yxz Posted October 5, 2010 Share Posted October 5, 2010 I just got back from Best Buy and bought two video cards from NVIDIA. Yes, from NVIDIA, not an add-in-board partner. http://hardocp.com/news/2010/10/04/nvidia_moves_into_direct_retail_sales_video_cards Link to comment https://www.neowin.net/forum/topic/943142-nvidia-moves-into-direct-retail-sales-of-video-cards/ Share on other sites More sharing options...
homeboyrocketshoulders Posted October 5, 2010 Share Posted October 5, 2010 I always wondered why they never did. Link to comment https://www.neowin.net/forum/topic/943142-nvidia-moves-into-direct-retail-sales-of-video-cards/#findComment-593228912 Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sikh Posted October 5, 2010 Share Posted October 5, 2010 Thank god. Time for some kick ass box designs and some good support. EVGA and BFG did a great job, now its EVGA only leading the nvidia brand with a kick ass warranty, now time for nvidia to show consumers how much trust/faith they have in there cards! Link to comment https://www.neowin.net/forum/topic/943142-nvidia-moves-into-direct-retail-sales-of-video-cards/#findComment-593228916 Share on other sites More sharing options...
Piggy Posted October 5, 2010 Share Posted October 5, 2010 Hehe I've always wanted one, and now I can get it! Link to comment https://www.neowin.net/forum/topic/943142-nvidia-moves-into-direct-retail-sales-of-video-cards/#findComment-593228940 Share on other sites More sharing options...
arrrgh Posted October 5, 2010 Share Posted October 5, 2010 Thank god. Time for some kick ass box designs and some good support. EVGA and BFG did a great job, now its EVGA only leading the nvidia brand with a kick ass warranty, now time for nvidia to show consumers how much trust/faith they have in there cards! Just to make sure, this was sarcasm right? When I called the tech support number listed inside the box, the guy on the phone in India told me that NVIDIA did not sell video cards. Link to comment https://www.neowin.net/forum/topic/943142-nvidia-moves-into-direct-retail-sales-of-video-cards/#findComment-593228954 Share on other sites More sharing options...
Denis W. Veteran Posted October 5, 2010 Veteran Share Posted October 5, 2010 Thank god. Time for some kick ass box designs and some good support. EVGA and BFG did a great job, now its EVGA only leading the nvidia brand with a kick ass warranty, now time for nvidia to show consumers how much trust/faith they have in there cards! You forgot XFX. :s On topic, this sounds interesting. Link to comment https://www.neowin.net/forum/topic/943142-nvidia-moves-into-direct-retail-sales-of-video-cards/#findComment-593228976 Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jiggah Posted October 5, 2010 Share Posted October 5, 2010 Nvidia competing against it's partners? How does that work? I know they set recommended pricing for the partners but now they can directly influence those prices. It seems awkward to me. Link to comment https://www.neowin.net/forum/topic/943142-nvidia-moves-into-direct-retail-sales-of-video-cards/#findComment-593228980 Share on other sites More sharing options...
Yusuf M. Veteran Posted October 5, 2010 Veteran Share Posted October 5, 2010 I always found it odd that NVIDIA didn't sell video cards directly to consumers. ATI (now AMD) has been doing it for a long time. I'm sure some of you remember the "Built by ATI" brand. Link to comment https://www.neowin.net/forum/topic/943142-nvidia-moves-into-direct-retail-sales-of-video-cards/#findComment-593229004 Share on other sites More sharing options...
trag3dy Posted October 5, 2010 Share Posted October 5, 2010 This is something I was always wondering why they didn't do as well. Don't get me wrong, I love the evga brand, but still.. if they can offer lower prices? Maybe? Maybe not? Link to comment https://www.neowin.net/forum/topic/943142-nvidia-moves-into-direct-retail-sales-of-video-cards/#findComment-593229012 Share on other sites More sharing options...
McCordRm Posted October 5, 2010 Share Posted October 5, 2010 Yep, and even with their trade-up deals, they still seemed to be a LOT more expensive than what I could purchase for online or in stores. Link to comment https://www.neowin.net/forum/topic/943142-nvidia-moves-into-direct-retail-sales-of-video-cards/#findComment-593229014 Share on other sites More sharing options...
