Improve your Standards

auna on 29/04/2012 - 21:48
Last edited 30/04/2012 - 01:37

There are a lot of deals that involve really outdated tech or are really questionable for their intended purpose.

For example: USB 2.0 card reader for 69 cents. The performance is very low. It is not USB 3.0. It is fragile. This is definitely not a product you skimp out on. Your precious data and perhaps photos are at risk.

You should have a good USB 3.0 card reader. It's not possible for the meritline reader to be a deal even if free.

Same with monitors and TV's. 1366x768 is garbage. My grandma and EVERYONE upgraded years ago. We have Full HD and higher. My next TV will be 2160p, how long it takes depends on how long my current one lasts.

This grandma I know has a more than adequate laptop she got for $450. Lenovo, Sandy Bridge i5 etc. Seriously some of the laptop deals posted are pathetic. $100 or so cheaper and infinitly worse.

All I ask is that people think a bit more. Stop and think.

It's cheap because it's worthless.

General Discussion

Comments

  • ozhunter on 29/04/2012 - 22:07
    +9

    I agree partially, but not everyone can afford, say the best bargain on a Sony 55in LED 3D tv or maybe they are looking a cheapo tv for outside or the shed. Everyone's here looking to save money, including the lower income earners such as students.

  • retiredfeline on 29/04/2012 - 22:26
    +6

    Yes, I think instead of single standards, everybody should have more standards, maybe double or even triple standards. ;)

    Maybe you mean to write improve your standards. But seriously, the quality vs cost tradeoff is subjective. Sometimes a cheap version is all that's needed. It's up to people to judge for themselves. All you can do is comment.

    • auna on 30/04/2012 - 01:39
      -1

      LOL ;) I ninja fixed it. Thanks.

  • m0nkeycheese on 29/04/2012 - 23:18
    +7

    I get the feeling the reason you wrote all that is that you are not happy with the deals being posted, and they are not up to your standard. If you don't like the deal state your feelings in the comments and move on. No point getting all worked up about it, there are bigger problems in this world :/

    Classic first world problem lol

    • orange123 on 30/04/2012 - 15:51
      +4

      Why hasn't the S3 been released yet???????!!!!

      That's a Classic first world problem.

  • issh on 29/04/2012 - 23:28
    +6

    lol
    to be completely honest
    Our family just recently upgraded to flat screen TV's about 2 months ago
    Before that we had the CRT TV's, infact I still have one in my room

    But yeah, the [Quality and Reliability] to [Cost] ratio is important when buying a product; as well as other factors.

  • SydStrand on 30/04/2012 - 00:53
    +5

    Maybe OP shouldn't make sweeping generalisations about what other people might use. Maybe you need a secondary monitor or a hard drive for contingencies. Maybe they're only being used to store non-essential documents or are considered disposable. Maybe I want to get a cheap and weak machine for a child and performance is negligible.

    I think it's incredibly conceited for you to say what is or isn't up to an appropriate 'standard.' Seeing as this is a community-driven site, people will vote for what they perceive to be good bargains and vote with their wallets.

    • auna on 30/04/2012 - 02:36

      It definitely doesn't apply to everyone.

      The main purpose of the thread is ensuring people notice the difference between the product/service etc. and the alternatives available. The differences aren't small.

      Say for example the Sata II rated SATA cables from Meritline. I was just gasping in horror as people bought the cables. I recently had a HDD problem revolving around loose SATA cables. I replaced the cable once with another cheap SATA II cable and it still had the fault. So I decided to buy another HDD thinking it was the HDD at fault (I ruled out everything else). The problem still occurred with the new HDD, so I went and bought a good SATA III cable that sort of clips into place.

      If I wasn't stingy I wouldn't of somewhat wasted $122. I should of just bought that $11 cable in the first place.

      Then there is this nonsense about not noticing the difference between HD and Full HD in televisions and that it's just fine multiple times in comments.

      Also, your example of buying a secondary monitor is interesting. I argue that you should buy a monitor superior to what you have and use your previous monitor as the secondary.

