One important reason for working on your own computer is to reduce costs. You can reduce the cost of your new computer by hundreds of dollars by simply building it yourself. OEM parts saves you money on your PC build or upgrade.

The phrase, OEM (original equipment manufacturer) refers to businesses that manufacture products for other businesses to repackage and sell. Almost all computer components and software manufacturers make two versions of the same product based on a variation in the supply channels.
The first version is the retail boxed version, where products are sold mainly through retailers. Guess who is paying for the pretty packaging, which cost vendors extra material and labor to produce? Retail packages also takes up more spaces and cost more to ship.

The second version is the OEM version, where products are sold mainly to system builders as large as HP or Dell and as small as a regular home grown pc builder. These products are of the same quality and often carry a similar manufacturer warranty as their retail counterparts. They are mass produced, and distributed by bulk without the fancy packaging materials. Eliminating the packaging cuts down on manufacturing, marketing, labor, shipping, and storage cost. It also cuts down on your cost.
These parts can be purchased by the public at a savings of up to 30%. Hard drives are purchased in an anti-static wrapper without a box, cables and often without drivers or a manual. The warranty is generally the same, and you can get technical support and downloads for drivers and user’s manual online, when not provided with the product itself.

Many "original equipment manufacturer" CPUs, however, may have shorter warranties. The retail version may carry a three-year warranty, while the OEM version may be one year or less. Be sure to check for support and warranty details, when considering buying these parts.

So, don’t you agree that this is definitely a great way to save some money? These products offer a great opportunity to save some green when building or upgrading your computer. However, for those who aren’t as comfortable with technology, retail packaging will supply everything you need for the product, often including a toll-free number for support. OEM products might be better suited to those who are at least minimally computer literate.

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