Why is stuff so expensive?

A

ameoba

Supreme [H]ardness
Joined
Jan 9, 2001
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Why are computers so expensive? It's like $600 for each card in an SLI setup, and then I want a Pentium EE or Athlon XP or Xeon or Opteron and we're looking at hundreds, if not thousands of dollars for a CPU. Then I need to get memory, but I want the utra-low-latency stuff and that costs like 10 times what cheap memory costs. Don't even get me started on the cost of ultra-high-end cases and water cooling. I could easily drop $5000 and not have the fastest computer in the world.

If I can get an 18" pizza with 2 toppings delivered to my house for $10, why should I have to pay THOUSANDS for a computer? It's just not fair that other people can afford nicer things than I have :(
 
Yeah its going to be fairly expensive if you even sound like you want all the high end stuff.
In those cases, your essentially paying off someones very expensive R&D. Its not TECHNICALLY expensive to make a square piece of silicon. It is expensive however if that piece of silicon must be able to perform a few billion floating point operations each second.

I don't consider computers expensive. Thats because I get about everything below the high end line.
 
this is why you don't by the latest and greatest shit when it comes out, atleast that's my plan.
 
ameoba said:
Why are computers so expensive? It's like $600 for each card in an SLI setup, and then I want a Pentium EE or Athlon XP or Xeon or Opteron and we're looking at hundreds, if not thousands of dollars for a CPU. Then I need to get memory, but I want the utra-low-latency stuff and that costs like 10 times what cheap memory costs. Don't even get me started on the cost of ultra-high-end cases and water cooling. I could easily drop $5000 and not have the fastest computer in the world.

If I can get an 18" pizza with 2 toppings delivered to my house for $10, why should I have to pay THOUSANDS for a computer? It's just not fair that other people can afford nicer things than I have :(
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Might wanna double check your AthlonXP prices again, you can get an athlon XP from only 80--150$ and cheaper if you go down to older XP cores.

Also, you can get a damned fast computer for only 1000-1500 dollars, especially if you already have a monitor. Buy the processor that is like 3rd or 4th from the top, and the 2nd or 3rd from the top in the video cards is my general rule if you want a very fast computer, but dont want to spend a bundle.

If you want the fastest, you have to pay for the fastest...same way you can get a nice sports car for maybe 30k, but a McLaren will set you back 1mil, you pay a large premium for the absolute best.
 
ameoba said:
Why are computers so expensive? It's like $600 for each card in an SLI setup, and then I want a Pentium EE or Athlon XP or Xeon or Opteron and we're looking at hundreds, if not thousands of dollars for a CPU. Then I need to get memory, but I want the utra-low-latency stuff and that costs like 10 times what cheap memory costs. Don't even get me started on the cost of ultra-high-end cases and water cooling. I could easily drop $5000 and not have the fastest computer in the world.

If I can get an 18" pizza with 2 toppings delivered to my house for $10, why should I have to pay THOUSANDS for a computer? It's just not fair that other people can afford nicer things than I have :(
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Your perception is your reality. Not all that many years ago I paid $1000.00 (one thousand) for 1 MEG of RAM on an add in card. A 5 MEG Hard drive was a $500.00 investment and you were the envy of your friends who were working with dual floppies.

I even recall paying about $300.00 for the hot chip of the day, a Pentium 233, and that was on sale too.

The performance we get today for the dollars spent is simply amazing. It only continues to get better too. ;)

Oh, back in those days a Pizza like that was about $2.50 so computers are still a better deal :D
 
Yea it's all about the R&D that goes into these uber complex things

Shouldn't this be GenMay? I have a feeling it could get locked, and why AMD section?
 
ameoba said:
Why are computers so expensive? It's like $600 for each card in an SLI setup, and then I want a Pentium EE or Athlon XP or Xeon or Opteron and we're looking at hundreds, if not thousands of dollars for a CPU. Then I need to get memory, but I want the utra-low-latency stuff and that costs like 10 times what cheap memory costs. Don't even get me started on the cost of ultra-high-end cases and water cooling. I could easily drop $5000 and not have the fastest computer in the world.

If I can get an 18" pizza with 2 toppings delivered to my house for $10, why should I have to pay THOUSANDS for a computer? It's just not fair that other people can afford nicer things than I have :(
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Why is PS2 games so expensive? Why is PC games so expensive? Why car is so expensive? When there is high demand, price is always high.

Will people stop buying PSP just because it costs more than 500US ? Will people stop driving sport car to show off just because it cost 35K or more?

No they won't.

Voodoo Computers is selling their notebook at 5000US but the actual cost is only 2000US and they are still on business. Guess what? There are too many dumb ppl keep maintaining this expensive market.
 
ameoba said:
Why are computers so expensive? It's like $600 for each card in an SLI setup, and then I want a Pentium EE or Athlon XP or Xeon or Opteron and we're looking at hundreds, if not thousands of dollars for a CPU. Then I need to get memory, but I want the utra-low-latency stuff and that costs like 10 times what cheap memory costs. Don't even get me started on the cost of ultra-high-end cases and water cooling. I could easily drop $5000 and not have the fastest computer in the world.
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you could drop 5 million dollars and not have the fastest computer in the world.


