So I walked into PC world yesterday, with great hopes of finding a few games I'm after ! Now don't laugh at me, I've always liked PC world because their games selection is usually f*ckin HUGE.

So I walked into the Worcester branch yesterday, and saw the row of PC games. Looked a bit small for a "PC" World ! So there I was looking for DCS: Blackshark (Supposedly released the 15th April ...), Nothing.

Ok, next one. Aurans "Trainz 2009: World Builder Edition" Not there either !

So this side of the aisle doesn't have them, so I look on the other side, only to be greeted with TWO aisles of PS3/Xbox games ! In a "PC" World !

So I thought, maybe they've sold out ! (far fetched, I know, but it was woth a try ! ) So I ask one of the few staff wandering the store if they had any in (or if the release dates have changed, since both were released around this week) and all I got was "Sure you're not after micro$$$oft Train Sim?"

I propmtly left at that. F*ckin useless place. GAME & Gamestation have the crappest selection of PC games ever, and I HATE ordering online.

What should I do ?


P.S Looking on the Auran website, they don't have a date up for the boxed edition, and the many game review sites say Q2/Q3

What's wrong with online shopping? You almost always get better deals than high street shops, you don't need to drive/get a bus to the shopping centre (so you're saving more on fuel/parking/bus fares), you don't need to put up with screaming children, beggars, the great unwashed etc and you have a better choice. The only time I would go to a high street shop is if I needed something today desperately (e.g. if a hard drive went kablamo and needed to be replaced).

DCS: Blackshark: £24.99 on Amazon.co.uk

Quote from Equinox :

So this side of the aisle doesn't have them, so I look on the other side, only to be greeted with TWO aisles of PS3/Xbox games ! In a "PC" World !

PC World sell TV's, games consoles and furniture - because theres profit in it. And because they sell more than they do of PC Games.

Quote from Equinox :

Now don't laugh at me, I've always liked PC world because their games selection is usually f*ckin HUGE.

I always thought it was rubbish tbh

Quote from Equinox :

So there I was looking for DCS: Blackshark (Supposedly released the 15th April ...), Nothing.

Ok, next one. Aurans "Trainz 2009: World Builder Edition" Not there either !

TBH both of those are niche products - I can't think of many places that sell them that aren't interwebs.

Quote from Equinox :

So I thought, maybe they've sold out ! (far fetched, I know, but it was woth a try ! ) So I ask one of the few staff wandering the store if they had any in (or if the release dates have changed, since both were released around this week) and all I got was "Sure you're not after micro$$$oft Train Sim?"

You've now learnt the hard way how useless most PCW staff are

I'll have a look on the stock system on Saturday to see if your local stores got any but I doubt it.



I work there - I think I should be an expert on PC World moan volumes :P

Quote from Jakg :

TBH both of those are niche products - I can't think of many places that sell them that aren't interwebs.
You've now learnt the hard way how useless most PCW staff are
I work there - I think I should be an expert on PC World moan volumes :P

Yeah, the only reason I looked in was because I've had all the other volumes of "Trainz Railway Sim" from there before :')

I've never had to ask PCW staff about anything before ... Hopefully that was the last time

Quote :

I'll have a look on the stock system on Saturday to see if your local stores got any but I doubt it.

Cheers !

Only reason I don't do places like Amazon is having to enter card details, my parents are overly weary about it, and my card doesn't allow online purchases *yet*

Paypal would be much easier

Trainz 2009: World Builder Edition on Steam is £19.99

Theres the other one

Hate steam, installed it twice. Uninstalled about 5 mins after each time. Bloatware, constantly running, silly need for special "Steam" updates rather than those off the official website on many games etc.

Not for me !

DCS: Blackshark is available on game.co.uk for £24.99 as well

Not sure if it's available in stores yet.

Quote from Equinox :

Only reason I don't do places like Amazon is having to enter card details, my parents are overly weary about it, and my card doesn't allow online purchases *yet*

What information do your parents have that the millions of people who use and trust online shopping don't? Or is it just an irrational fear of something new?

