cpu retail v cpu oem

  • Thread starter Thread starter Squibbly
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Squibbly

whats the difference between these two types of cpus? ikeep seeing these
type of cpus on sale
 
whats the difference between these two types of cpus? ikeep seeing these
type of cpus on sale
Click to expand...
OEM: Bare CPU, 1 yr warranty.
Retail: CPU, Heatsink and Fan, case sticker, 3yr warranty.

Price difference? Less than the cost of a heatsink and fan.
 
I believe that, for both Intel and AMD CPUs:

OEM ones come without a heatsink/fan. (I'm pretty certain about that.)

OEM CPUs have a one year warranty, rather than 3 years for the boxed ones.
(I'm less certain about this, but I believe it is correct.)

I doubt that the length of warranty is important. I expect that few CPUs
fail in over a year but less than 3. I tend to use aftermarket heatsinks, so
I wouldn't miss the boxed one.

In short, if the OEM version is significantly cheaper, I'd probably go with
it.


Address scrambled. Replace nkbob with bobkn.
 
Retail CPU's come in a box with cables, mounting hardware, and a 3 year
Warranty. OEM harddrives come as a bare unit with a 1 year Warranty.
 
DaveW said:
Retail CPU's come in a box with cables, mounting hardware, and a 3 year
Warranty. OEM harddrives come as a bare unit with a 1 year Warranty.
Click to expand...

ok cheers you lot, just that i know what to look out for in decision making
 
ok cheers you lot, just that i know what to look out for in
decision making
Click to expand...

The only reason I would buy OEM is if there is a lot a difference in
price or if the retail CPU is unavailable. One example not long ago
was the AMD Athlon 3000+, the retail version was either unavailable
or the cost was outrageous. You know the provided retail heatsink is
going to match the CPU and you can expect that it will work well
enough, since it's approved by the CPU manufacturer. Good luck.
 
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