocking fee when I purchased. So it cost me $187 to return the thing. I emailed CS and just got a blow off. So I don't buy anything large there anymore.Anonymous - Friday, August 6, 2004 - link
heh why the heck is anand himself playing on a 9800 pro with a 2.1?Isn't there a few closets full of 6800 ultras and such sitting around?
Anonymous - Thursday, August 5, 2004 - link
I bought a $15.00 headset and the guy told me that if I get a $100.00 service plan, I could get a newer model should the old one breaks down or if the wires cut open.Seriously, do these people really think consumers are that stupid? I guess some people are, but I hate it when they continue to push the service plan when I have already said "No" firmly. I bet BB employees have a hard time understanding English. :)
flexy - Thursday, August 5, 2004 - link
Interesting to know where the founder of AT gets his h/w :) j/k :)flexy - Thursday, August 5, 2004 - link
HAHA..i just read that thread.They wanted me to sell an extended serviceplan for a $29 headset. "In case the leather wears out". :)
I am not kidding :)
Michel Behna - Thursday, August 5, 2004 - link
I love it when they offer me a service plan on a $10-$50 item... :)