Boxster17 Posted October 5, 2010 Share Posted October 5, 2010 ATI (now AMD) has been doing it for a long time. I'm sure some of you remember the "Built by ATI" brand. I'm pretty sure they were Sapphire cards with ATI branding on them and I don't think they even sell their own anymore (at least I haven't seen them around in a long time). Link to comment https://www.neowin.net/forum/topic/943142-nvidia-moves-into-direct-retail-sales-of-video-cards/#findComment-593229022 Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tech Star Posted October 5, 2010 Share Posted October 5, 2010 I'm pretty sure they were Sapphire cards with ATI branding on them and I don't think they even sell their own anymore (at least I haven't seen them around in a long time). They stoped branding their own cards a few years ago. I believe the reason was they were taking sales from 3rd party vendors and they didn't like that, so they stopped. Correct me if I am wrong, but I remember reading that. Edit: nVidia has an exclusive agreement with Best Buy to sell these cards. Since BFG went under, Best Buy made a contract with nVidia. This is most likely because nVidia has a bunch of excess stock of these cards and get rid of them and this way they can. Link to comment https://www.neowin.net/forum/topic/943142-nvidia-moves-into-direct-retail-sales-of-video-cards/#findComment-593229036 Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bimky Posted October 5, 2010 Share Posted October 5, 2010 I dunno....anyone rember 3Dfx????? I said when they started to sell thier own cards, that they will run themselves out of business, and ...sure enough....so they did, granted they stopped selling chips to any manufacturer as well. I know nVidia is a much more mature and well established company, BUT! all it takes is someone to come up with a more desirable product, not a better product... they are not so strong as to control a market, ...people will flock to any new arrival. So if they are selling thier own cards, competeing with themselves, I can see where this will turn of MANY people who will jump to amd(ati) I was a faithfull nVidia guy, but only because one could get lifetime warrenty, from some manufacturers, where it never used to be the case with ATI (AMD), that has all changed. nVidia best be very very very carefull right now, as all it would take is a minor shift in dynamics for thier retailers (manufacturers) to jump to ATI(AMD), and if nVidia thinks it can sell as many cards by itself as all the manufacturers combined.... they are doomed. Link to comment https://www.neowin.net/forum/topic/943142-nvidia-moves-into-direct-retail-sales-of-video-cards/#findComment-593229132 Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ficman Posted October 5, 2010 Share Posted October 5, 2010 Interesting move Link to comment https://www.neowin.net/forum/topic/943142-nvidia-moves-into-direct-retail-sales-of-video-cards/#findComment-593229532 Share on other sites More sharing options...
treemonster Posted October 5, 2010 Share Posted October 5, 2010 Thank god. Time for some kick ass box designs and some good support. EVGA and BFG did a great job, now its EVGA only leading the nvidia brand with a kick ass warranty, now time for nvidia to show consumers how much trust/faith they have in there cards! having been to the nvidia forums myself... the people that are actually helpful there, end up hating nvidia and saying a lot of newby things about their multiple $5k systems. the forum admin is an idiot and also like to say stupid things. plus the post below. Just to make sure, this was sarcasm right? When I called the tech support number listed inside the box, the guy on the phone in India told me that NVIDIA did not sell video cards. i read that on the evga forums last night. i loled. for those who know these won;t compete with evga at all. I'm pretty sure they were Sapphire cards with ATI branding on them and I don't think they even sell their own anymore (at least I haven't seen them around in a long time). i had a ati branded video card in 07 or so. when it died i had no idea where to get warranty support. bought it from future shop. no idea if they still sell them though either. Link to comment https://www.neowin.net/forum/topic/943142-nvidia-moves-into-direct-retail-sales-of-video-cards/#findComment-593230126 Share on other sites More sharing options...
amon91 Posted October 5, 2010 Share Posted October 5, 2010 I love that packaging. Honestly if I walked into a store, I'd likely get the most standard card I could find, which would either be a standard nVIDIA or a standard ATI. Link to comment https://www.neowin.net/forum/topic/943142-nvidia-moves-into-direct-retail-sales-of-video-cards/#findComment-593231428 Share on other sites More sharing options...
+ir0nw0lf Subscriber² Posted October 5, 2010 Subscriber² Share Posted October 5, 2010 Wow, the domino effect continues, HardOCP is now saying that XFX just got the boot by Nvidia. This gets more interesting by the minute! Link to comment https://www.neowin.net/forum/topic/943142-nvidia-moves-into-direct-retail-sales-of-video-cards/#findComment-593231482 Share on other sites More sharing options...
Inactive Posted October 5, 2010 Share Posted October 5, 2010 Well when 3DFX started making their own cards instead of selling chips to other makers it really turned out great for them, so I have no worries. Link to comment https://www.neowin.net/forum/topic/943142-nvidia-moves-into-direct-retail-sales-of-video-cards/#findComment-593231524 Share on other sites More sharing options...
threetonesun Posted October 5, 2010 Share Posted October 5, 2010 i had a ati branded video card in 07 or so. when it died i had no idea where to get warranty support. bought it from future shop. no idea if they still sell them though either. I had an ATi branded 9700 that had a meltdown on me, I sent it back to ATi and they gave me a new one no questions asked. Had an old 7500 AIW from them too. ATi used to sell the base model of their cards, and the 3rd party manufacturers sold overclocked, or silent, or cards with more memory, etc versions. There's certainly a market for "branded" cards that are different from the base models. Link to comment https://www.neowin.net/forum/topic/943142-nvidia-moves-into-direct-retail-sales-of-video-cards/#findComment-593231658 Share on other sites More sharing options...
