Coming soon: Pimp my Power Supply contest

[jonnyGURU]

When 2007 comes around, jonnyGURU.com will have it's first annual "Pimp My Power Supply" contest.

Naturally, I have a number of PSU's laying around here. I need to do something with them and it just doesn't seem right to sell them.

So I am having a contest.....

Each month for the first few months of the year (depending on how many PSU's I have to give out), four PSU's will be given away.

The rules?

A thread will be started here in the forums stating what PSU is the "prize" for the month.

People will have to post the specs (and pictures would be nice too!) of the pathetic power supply that came with their case. Even if the PSU isn't currently being used, we could pimp it for you.

The guidelines:

1. The PSU must be in a new or near new condition. No dust bunnies in the fan and if you're a smoker that smokes by the PC and the fan grills have a sticky yellow substance all over them, you're disqualified (yeah.. discrimination against smokers. Tell my lawyers.)

2. The PSU can be from a case (like a Raidmax, Deer, etc.) or bought separately (Master Power, etc.)

3. You must be in the U.S. I'm sorry, but I'm not paying a bunch of duty fees on a $15 power supply.

4. The PSU can have no modifications. No fan mods, volt mods, cable connector mods, sleeving mods... it needs to be in the condition it was in when you purchased it.

At the end of the month, winners will be drawn. They are to ship their PSU to me and in exchange, I will ship out a new, quality (scored at least an 8 on the scale) power supply. I will cross ship, but to do so a TRACKABLE shipping method must be used (UPS, FedEX, DHL... USPS is NOT trackable!)

The "winning" PSU's will be added to a "budget PSU roundup" to be done in the middle of the year.

Thank you every one, merry X-mas, and see you next year!

[SKYMTL]

If us Canadians pay the duty fees on our end, are we able to enter? I've got a great one for you.....

I ship components to the States on a monthly basis and the receiver has never had to pay duties. :)

[MrWicked1968]

great, I have something here that just might win. can't wait for this to start....

[EsaT]

At the end of the month, a winner will be drawn. They are to ship their PSU to me...And then you do "test shooting" to winner and see how beautifully it blows up? :D


I think Q-tecs would fare well in such competition
http://www.tehomylly.net/artikkelit/kuvat/20050113_qtec_650_03.jpg
http://www.tehomylly.net/artikkelit/kuvat/20050113_qtec_650_011.jpg
http://www.hexus.net/content/item.php?item=1359&page=19

[jonnyGURU]

And then you do "test shooting" to winner and see how beautifully it blows up? :D



Actually.. YES!

The reason the PSU being sent to me needs to be in good condition is because it will be included in a "budget PSU" round up.

Sorry I forgot to mention that. :)

[jonnyGURU]

If us Canadians pay the duty fees on our end, are we able to enter? I've got a great one for you.....

I ship components to the States on a monthly basis and the receiver has never had to pay duties. :)

I'm worried about the trip up.

It's expensive shipping, takes forever and there's duties. It'll take a lot to convince me to change my mind.

[Oklahoma Wolf]

Yeah - I'm getting the feeling it's easier to ship from Canada to the US than vice versa. But it's still slow as hell either way ;)

[SKYMTL]

As long as the product is not new and the customs paper states such, neither Canadian nor US customs will levy any duties against the package. I don't need cross-shipping anyways....... :)

[CAD4466HK]

Can I cheat and just tell Corp. I need another 7 barebone rigs? I strip all the
PSU's anyways:p

[jonnyGURU]

Sure. Doesn't matter how you get it. Doesn't matter if you got a Raidmax case for X-mas. ;)

[Methos]

What 'duties' are there shipping to Canada?

Scenario:

Power Supply has a value of $100 CAD.
You ship to Canada via you're preferred method (USPS Ground/Air is best, don't use UPS) Cost? Variable, but not more than 15 bucks I should think, tracked and insured.
Canadian reciever has to pay GST (6%) on received item, plus a $4.95 brokerage fee. (which will total around 11 bucks CAD).

Thats it.

GST is a tax we pay on every good purchased in Canada and is not a duty. Americans recieving goods from Canada pay no extra fees or sales tax that I am aware of.

