OEM

[Newbie2building]

I know what OEM is.. but lets i buy my dvd drive and hard drive OEM. Do i have to buy a hard drive kit to install it? or does it come wit? and does it come wit cables? or NO? HELP.. IM BOUTS TO MAKE SO PURCHASES.. HEHE :D :D

[hyborn]

Usually OEM hardware comes devoid of cabling and sometimes even without manuals.

You really dont need a kit to install a hard-drive, just some mounting screws and an IDE cable.

If you are installing a secondary hard-drive, just run it as a slave from the first, if you have a spare connector.

IDE cables / screws with set you back no more than a few $$'s

And if you are installing windows, it usually autodetects the new drives anyway.

Make sure your DVD drive comes with software and drivers tho.

The only freeware DVD player I have seen is PC Friendly, and while it comes free on most CD's isnt as good as PowerDVD or Win DVD.

Best buy a retail version if you can, then you get it all supplied.

[araaraara]

OEM=Original Equipment Manufacturer.

It's the same part as Retail/Box(the kind you would by at a normal store), but it usually doesn't come with any extra software(eg. games), cables(unless they are a special part required for use and not easily available), little if any documentation(just a basic install guide), no technical support and has a shorter warranty(eg. 30 days instead of 3 years). Quality wise, there usually isn't a difference. An OEM harddrive and DVD drive will probably be just a bare drive in a plasic bag or basic box. There probably won't be any cables.

If you need to buy some IDE cables(the kind used by harddrives and DVD drives), you should be able to find them at any computer store for not too much cost. Just make sure you get the newer 80 wire kind, not the older 40 wire kind. You will notice that the 40 wire kind has large wires, like that of a floppy cable. The new 80 wire kind has much finer wires.

[Newbie2building]

Cool.. thx guys! :D :D

[araaraara]

Also, OEM is cheaper than Retail, because if's barebones. Sometimes it's a lot cheaper, sometimes just a few dollars.

[namrak]

I think all the bases have been covered here. I just want to chip in that at least one major manufacturer (ATI) makes it known that they release a slightly different variation given a particular product through OEM than retail. For example, an ATI Radeon 7200 purchased OEM will net you a card with 155/155 speeds for core and memory. Retail versions will have faster default speeds, I think 166/166 for the Radeon 7200. Just make sure you do your research before purchasing a product that the product you're getting is in fact, the actual one advertised. G'luck.