If I can get an 18" pizza with 2 toppings delivered to my house for $10, why should I have to pay THOUSANDS for a computer? It's just not fair that other people can afford nicer things than I have :(
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I don't know many pizza parlors that need billion dollar ovens and teams of highly skilled engineers to develope a new pizza.
 
holycpu said:
Why is PS2 games so expensive? Why is PC games so expensive? Why car is so expensive? When there is high demand, price is always high.
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Don't forget the other side of the equation--low supply. High-end parts are produced in low quantities because few are willing to pay the premium.

High demand + low supply = high price
 
ameoba said:
If I can get an 18" pizza with 2 toppings delivered to my house for $10, why should I have to pay THOUSANDS for a computer? It's just not fair that other people can afford nicer things than I have :(
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Pizzas and PC's are, err, funamentally different. My standard of a 26$ pizza is not that it can perform billions of operations a second or that it packs 50 billion topping into a few square centimeters. Since pizzas are not required to do these things (their goal is very different), pizza companies do not have to spend billions in R&D, and hence can be delivered MUCH cheaper. Pizza compaines seem to spend most of their overhead in creating the next greatest pizza, rather, they spend it on adverising and ingredients. So if the silicon components we buy were sold at the same cost percentage as pizzas, the increase in technology over time would next to nothing.
 
SilentZED said:
Pizzas and PC's are, err, funamentally different. My standard of a 26$ pizza is not that it can perform billions of operations a second or that it packs 50 billion topping into a few square centimeters. Since pizzas are not required to do these things (their goal is very different), pizza companies do not have to spend billions in R&D, and hence can be delivered MUCH cheaper. Pizza compaines seem to spend most of their overhead in creating the next greatest pizza, rather, they spend it on adverising and ingredients. So if the silicon components we buy were sold at the same cost percentage as pizzas, the increase in technology over time would next to nothing.
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Yes but does ATi gaurantee it to be here in 30 mins or it's free? :D
 
Cmon, Athlon XP dont reach 200$...

Only if you buy two expensives 6800Ultra, a FX-55 (or one of the expensive Intel cpus), a 1000$ flat panel, a 200$ Motherboard, a 300$ Case, an Audigy4 and some other expensive shits, you might reach 5000$.
 
ameoba said:
I could easily drop $5000 and not have the fastest computer in the world.
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/rant

[TARGET LOCKED. RANT ENGAGED!!]

But, why does anyone **need** the fastest computer in teh world??

[In your mind, rather than posting, insert usual cute remarks, such as "folding," "just because," or "'cause your mom said to," and then move on to rest of **this** post.]

I am building a nice setup FOR $1500 BUT a few times while shopping found myself getting all caught up in the fever of trying to find out what was "the best" and contemplated dropping up to $4000!!

Read too many forums and you get that disease. Start thinking that your **really** have to have the 850XT over the 800XL, or that spending if you don't spend the extra $$ for a 4000+ or FX it is going to seriously keep you from knowing happiness.

B.S. capitalistic advertising-driven CRAP!!

I'm all about pushing the limits, it's sweet to see 3Ghz OCs, and if you have the $$ to go to town and have fun in this hobby, do it and don't feel guilty.

For the rest, though - - stick to your budget and needs!!

/endrant

[RANT ENDED. CHANGE SHORTS.]
 
makshim said:
Yes but does ATi gaurantee it to be here in 30 mins or it's free? :D
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I'd be happy if ATI could guarantee 6 months after launch date :p
 
Heck I'd settle for 30 days after pre order.

Really tough things arn't that expensive. There seem to be some price points which are maintained (if not so much in the parts area then in the realm of prebuilt computers).

I built one of my mom's friends a pc for $300 and it does more then most people need it to do.

It seems like performance scales linearly while price scales exponentailly as you move from one product to the next.
 
ameoba said:
It's just not fair that other people can afford nicer things than I have :(
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Yea, I know. We should all be socialists. That way the government will ensure that everyone is equal. Obviously the government is the most effecient organization to manage all R&D for computer research in order to keep teh prices low and fair. Just think, if we all made the same money, we would obiously all work just as hard even if the guy on the next machine was being lazy.

Dude, seriously. I know it sucks, but I have four kids and I have to really scrimp and save for computer stuff too. Of course I was joking, but for people who feel like that quote above (I was once there too). For any young person reading this, just remember, don't get married or have kits too young, stay off drugs and stay in school. Expect and plan for some sort of after highschool training - university or tradeschool. Work hard. Its called capitalism - it works.

I know nothing about you or how old you are, but just my sort of on topic rant.
 
Then I need to get memory, but I want the utra-low-latency stuff and that costs like 10 times what cheap memory costs.
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Since when does low latency RAM cost $800 a gig?

