Walmart Starts Building Gaming PCs

AlphaAtlas

AlphaAtlas

[H]ard|Gawd
Staff member
Joined
Mar 3, 2018
Messages
1,713
Walmart, of all companies, partnered with Esports Arena to start building and selling their own gaming PCs. PCGamer spotted the new "OVERPOWERED" lineup, and as of now, Walmart has 3 laptops and 3 desktops listed on their online storefront. At the low end, Walmart is selling a 15" laptop with a mobile GTX 1050 and 8GB of RAM for $999, while at the high end, the DTW3 desktop sports a GTX 1080 TI, 32GB of RAM, and i7 8700, a 512GB SSD and a 2TB HDD for $2099. As far as I can tell, the prices for Walmart's new systems are comparable to prebuilt PCs from other retailers, but nevertheless its interesting to see the mega retailer enter the gaming PC space.

There are still some unknowns, like what wattage and efficiency PSU is in these desktops, what the speed the RAM is running, and what the cable management looks like. Nevertheless, the core foundation is strong on all three, which is nothing we would necessarily expect from Walmart.
 
I have a feeling the attention to detail on the inside is not there. Just looking at the pictures they have a gray power supply in a black case...Really Wal-Mart?
 
af203dd9-1f32-4504-9631-c045bf854f71_2.2ba0d79d290f956e666b0ba19c2a5b7d.jpg


I've seen worse cable management.
 
Having handbuilt machines since I was in my teens a century ago, I remember feeling snooty when companies like Dell/Etc would release "Gaming Brands". I was thinking meh, they would never be great.

I gotta admit though, PC gaming has become a lot more mainstream, and it might be because of a combination of those brands like Omen, XPS, Alienware, etc...and the fact that hyper affordable video cards that do a decent level of gaming such as the 560 and 1050 are now available. So concerning Walmart selling gaming PCS. More power to them....but if I were to suggest ANY gaming computer sale..I would have someone go to Costco, buy a basic computer there, then go and buy a 1060/580 equivalent and call it a day. Not only do you get roughly the same computer, but you get that bad ass Costco service.
 
A few things: This looks like junk to me. They can't even get the descriptions right.
....NVIDIA GeForce GTX 1080TI GPU with 6GB VRAM.....​

No 1080TIs have 6 GB RAM. 1060's do though. Based on the picture scojer posted (if that's the actual unit), I see one power connector, so I'd guess a 1060?

A 8700 with a 1060 for $2100, yeah not overpriced at all, LOL.
 
If they sell these in store/B&M, then some of them will inevitably end up on clearance. Right now, one of my local WalMarts has a handful of HP Omen desktops that have an i7-7700, 16GB DDR4, 256GB SSD, 2TB HDD, and a GTX 1070 for $650. That seems like a great deal, but not great enough to flip.
 
The build is probably fine.

But, queue sad support trumpets?
 
I agree. The more options and less difficulty it is to get into pc gaming, the better it is for the industry and will hopefully push devs to focus more on pc gaming.

Though I myself wouldn't buy a walmart gaming pc but anyways lol
 
It's not always about price, it's about market presence. Walmart has foot traffic out the ass. Really, what are the uninformed masses other options for B&M electronics? Best Buy, Target? I don't consider Fry's and MicroCenter to be even remotely competitive considering their footprint, combined, in the U.S. is a fraction of a percent of what Walmart has.

These will sell simply because so many people only shop at Walmart. Kids will see them and tell mommy that's what they want for christmas.

And I'm ok with that. The more mainstream gaming PC purchase options the better. It's a win/win for the PC gaming industry as a whole.
 
zamardii12 said:
Yeah... those prices are not competitive at all.
Click to expand...
See.. you would think that, but I bet they have a service plan that folds into some hundred dollar discount when getting a monthly fee taken out of the GreenDot Walmart moneycard.. the one their paycheck is deposited into because regular checking account suck.
 