      • c64 on 30/04/2012 - 06:11
        +6

        Say for example the Sata II rated SATA cables from Meritline. I was just gasping in horror as people bought the cables. I recently had a HDD problem revolving around loose SATA cables.

        if you want to buy expensive stuff then that's fine but, imo, suggesting that everything cheap is rubbish is a fallacy. why waste $$$$ on a monster cable when a cheapo $3 hdmi cable does just as good a job.

        you're harvey norman's dream customer

        • auna on 30/04/2012 - 16:10
          -2

          In this case I am not suggesting. It's not the same cable.

          Even with the tired HDMI cable comparison you fail to mention the awg is lower and that the connector is fat, round and nasty looking. Even the cheap HDMI sellers charge quite a premium to get such mention features.

  • c64 on 30/04/2012 - 05:57
    +2

    You should have a good USB 3.0 card reader. It's not possible for the meritline reader to be a deal even if free.

    nonsense. in many situations usb 3.0 makes no difference over usb 2.0. reading slow memory cards is not going to come anywhere near maxing out the bandwidth of usb 2.0 bus.

    Your precious data and perhaps photos are at risk.

    and the proof to support your claims is … ?

    Same with monitors and TV's. 1366x768 is garbage.

    again, it comes down to what it is used for. not everyone needs full hd or huge tvs. a significant price reduction might be a factor that is taken into consideration when deciding what to buy.

    and given that technology improves so rapidly, what you consider is good might be mediocre in less than a year's time.

  • evol on 30/04/2012 - 05:59
    +2

    IMO the OP makes a valid point with regard to clarity of product differences and alternatives.

    Another example is the recent GTX560SE card from PCCG, which the OP only realised was the SE model (i.e. cut down crap version) when it was pointed out to him by another member in the comments. Unfortunately this info was only added as a small footnote in the description later on by a mod.

    There is a significant difference between a standard GTX560 and the SE model, enough for the drop in performance to neglect the perceived $ "savings". It would be better value from a performance:cost perspective to buy the standard GTX560 rather than the "sale" SE.

    Unfortunately, a lot of people don't bother reading the comments and judging by the comments posted, people still thought it was a normal GTX560, or had no idea about graphics cards and simply saw the (overinflated) "$40 off" and possibly/probably bought one thinking it was a bargain.

    In an ideal world Ozbargain would have highly enforced guidelines and citations/references to claims with detailed explainations or links in all posts, Wikipedia style, but obviously this would never work with Ozbargains current design.

    At the end of the day you have to remember that the Ozbargain community is made up of a wide demographic of people with varying ages, financial situations, lifestyles, literacy, education, intelligence, knowledge etc… and thus all posts will have varying levels of quality both in terms of writing (ranging from well documented and supurbly formatted posts to crappy one liners with bad grammar) and of actual value/bang for your buck.

    Any responsible Ozbargainer should thoroughly do their own research and info checking (Google is the answer to everything) and weigh up the pros/cons to see if the "bargain" meets their requirements before committing to a purchase. Those who don't do so at their own peril and loss.

    • dealman on 30/04/2012 - 16:57
      +3

      Unfortunately, a lot of people don't bother reading the comments and judging by the comments posted, people still thought it was a normal GTX560, or had no idea about graphics cards and simply saw the (overinflated) "$40 off" and possibly/probably bought one thinking it was a bargain.

      That shoudl be criminal, the comments is the first thing I go through on every deal, more than the description.

      • retiredfeline on 30/04/2012 - 17:25
        +1

        Indeed. The value of OzB is not in just the deals posted but also the information shared by the community.

  • [Deactivated] on 30/04/2012 - 10:48
    +1

    I am actually happy with my old style big bulky TV in my room. It uses less electricity (yes, I have measured it!) than the plasma in the living room that my mate bought. And if you do not sit away far enough, then the picture is not even better.
    So, I do not really agree with this post. People can make their own judgments and then live with their decisions. I do not want that freedom taken away from me. Sorry!

    • auna on 30/04/2012 - 16:02
      -6

      Please don't talk nonsense. I ask for people to consider the differences compared to the alternatives and in some cases the risk(s) of buying the item such as data loss.

      Also, obviously some plasma TV's will use a lot of electricity. You need to look for LCD's TV's, LEDs TV's and in the future OLED TV's.

      Without you specifying what TV you currently own it's impossible to comment.