I do agree, especially Gamestation, have recently started stocking very low levels of PC games, and nor do they accept trade ins anymore, at least the one here. Game have a simply OK choice and PC World have stupid prices. Buy from Ebay or something.

Adding to the OP.

I went in there earlier (Leeds branch) to ask about adding more RAM to my system, they said, and I quote "You cannot add RAM to a desktop system, it'll invalidate your warranty opening up the case.". The poor guy looked like he was fresh out of school, glasses, freckles. I felt sorry for him to be honest.

So in the end, after ten minutes of arguing that you can, in fact, upgrade desktops, I decided to go to a local specialist store, and wound up paying for a full upgrade.

Quote from DieKolkrabe :

snip

Reminds me of a conversation I had with a staff guy from Mega Company once. I also needed Ram and asked him if they had any. He said that I can't put it in, only "professionals can solder it in"
After saying that I build the entire system in a beer box myself so that changing the RAM won't be such a great task for me he just answered "stop telling shit, it wont run in there" They were selling casemod stuff btw

Go figure ACC.

It's like not being allowed to change the screen resolution in college because it is 'hacking'

Quote from DieKolkrabe :

Adding to the OP.

I went in there earlier (Leeds branch) to ask about adding more RAM to my system, they said, and I quote "You cannot add RAM to a desktop system, it'll invalidate your warranty opening up the case.". The poor guy looked like he was fresh out of school, glasses, freckles. I felt sorry for him to be honest.

So in the end, after ten minutes of arguing that you can, in fact, upgrade desktops, I decided to go to a local specialist store, and wound up paying for a full upgrade.

Thats true with some computers though isnt it? :/
My computer used to have a sticker on the back, which when the computer was opened up the sticker would rip and that would be my warranty gone.
So that guy is sort of right, you can add RAM to a desktop system, but itll invalidate your warranty opening up the case.
Or am i wrong somewhere?


Edit: Although with quite a few computers nowerdays, especially custom built ones, opening the case doesnt invalidate the warranty.

It is possible to open the case without ripping the sticker.

gently peel the sticker off and then change it

Although all my comps are home brew pc's

Thats why I have AMD and Nvidia.

Quote from Migz :

Thats true with some computers though isnt it? :/
My computer used to have a sticker on the back, which when the computer was opened up the sticker would rip and that would be my warranty gone.
So that guy is sort of right, you can add RAM to a desktop system, but itll invalidate your warranty opening up the case.
Or am i wrong somewhere?


Edit: Although with quite a few computers nowerdays, especially custom built ones, opening the case doesnt invalidate the warranty.

AFAIK, store bought computers, yes, you can open up the case and the warranty will be just fine. But I'm not totally sure on it, Jakg, can you clarify PCW's position on it please?

The place I bought my (custom) rig from, They specfically said that the ONLY way I could ruin the warranty was from deliberate misuse (like some people on here :P)

For instance, my custom rig has the sticker on the top of the case, so how would they actually know if I'd opened the case or not?

Also what Luke said.

I bought this PC (although it had a different CPU, Mobo, RAM and GFX Card at the time :razz and that didn't have any sort of sticker. Besides, it's like the bonnet of a car. If you just lift the bonnet, does that invalidate the warranty? No, but if you started faffing about with the cylinder head it would, just as if you thought you'd pour honey all over your motherboard.

Quote from S14 DRIFT :

I bought this PC (although it had a different CPU, Mobo, RAM and GFX Card at the time :razz and that didn't have any sort of sticker. Besides, it's like the bonnet of a car. If you just lift the bonnet, does that invalidate the warranty? No, but if you started faffing about with the cylinder head it would, just as if you thought you'd pour honey all over your motherboard.