Boxster17 Posted October 6, 2010 Share Posted October 6, 2010 i had a ati branded video card in 07 or so. when it died i had no idea where to get warranty support. bought it from future shop. no idea if they still sell them though either. I had an ATI branded card years ago that I picked up from Futureshop as well (9800 Pro). Never had any issues with it though I believe the RMA process was handled directly through the ATI site if I'm not mistaken. Link to comment https://www.neowin.net/forum/topic/943142-nvidia-moves-into-direct-retail-sales-of-video-cards/#findComment-593233038 Share on other sites More sharing options...
treemonster Posted October 6, 2010 Share Posted October 6, 2010 Wow, the domino effect continues, HardOCP is now saying that XFX just got the boot by Nvidia. This gets more interesting by the minute! old news I had an ATi branded 9700 that had a meltdown on me, I sent it back to ATi and they gave me a new one no questions asked. Had an old 7500 AIW from them too. ATi used to sell the base model of their cards, and the 3rd party manufacturers sold overclocked, or silent, or cards with more memory, etc versions. There's certainly a market for "branded" cards that are different from the base models. I had an ATI branded card years ago that I picked up from Futureshop as well (9800 Pro). Never had any issues with it though I believe the RMA process was handled directly through the ATI site if I'm not mistaken. i couldn;t find anything on the packaging or manual when it happened. don;t recall if i checked their website at the time, but if it's as bad as most ati AIB partners it's probbaly ****ing ridiculously terrible(i've researched support pages and RMA process for a few people for ati cards now) my first evga card i bough had a notice and url on the inside of each flap to register the card and so on as soon as you opened the box. just to compare. knowing what i know now, i wouldn't buy and ati or nvidia branded card. i'd do the research into their partners on warranty and support and make my decision after that, depending on what had the best performing card at the time of my purchase. Link to comment https://www.neowin.net/forum/topic/943142-nvidia-moves-into-direct-retail-sales-of-video-cards/#findComment-593233046 Share on other sites More sharing options...
DirtyLarry Veteran Posted October 6, 2010 Veteran Share Posted October 6, 2010 old news Yes and no. It is old news as it was reported back in January that it would happen, and it did to a certain extent as XFX had no access to Fermi, but according to what I just read, it finally officially happened today and they are no longer an "approved Nvidia partner." Link to comment https://www.neowin.net/forum/topic/943142-nvidia-moves-into-direct-retail-sales-of-video-cards/#findComment-593233056 Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sikh Posted October 6, 2010 Share Posted October 6, 2010 Yes and no. It is old news as it was reported back in January that it would happen, and it did to a certain extent as XFX had no access to Fermi, but according to what I just read, it finally officially happened today and they are no longer an "approved Nvidia partner." Which why I left xfx out in my Intial commen because xfx no longer counts. Link to comment https://www.neowin.net/forum/topic/943142-nvidia-moves-into-direct-retail-sales-of-video-cards/#findComment-593233060 Share on other sites More sharing options...
Boxster17 Posted October 6, 2010 Share Posted October 6, 2010 i couldn;t find anything on the packaging or manual when it happened. don;t recall if i checked their website at the time, but if it's as bad as most ati AIB partners it's probbaly ****ing ridiculously terrible(i've researched support pages and RMA process for a few people for ati cards now) my first evga card i bough had a notice and url on the inside of each flap to register the card and so on as soon as you opened the box. just to compare. knowing what i know now, i wouldn't buy and ati or nvidia branded card. i'd do the research into their partners on warranty and support and make my decision after that, depending on what had the best performing card at the time of my purchase. Ah fair enough, I've thankfully never had any issues with computer parts until recently (Gigabyte motherboard died on me, which I already replaced with the ASUS but going to send it back for repair then give it to a friend). I see what you're saying though and I'm surprised more graphics card manufacturers don't make it well known how to RMA a product in case it dies on them at some point. Link to comment https://www.neowin.net/forum/topic/943142-nvidia-moves-into-direct-retail-sales-of-video-cards/#findComment-593233090 Share on other sites More sharing options...
treemonster Posted October 6, 2010 Share Posted October 6, 2010 Ah fair enough, I've thankfully never had any issues with computer parts until recently (Gigabyte motherboard died on me, which I already replaced with the ASUS but going to send it back for repair then give it to a friend). I see what you're saying though and I'm surprised more graphics card manufacturers don't make it well known how to RMA a product in case it dies on them at some point. it really annoys me to no end how hard many make it. Link to comment https://www.neowin.net/forum/topic/943142-nvidia-moves-into-direct-retail-sales-of-video-cards/#findComment-593233092 Share on other sites More sharing options...
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