It's ultimately up to you, I understand. But if costs/duties/back bacon is scaring you off, fear no longer.

[CAD4466HK]

Sure. Doesn't matter how you get it. Doesn't matter if you got a Raidmax case for X-mas. ;)

Oh, the horror:p

[jonnyGURU]

What 'duties' are there shipping to Canada?

Scenario:

Power Supply has a value of $100 CAD.
You ship to Canada via you're preferred method (USPS Ground/Air is best, don't use UPS) Cost? Variable, but not more than 15 bucks I should think, tracked and insured.
Canadian reciever has to pay GST (6%) on received item, plus a $4.95 brokerage fee. (which will total around 11 bucks CAD).

Thats it.

GST is a tax we pay on every good purchased in Canada and is not a duty. Americans recieving goods from Canada pay no extra fees or sales tax that I am aware of.

It's ultimately up to you, I understand. But if costs/duties/back bacon is scaring you off, fear no longer.

I might have mispoke when I used the word "duties," but for the rest, you're mistaken...

I've shipped a lot of stuff to Canada. Every week in fact. THANK GOODNESS someone else pays for it.

I've found that if you don't declare a value or value too high, a customs broker sits on it demanding money. If you put no value or an unrealisticly low value, it raises a red flag and they pull the item and hold it at customs until they can get a realistic value for the product.

And USPS is horrible. I don't use them for anything but paying bills. They're slow, handle packages horribly and can not be tracked. Funny that you say "tracked and insured." If you know of tracking available from USPS, I'd like to know about it because last I checked, they only had delivery and signature confirmation and all that does is tells you it's delivered when it's delivered. And doesn't even tell you if it's delivered to the correct place!

[madmat]

If you put "Used Sex Toys" and a declared value of $10 or "Gift" they won't want anything to do with it ;)

[kwak]

thats a very cool idea. who knows, you might even discover a reasonably good psu. just too bad i cant participate(im from belgium), but then again, i dont think i got a real crappy psu here.

[GalvanizedYankee]

I'm not recommending doing it, but I declared a shipment of Sanyo Denki fans to The Netherlands a gift and he paid NO duty. :p IIRC, he was permitted a duty free $150 "gift." :cool:
At my request, he sent U$Ds wrapped in a single layer of aluminum foil then a sheet of used printer paper. Works in keeping postal employees honest.

On Topic: I have none of what you request jon.

[jonnyGURU]

What?!?! You have no crappy PSU's!??! :p

Lie. Say you have one, and then if you win run right out to CompUSA and buy one! :) That's fair. So literally, the contest IS open to everyone.

I'll try the gift thing. Technically, that's legit. These are "gifts." I'm not selling anything to anyone. ;)

[DvBoard]

How about a PSU that's "like new" but has been used? Some of us are very good at keeping things in good condition (plus i have an air compressor for the dust :P). I try to avoid the crappy PSU segment. Although now that i think of it i know someone who deal with it quite a bit.

[Bbq]

Here's how said customs work here:

Purolater: Actual customs fee (7% GST + 7% PST)
USPS: Actual customs fee + $5 ($5 + 14%)
UPS: Customs fees + rip off fee ($20 flat rate + 14% tax)

I've never had a fedex..

As for the shipping part, it cost merely $10 when I sent my Antec TrueControl 550 from here (Vancouver) down to missouri.

On the form, if you do do canada, just Mark it down at whatever value you want, <$50 ($10-50, to be realistic), check off the gift box, and there's no customs fees to pay.

For a PSU sized box (average size, nothing like a bulk pack of 24 silverstone olympia's), about 7 lbs, that's only maybe 15-20% more in shipping?

Maybe we can have a Canadian pimp my psu, featuring O.W and others? That would be awesome.



Can we see pictures of said stash of psu's? I've always wondered how many PSU's you have in the pile...

Tracking usually doesn't work once it reaches the border. Sad fact, but truth. UPS, USPS, Canada post, Purolator, Express post... Yea.