Walmart has something that other retailers can currently only lust after. A B&M presence in almost every market and a logistics network to go with it. Plus an ownership that is currently in agreement on what they want to do. Despite being a public company, Walmart is still mostly owned by the Walton clan. As long as they agree, it will happen. This looks like an attempt to add a product line in an area that is growing. And if you pick ship to store, no worries about pirates looting your package before you get home. Is the price competitive with what a knowledgeable [H] member can make? Probably not. But there is a growing market for decent gaming rigs so Ma and Pa Kettle can buy Jr one for Xmas. Probably who Walmart is trying to target. Wouldn't be surprised if at some point, Walmart comes out with their version of Geek Squad to provide service to their electronics stuff.
 
I spec'd out the mid-range desktop for building myself, and there seems to be about a $300 premium buying this one outright, which isn't bad for pre-built. Of course, I can't determine the power supply level (wattage or 80+ level) or if it is a nvme or SATA SSD on the Wal-Mart desktop. Being it is a Wal-mart brand, one would think they'd be a little cheaper, but at least it still gives room for local system builders to compete.
 
Dead Parrot said:
Walmart has something that other retailers can currently only lust after. A B&M presence in almost every market and a logistics network to go with it
Click to expand...


yeah, i miss the days one could actually go into a store and LOOK at a computer, though really i miss the old computer swap meets, those were always fun.


but alas, i am part of the issue. I do all my research and order everything online.
 
While I can appreciate them trying out this market. Those prices are astronomical.
 
You'd think with their size they could offer these for much less. For a large portion of the country a Walmart is the only main retailer and I'd rather see these than all the HP boxes.
 
Krenum said:
While I can appreciate them trying out this market. Those prices are astronomical.
Click to expand...

It's WalMart...they'll probably get a handful of buyers at MSRP, but the volume will come in occasional sales/discounts advertised in their weekly circulars and holiday sales, most likely.
 
Last edited:
I will say that they are starting to get more and more of my business for part purchases. PC part picker has them the cheapest pretty often, and they give free 2 day shipping.
 
TordanGow said:
A few things: This looks like junk to me. They can't even get the descriptions right.
....NVIDIA GeForce GTX 1080TI GPU with 6GB VRAM.....​

No 1080TIs have 6 GB RAM. 1060's do though. Based on the picture scojer posted (if that's the actual unit), I see one power connector, so I'd guess a 1060?

A 8700 with a 1060 for $2100, yeah not overpriced at all, LOL.
Click to expand...

How do you know they didn't contract with a manufacturer to build 6GB 1080 Ti's

I've seen ASUS gaming laptops from their G-series that had a wide range of differences in specs from different vendors, custom builds of the same model essentially. For instance,I bought mine from Best Buy specifically because it was the only one offered with a 1080P display, the others were all 2K, and it had RAM in a configuration that allowed me to easily boost it to 10G without needing to get under the keyboard to the oddball slot which the others all left as the empty one.

Sometimes it's the little things.
 
They will be a hit with all the walmart losers especially if they offer employer discounts\make payments. Live with parents, check. Have no car, check. Decent gaming computer and every console because they can't afford to live a real life, check.
 
Johnx64 said:
They will be a hit with all the walmart losers especially if they offer employer discounts\make payments. Live with parents, check. Have no car, check. Decent gaming computer and every console because they can't afford to live a real life, check.
Click to expand...

I'll take the living-at-home working person over the too-lazy-to-get-a-job person any day.
 
lcpiper said:
How do you know they didn't contract with a manufacturer to build 6GB 1080 Ti's

I've seen ASUS gaming laptops from their G-series that had a wide range of differences in specs from different vendors, custom builds of the same model essentially. For instance,I bought mine from Best Buy specifically because it was the only one offered with a 1080P display, the others were all 2K, and it had RAM in a configuration that allowed me to easily boost it to 10G without needing to get under the keyboard to the oddball slot which the others all left as the empty one.

Sometimes it's the little things.
Click to expand...

Sure which is more likely...

A) Someone at Walmart is retarded
B) Wal Mart decided to custom build out 1070, 1080, and 1080Ti GPUs with the wrong specs for an unproven line of new gaming PCs
 
Joust said:
I'll take the living-at-home working person over the too-lazy-to-get-a-job person any day.
Click to expand...