  • samfisher5986 on 30/04/2012 - 11:10

    This place is for bargains, 90% of us would prefer 3x China 69 cent usb 2.0 reader rather then 1x China usb 3.0 reader for the same price, especially as new technology + China = Problems

    I think its obvious that if you rely on a product daily you should get something with local warranty so you can return it same day, not something from China even if it is USB 4.0 with super premium diamond connectors.

    You do have one point, and that is your mention of low resolution TV's.

    However they are often perfect for FTA TV and DVD players, as long as the community understands the problem with big low resolution TV's then they are getting a bargain if its priced correctly.

    This place is for paying as little as possible for something that meets your needs and does not exceed it unless its free.

    Suggesting that we should pay more for features we will not use is simply stupid and against the idea of Ozbargain.

    I would also like to note your bargain posting history. Its mostly nothing anyone is interested in, and especially nothing related to high standards.

    I'm unsure how you can complain about something yet don't post any high standards bargains yourself.

  • AntMan76 on 30/04/2012 - 11:18
    +5

    I guess auna will be buying this then. Seeing as how it's all about standards.

    http://www.ozbargain.com.au/node/68989

  • orange123 on 30/04/2012 - 11:24
    +3

    1366x768 ain't garbage. You have no idea about tvs.

    Contrast ratio and brightness are more important than resolution. I have seen several HD tvs with much better picture quality than Full HD tvs. And for buying a tv that's 2160p there is no point as there are no videos or tv broadcast that match that resolution. The only point of 2160p is for monitors.

  • Macgyver on 30/04/2012 - 11:42

    I still use a large CRT, this guy and his grandma would probably laugh and me and I would laugh at them for wasting so much money on TVs over the years.

    Seriously I will probably continue to use this CRT TV for ever. I seen the big flat TVs at Harvey/Good Guys etc.
    They are not that great.

    • Hahuh on 30/04/2012 - 16:00

      I guess you are so used to the the monitor that you don't get any eye strain.

      Those things make you blind

      • Macgyver on 30/04/2012 - 16:45

        Ah is that why they used them for a good 50 years, because they make you blind right?

        Maybe if you're 1-5 cm from the screen.

        Edit:
        I'm talking about a TV.

        For a monitor god yes CRT computer monitors are terrible.

    • auna on 30/04/2012 - 16:17
      -6

      You can't "waste" money on a television. It gets used so much you would be silly to not spend as much as possible within reason.

      Televisions are just so dahm cheap now.

      • Macgyver on 30/04/2012 - 16:45
        +4

        Lots of other things you can use that 'cheap' amount of money for rather then then the idiot box every 1-3 years.

        Whats the point of buying a new tv if the one you got now works completly fine?

        People are so wasteful these days.

      • voteoften on 03/05/2012 - 11:14
        +3

        "It gets used so much you would be silly not to spend as much as possible……"

        Not in my house, mate. We have REAL standards here not your material ones. Education, learning, reading, conversation, cooking.

        Maybe you watch too much tv and have turned into a brainless materialistic individual who will never be satisfied.

        • ozb-442 on 03/05/2012 - 11:27

          LOL.

  • Ralta123 on 30/04/2012 - 13:06

    Looking at some of your past posts, I wouldn't be complaining…

    • auna on 30/04/2012 - 16:12
      -3

      What is this, Reddit? /facepalm

  • Noblejoker on 30/04/2012 - 13:49
    +7

    One man's trash is another's treasure
    I enjoy OzB because of the variety of deals posted
    Like you I wouldn't buy some of the cheap and inferior products featured here
    But I DO appreciate that someone thought it good enough to post and judging by responses most deals someone buys one
    I would rather see lots of deals posted with some I am not interested in than discourage people from posting and miss out on something I am interested in
    So keep 'em coming people and thanks

  • IsometricBacon on 03/05/2012 - 09:51
    +1

    One of the best parts of this community is that most ozBargainers are generally knowledgeable about the tech, and if not, they put in the research to ensure something is a good deal or not.

    Often when these deals come along, there's enough discourse in the comments that you can get an idea of "No, this isn't a good deal" or "This is ok, but why would you get this as $100 more will get you this!" etc.

    I don't think I've ever been misled by buying into a cheap deal, then realising it was rubbish for this reason.

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