You cant say its like the bonnet of a car :/
Because their on all cars your allowed to change the bonnet.
Whereas not all computers your allowed to open it.
My computer is five years old, and the warraty ran out 4 years ago, but IF i had opened it while the warranty was still on, that would be my warranty gone.
It all depends on the computer you have, if its custom built your pretty much allowed to open it and swap parts as much as you like, if its not then it depends on your model, some manufactures may let you open it, some may not, some may let you change parts, some may not.

Quote from Equinox :

"Sure you're not after micro$$$oft Train Sim?"

Is that still being sold? Correct me if I'm wrong, but didn't MSTS come out in 2001?

And MSTS 2 seems somewhat not happening, for now

Quote from DieKolkrabe :

They specfically said that the ONLY way I could ruin the warranty was from deliberate misuse (like some people on here :P)

harjun?

Quote from DieKolkrabe :

AFAIK, store bought computers, yes, you can open up the case and the warranty will be just fine. But I'm not totally sure on it, Jakg, can you clarify PCW's position on it please?

The place I bought my (custom) rig from, They specfically said that the ONLY way I could ruin the warranty was from deliberate misuse (like some people on here :P)

For instance, my custom rig has the sticker on the top of the case, so how would they actually know if I'd opened the case or not?

Also what Luke said.

If the sticker was missing it'd be ignored. If the sticker was missing, and the heatsink was attached badly with some wrong RAM shoe-horned in there then you'd get told to GTFO.

Most companies won't care that you open it - but if you **** around and do something stupid expect it to come back and haunt you.

@ OP - No, PCW do not sell Blackshark or any recent version of Trainz - sorry

Even though I'm on the opposite side of the world.

Only wankers work at PC World.

Two ways to look at it. Firstly, it's established legally that it isn't lawful for companies to void warranties on desktop computers if seals are broken and hardware is upgraded by the consumer.
[edit]Hmm.. that may be US law, not UK. Not sure now.

The other way to look at it is to point out that the seals, being external components and intentionally designed to be easily damaged, are not fit for purpose. The entire desktop could be returned on that basis, and a full refund demanded.

I think we need to stop killing all these seals, and start a campaign prohibiting the capture and poaching of these seals, and save them so their population can rebuild.

anybody who truly knows what they are doing around computers will never use PC world anyway, so they need to cater more for the average joe who doesnt know what ram is. thus, to PC enthusiasts like ourselves, they are shit.

@JO53PHS: Hmm...who else would try to deliberately misuse a desktop?

@Jakg: I got told, and this is verbatim:

"We cannot sell you something if you have opened any part of your PC's case. regardless of warranty. That is the official PC World policy. I'm sorry sir"

Quote from Jakg :

If the sticker was missing it'd be ignored. If the sticker was missing, and the heatsink was attached badly with some wrong RAM shoe-horned in there then you'd get told to GTFO.

Most companies won't care that you open it - but if you **** around and do something stupid expect it to come back and haunt you.

@ OP - No, PCW do not sell Blackshark or any recent version of Trainz - sorry

So, for example if they sell me bad RAM, I put it in, it's faulty, I take my system in, and open it, wth the sticker being on the top and undamaged apart from being in the sun, they would....?

@Sam, the problem is that I highly doubt a refund would be given, you'd have to prove they are unfit for purpose

@DeKo: I bought a 500GB hard drive from them for £85, works flawlessly :P

Quote :

My computer used to have a sticker on the back, which when the computer was opened up the sticker would rip and that would be my warranty gone.
So that guy is sort of right, you can add RAM to a desktop system, but itll invalidate your warranty opening up the case.
Or am i wrong somewhere?

I used to have a roll of those stickers having worked for a few manufacturers, I never bothered to keep them on the grounds that I build my own systems anyway and my personal warranty to myself is invalidated if the case isn't opened for cleaning periodically !

The reasoning is that if the firm that sold the original PC did an even remotely reasonable job of speccing the right computer for a customer then they wont be installing an upgrade until after the warranty is run out anyway...