[SKYMTL]

So I guess Canada is a no go. :(

Good to see KWAK here....I'm assuming its the same one from Guru3D. :)

[JEDIYoda]

WoW--- I was wondering what to do with an old okia 250watt PSU`s I have lying around....

[jonnyGURU]

I'm thinking what someone has already pointed out....

A lot of you guys are coming from the angle that you're shipping from Canada. Not TO Canada. I think TO Canada is apparently a lot more difficult.

UPS does suck because they have their own brokers that seem to pull fees out of thin air. I'll look into FedEx... especially since I have a Kinkos across the street. :)

[Oklahoma Wolf]

I'll look into FedEx... especially since I have a Kinkos across the street. :)

Too bad you don't have Purolator down there... some days they get stuff here from NCIX so fast I swear they have a time machine ;)

[madmat]

We do have Purolator here...they sell filters. "Pure oil now, pure oil later...Purolator"

[kwak]

Good to see KWAK here....I'm assuming its the same one from Guru3D. :)

yep, especially the avatar is a dead givaway, isnt it?

[Oklahoma Wolf]

We do have Purolator here...they sell filters. "Pure oil now, pure oil later...Purolator"

Different Purolator :p

[madmat]

Details, details... ;)

[dqniel]

I like Fedex the most by far. I have a TTGI Plug-N 550w and a Powerman 300w that I could send to you for review/trade :P

[Spectre]

I like Fedex the most by far. I have a TTGI Plug-N 550w and a Powerman 300w that I could send to you for review/trade :P

I think jonny has tested a TTGI (SuperFlower) Plug-N before ;)

[Methos]

Fair enough, I've never shipped to Canada from the States, so I can't speak from experience on that end. USPS must have an option for tracking, since you can track packages from their website, but I havn't a clue what that option that is (you can even track a USPS tracking number at CanadaPost once it crosses the border).

As for Purolator, the name is no coincedence. Purolator the oil filter maker bought a canadian delivery company and renamed it 'Purolator Courier'. Its mostly owned by Canada Post now, I don't know when that happened. So it was the same company, but it isn't anymore.

Regardless, I don't think a bunch of hassle to ship shitty power supplies to and fro is really worth it either. Looking forward to the contest results though!

[jonnyGURU]

USPS must have an option for tracking, since you can track packages from their website

Like I said.... they call it tracking, but it's not tracking. You can only CONFIRM that something has been delivered. You can even get a scan of a signature if you get signature confirmation, but USPS's tracking can not track a package across the country.

In some instances, when they have a large volume of packages to deliver to a particular location, they'll actually sticker the box "scan before delivery" and they'll sit there and scan every package as "delivered" while it's still sitting at the post office servicing the recipient.

I've had people call me yelling and screaming that I had their package because USPS confirmed delivery and that I must be lying.... But when I ask them to look at the "delivery time" it will usually say something like "3:30AM." I don't think a postman is coming to my door at 3:30AM. And if he did, I'm not getting the door. Usually the package shows up the next day with a green "scan before delivery" sticker on it.

[MrWicked1968]

how soon before this starts? I have a great little (ok, not great) PSU to enter.

[jonnyGURU]

I'm either going to kick it off during CES or just after CES.

Right now, CES just has me too busy. I need to get the rest of the Ultra stuff I have built shipped out to Vegas today. I then plan to sleep all Friday. :D

[SKYMTL]

Are you a presenter at the CES Jonny??

[jonnyGURU]

What am I presenting?

I've got a press pass for jonnyguru.com. :D

[SKYMTL]

I need to get the rest of the Ultra stuff I have built shipped out to Vegas today.

This is what confused me. Why ship the Ultra stuff to Vegas for the CES???:confused:

[jonnyGURU]

Because I built the PC's for them for their suite! :D

[SKYMTL]

Ah, hench the FX-72 setup I have been drooling over in your latest pictures. ;)

[Hutch]

Make sure you get all that drool out before you see your electric bill... And then realize that even with all that power it uses, it still can't compete with the core 2! don't wanna choke on your own saliva! ;p

So how is the contest judged? Is it the worst psu or the best one or is it a random drawing? /confused