Don't even get me started on the cost of ultra-high-end cases
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Outside the cheapshit $50 steel fugly "gamers" cases, all cases are pretty much the same build quality.

water cooling.
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Who says you need it? If you do, $100 will get you a good cpu only kit, $230 will get you a complete kit.

and then I want a Pentium EE or Athlon XP or Xeon or Opteron and we're looking at hundreds, if not thousands of dollars for a CPU
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If you go Xeon, it's not a gaming rig. It's a server. Not to mention it is a well known fact that the EEs are horrendously overpriced, and get spanked by something cheaper. Also what is with the "thousandS? Even the EEs cost barely over 1k.
 
thank you shadow. i couldn't have put it better myself


moral of the story: if you feel pizza is a better deal than a computer, so be it. don't buy computers and get pizza instead. such is the advantage of living in a capitalistic economy ;)
 
ameoba said:
Why are computers so expensive? It's like $600 for each card in an SLI setup, and then I want a Pentium EE or Athlon XP or Xeon or Opteron and we're looking at hundreds, if not thousands of dollars for a CPU. Then I need to get memory, but I want the utra-low-latency stuff and that costs like 10 times what cheap memory costs. Don't even get me started on the cost of ultra-high-end cases and water cooling. I could easily drop $5000 and not have the fastest computer in the world.

If I can get an 18" pizza with 2 toppings delivered to my house for $10, why should I have to pay THOUSANDS for a computer? It's just not fair that other people can afford nicer things than I have :(
Click to expand...

[joke radar activated]

PS: Get the $239 Dell and Photoshop yourself an uber 3dMark score. It will mean about the same thing as an actual benchmark. ;)
 
I think the main thing is...

You are looking at the expensive parts. You can build a good budget computer. Sure it won't be as good as an FX55, SLI, 2GB setup or anything like that, but it will be a good computer in general.

Get an AMD64 3000, a 6600GT, 1GB or 512MB ram. Your cost just got cut back by 1/4 or more.

If you look at only the high end stuff, the prices are going to be high end.
If you look at the low end stuff, the prices will be low.

I mean what do you expect when you walk around looking at the stickers of a BMW lot instead of a KIA lot?
 
ameoba said:
Why are computers so expensive? It's like $600 for each card in an SLI setup, and then I want a Pentium EE or Athlon XP or Xeon or Opteron and we're looking at hundreds, if not thousands of dollars for a CPU. Then I need to get memory, but I want the utra-low-latency stuff and that costs like 10 times what cheap memory costs. Don't even get me started on the cost of ultra-high-end cases and water cooling. I could easily drop $5000 and not have the fastest computer in the world.

If I can get an 18" pizza with 2 toppings delivered to my house for $10, why should I have to pay THOUSANDS for a computer? It's just not fair that other people can afford nicer things than I have :(
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If you think computers are expensive, try modding your car. You could spend 5000+ on just a turbo setup. You could easily drop 15,000 on some good car mod's to have a fast, hot ride. Or in most peoples case, you could try having an expensive hobby like car modding when you are poor and end up with a shitty primer crx with steelies and some brand new apc clear tailights and a huge new wing for that oh so important down force in the back of your front wheel drive car... Stick to computers, and don't get the bleeding edge of technology because as stated before you are paying for research and development. It's amazing what the newest technology is capable of doing, but there are worthy options that are much less expensive.
 
xonik said:
Don't forget the other side of the equation--low supply. High-end parts are produced in low quantities because few are willing to pay the premium.

High demand + low supply = high price
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It workT for Harley Davison when not really many people care for them ..now they have a "im rich or well off status so people buy them now "
 
eggrock said:
[joke radar activated]

PS: Get the $239 Dell and Photoshop yourself an uber 3dMark score. It will mean about the same thing as an actual benchmark. ;)
Click to expand...

Finally - somebody got it. I thought that "It's just not fair that other people can afford nicer things than I have" would've been a dead giveaway.
 
(cf)Eclipse said:
here's why you spend money on a computer. you go from this to this :D:D
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Now that's funny ;)

For you younger guys, wayyyyyyyyyyyy back in 1995 a Gate Way Pentium 120 with 16 whole megs of ram, a 1.4 gig hard drive and a 17" CRT was "Tits" and cost just under 4 grand. Think what kind of machine you could build today for that same 4 grand.

Better yet, think what kind of machine you can build for 2 grand :eek:
 
i get the cheap stuff and try my best to overclock it.

(cf)Eclipse said:
here's why you spend money on a computer. you go from this to this :D:D
Click to expand...

i go from a duck to nothing? what...

edit: ok works now... guess website was down earlier
 
BillR said:
Now that's funny ;)

For you younger guys, wayyyyyyyyyyyy back in 1995 a Gate Way Pentium 120 with 16 whole megs of ram, a 1.4 gig hard drive and a 17" CRT was "Tits" and cost just under 4 grand. Think what kind of machine you could build today for that same 4 grand.

Better yet, think what kind of machine you can build for 2 grand :eek:
Click to expand...
Summer '96 - Gateway PPro 180, 64MB, 2x 2GB Fast/Wide SCSI came in just under two grand.
 
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