No More 275mhz Units?

[Epicenter]

Read more carefully. Wasn't me, and I don't know why they didn't. As far as I know, there are no US suppliers now.

 

[ruckage]

Read more carefully. Wasn't me, and I don't know why they didn't. As far as I know, there are no US suppliers now.

Sorry thought you were referring to a transaction you made.
I just checked the current exchange rate against the price at gp2x.co.uk and they are actually about $14 cheaper so you get a better deal than the UK (and we have VAT to add on top of that as well). There is a US supplier but they are also more expensive:

www.dynamism.com $199.99 + $11 postage total $210.99
wwww.gptx.co.uk $189.99 + $17postage total $206.00

Not a big difference and I don't know whether you would be liable for extra tax when importing from the UK. Just shows people aren't being ripped off if they live outside the UK. Personally if I have the choice I always buy from my own country as it's easier to sort things out if somthing goes wrong.

 

[Epicenter]

I'm not sure you understand... the exchange rate wasn't the problem. The site was using an INCORRECT exchange rate which charged him MORE money than he should have had to pay-- the rate was not up to date. He got ripped off because of it, and Craig/GBAX refused to refund his money.

 

[ruckage]

I'm not sure you understand... the exchange rate wasn't the problem. The site was using an INCORRECT exchange rate which charged him MORE money than he should have had to pay-- the rate was not up to date. He got ripped off because of it, and Craig/GBAX refused to refund his money.

I do understand but as I said that is not the case now having checked myself. The trouble with this discussion is that it didn't happen to you or I so neither of us really know the full facts. I would assume though that he/she knew what they were paying before they confirmed the order so they didn't need to go ahead with it. Like I said I don't know the full facts but judging from the site now you get a good deal outside of the UK. Exchange rates fluctuate all the time but not enough that the difference in price would be that great anyway.

 

[warzywo]

I'm not sure you understand... the exchange rate wasn't the problem. The site was using an INCORRECT exchange rate which charged him MORE money than he should have had to pay-- the rate was not up to date. He got ripped off because of it, and Craig/GBAX refused to refund his money.

Isn't the exchange handled by the bank when you pay via credit card? What payment method did he use?

 

[krosfyah]

It's very likely that the reason so many people were getting crappy overclocks a little while ago is that this 'cherry-picking' practice had started (but not yet been made available). If this is indeed the case then it is truly horrendous.

I have nothing against giving consumers extra choices. The rotten thing about it all is the deliberately misleading descriptions and the fact that those people that want to pay the real price are guaranteed not to get a decently overclockable unit.

 

[Epicenter]

I'd believe it. Most people seem to buy from GBAX, and there was a very obvious dropoff point this year when everyone was getting 266 MHz overclocks at LEAST and it suddenly turned into 240 or 230, if you're lucky.

 

[fawny]

epicentre, "you're coming across like a real charming character". Take a step back and check your posts - that is some mean, vindictive stuff.

 

[Shikaku]

epicentre, "you're coming across like a real charming character". Take a step back and check your posts - that is some mean, vindictive stuff.

Actually, while it is mean, it is also the sad truth. I agree with him.

 

[Mudi]

Is there anyone here who can't clock to 240? I've yet to hear of a confirmed case of this...

And I don't have any trouble with selling overclockable units at a (small) premium but I do wish the wording was clearer.

As far as the batch where not many were overclocking well, what I heard is that when 200MHz processors aren't available Magiceyes will use 266MHz processors in their SoCs. Granted, this is just hearsay, but that would explain why the overclockable units come in "bursts".

 

[Epicenter]

epicentre, "you're coming across like a real charming character". Take a step back and check your posts - that is some mean, vindictive stuff.

I'm only relating true events. I and many others have been screwed over by Craig numerous times.

As far as the batch where not many were overclocking well, what I heard is that when 200MHz processors aren't available Magiceyes will use 266MHz processors in their SoCs. Granted, this is just hearsay, but that would explain why the overclockable units come in "bursts".

MagicEyes does not buy 200 or 266 Mhz rated ARM9s from ARM, they just use ARM's design in their SoCs to build their MMSP2s that are then installed in the GP2x units. So .. they are all the same chip. What speed they run at is luck.

