What is your opinion of "refurbished" PC parts?

[ZeroAce]

http://www.newegg.com/app/viewproduc...on=radeon+9700

I'm was looking at newegg for some OEM components, but I'm not sure what this "refurbished" in front of each one means...

means it was opened and returned

some people love them, but you buy what you get. im not sure if they test the products when they receive them back. they should...

[thePh@r@oh]

most of the time it works out REAL good
Somebody in here told me they have bought many refurb CPUs and NEVER had a problem. I'd say go for it.

[Omardeth]

refurbished can mean anything from repaired to didn't like the color of the pcb so it was returned . they are returned and sent back to the maker . they check it out , make sure they are correct and sold as refurbished . it is hit or miss when you buy refurb from newegg. when i say that i mean you might get all the cables and things that come with it normaly or you might just get a bare card or motherboard , depending on what you are buying . if you know what you are doing then refurb can be a great way to go . for example i ordered a refurb asus a7n8x deluxe motherboard from them . i got a bare motherboard , rev 2.0 i might add also it cost me 69$ . i called asus and they sent me a kit with all the cables , cd and manual for the a7n8x deluxe for 20$ shipped . so i got the whole set up for 89$ ... they sell them new for 129$

[ZeroAce]

What do you think of this card for only $171?

What could possibly make it so much cheaper than the other refurbished parts?

REFURBISHED: FIC A97 RADEON 9700 128MB DDR 8X AGP OEM
Specifications
Slot type: AGP 8X
Chipset: RADEON 9700
Memory: 128MB
Memory type: DDR
Monitor Support: 1 VGA + 1 DVI
Additional Features: TV OUT (OEM, BAREBONE) Model#: A97 -OEM Special Free FedEx Saver Shipping
- Product Link -See It! (image count 3 ) -Price Alert (N82E16814137009R) Return to Service

[thekingofpain]

I think return to service means the customer returned it for a non problem PCB color or some dorky reason as Omar suggests---refurbish is entirely different---I wouldnt buy it from other then the manufacturer under those conditions---
You cant imagine Newegg (or any other retailer) could possibly "refurbish/repair" a broken Radeon 9700...

[Omardeth]

if you read the newegg blurb on refurbs it says the items come from the manufacturer.

that fic zero posted is a good deal also . if you wann spend that much money .

[DanU]

I've gotten a few bad components from Newegg's refurb section. No big deal since you can return them for a refund, unless they're sold as-is.

[thekingofpain]

Seems like it would be cheaper for them to just toss that stuff out---I still dont get it---whats it cost Abit to make a m/b? 10-15$?
Packing/shipping the odd defect back and forth, troubleshooting, the actual repair work, re-advertising it for sale etc---I bet there is a very expensive dumpster of junk at Newegg...

[cyclist110]

I've been seeing a lot of hard drives being refurbished as well. I don't think that these manufacturers or stores would risk their reputations on parts that are going to fail quickly.