There's not much of a difference in my experience. One just has a reported source of income while the other hustles under the table but both get government assistance like food stamps and rely on others for housing.
 
So, I live close to a Walmart and try to avoid going in whenever I can. The other day, wife asks me to stop by after work and pick up something. Fine. I walk back to get the crap, I hear two people talking about how bad a fart smelled. I didn't hang around to find out if it occurred in the store or what...
We also had a guy drive through on a motor bike wearing a pink tutu in the last year or two. Walmart did not even call the police - the police saw a post on Facebook or YouTube a few days later and responded. I'm shaking my head in confusion over this. Reddit has a subform called hmmmm - this belongs there.
Based on my experiences out the local Walmart, I just don't see them selling a lot of computers. Maybe I'm wrong. You do need a computer or phone to upload the video of you driving through Walmart after all.
 
lcpiper said:
How do you know they didn't contract with a manufacturer to build 6GB 1080 Ti's

I've seen ASUS gaming laptops from their G-series that had a wide range of differences in specs from different vendors, custom builds of the same model essentially. For instance,I bought mine from Best Buy specifically because it was the only one offered with a 1080P display, the others were all 2K, and it had RAM in a configuration that allowed me to easily boost it to 10G without needing to get under the keyboard to the oddball slot which the others all left as the empty one.

Sometimes it's the little things.
Click to expand...

So your proposition is they made a custom cut down 1080TI that has 6 GB of RAM, and one power connector.... just like a 1060... and that Nvidia is OK with them branding it a 1080TI?

I guess I can't prove that there isn't a rogue jar of Cherry & Squash jam in the Alpha Centuri solar system that is secretly sending brain controlling waves to my nephew's cat.... but that isn't likely - it's absurd. Nvidia allowing them to crap all over their definitions of what makes a 1080TI to launch some random Walmart PC is almost as equally absurd. It's much more likely that some person who knows crap all about computers is setting up the listings and the specs are wrong. Given the picture of the unit shows a single power connector and it's listed as 6 GB RAM, it's much more likely that it's really a 1060, not a 1080TI.

If you still think that line of logic passes: I have a Ferrari Enzo to sell you, sure it looks like a 2007 Ford Focus, but it says Ferrari on the back of the car so it is one. I'll sell it at a steal.


Reference - 1080TI specs (power/RAM): https://www.nvidia.com/en-us/geforce/products/10series/geforce-gtx-1080-ti/
 
Ocellaris said:
Sure which is more likely...

A) Someone at Walmart is retarded
B) Wal Mart decided to custom build out 1070, 1080, and 1080Ti GPUs with the wrong specs for an unproven line of new gaming PCs
Click to expand...

TordanGow said:
So your proposition is they made a custom cut down 1080TI that has 6 GB of RAM, and one power connector.... just like a 1060... and that Nvidia is OK with them branding it a 1080TI?

I guess I can't prove that there isn't a rogue jar of Cherry & Squash jam in the Alpha Centuri solar system that is secretly sending brain controlling waves to my nephew's cat.... but that isn't likely - it's absurd. Nvidia allowing them to crap all over their definitions of what makes a 1080TI to launch some random Walmart PC is almost as equally absurd. It's much more likely that some person who knows crap all about computers is setting up the listings and the specs are wrong. Given the picture of the unit shows a single power connector and it's listed as 6 GB RAM, it's much more likely that it's really a 1060, not a 1080TI.

If you still think that line of logic passes: I have a Ferrari Enzo to sell you, sure it looks like a 2007 Ford Focus, but it says Ferrari on the back of the car so it is one. I'll sell it at a steal.


Reference - 1080TI specs (power/RAM): https://www.nvidia.com/en-us/geforce/products/10series/geforce-gtx-1080-ti/
Click to expand...


To both I say;

I answered a specific post that made an absolute statement, and to that absolute statement I said that something else was possible ......

And that is my position
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top