 

[Hippo]

Why do so many people have a problem with purchasing an item which has been tested to overclock to a certain speed. Graphic card manufacturers have been doing it for years with GPU's, they overclock over the reference speed for the GPU, make sure its stable and then sell it as such.

I will concede that the current marketing ploy is a tad nasty. But if you dont read up on a product before buying it then its your own fault. Every piece of electronic equipment I purchase I make sure I spend a couple of days reading up on it. This way I know exactly what I'm getting. If someone doesnt do that when the information is so freely available on the 'internets' then they deserve to get screwed.

I have no problem with paying someone a little extra to take the thing out of the box and test its performance. If you dont like it buy elsewhere, its as simple as that. There are other places in the world to buy these things so why bitch and moan about a company? Craig has a business plan that seems to be working and Im sure if there were truly any wrong doings on his part Trading Standards would be all over him like a bad rash.

Regarding the exchange rate problem, unless he paid with cold hard cash any other currency exchange is handled by the the credit card provider etc. Why should the shop refund any discrepancy caused by the CC company? (I presume he paid by credit card or similar) The pound/dollar ratio is very high at the moment with nearly 2USD=1GBP. Also market conditions could have changed between the initial payment and the time of query.

On a more personal note, I have only been on these forums a short while but I've read enough to see who looks more professional from these sorts of posts. Epicenter, you obviously have a personal problem with Craig and the GP2X in general. You are the true embodyment of a internet 'Troll'. You only visit this section to cause trouble and berate the GP2X and its following. After reading many of your posts I can say conclusively, Sir you are an ass.

 

[KoH]

cragix in disguise lol

 

[Epicenter]

Why do so many people have a problem with purchasing an item which has been tested to overclock to a certain speed. Graphic card manufacturers have been doing it for years with GPU's, they overclock over the reference speed for the GPU, make sure its stable and then sell it as such.

These cards are clearly labelled as overclocked all over the packaging. They even have names like 'BFG 6600GT OC'. You can't get much more obvious than that. gp2x.co.uk states they are a new version of the GP2X with 275 MHz processors. That is a flat-out lie- this isn't even an arguable point. IT IS A LIE.

I will concede that the current marketing ploy is a tad nasty. But if you dont read up on a product before buying it then its your own fault.

How about for people who aren't such informed buyers? Is it then appropriate for a dealership to sell a car whose rated top speed is 90 MpH as having a max speed of 110, but when you buy it, you learn the engine fails quite often at the speeds you were told when you purchased it? How about if you paid MORE because of the 110 MpH rating? Then you look up the manufacturer's official specs for the car and learn the car is deemed unsafe above 90 MpH-- would you consider yourself to be at blame? It's this mentality that allows con-men to thrive.

Every piece of electronic equipment I purchase I make sure I spend a couple of days reading up on it. This way I know exactly what I'm getting. If someone doesnt do that when the information is so freely available on the 'internets' then they deserve to get screwed.

It would take quite a substantial amount of time to find the information that indicates the product you get won't really have a clock rating of 275 MHz. In fact, most people, myself included, read articles and official reviews, not often-anecdotal (and therefore not trustworthy) posts on internet forums for the majority of their pre-purchase research, because I've seen ridiculous posts like 'The Athlon 64 3700+ makes a loud whining noise, you can hear the transistors crunching the numbers inside. Buy a nice quiet chip like the 3000+.' [This is not an exaggeration, it is actually a post I've read.] And if you take a look at the reviews, they claim there is a '275 Mhz Dual-Core processor'. A fine example is the Register, who stated in no uncertain terms that the CPU was upgraded to a 275 MHz unit, because they too were deceived.

I have no problem with paying someone a little extra to take the thing out of the box and test its performance.

That's fine and dandy, I'm OK with that too, except:
#1, This isn't what people are being told happens. They are told they get a faster processor. They don't.
#2, The way gp2x.co.uk tests their units, they don't just see if it overclocks to X speed, mark it up and sell it-- they put them in piles of Fast and Slow units, so only the users paying the extra mark-up fee get an acceptable overclock, because all the rest come from the 'Slow' pile. This wouldn't be such a big deal if the vast majority of users got a 266 Mhz stable overclock until right when Craig stated he was making preparations to sell overclock-tested units, at which point average GP2X overclockability on units sold by Craig/GBAX dropped to ~240 MHz with the exception of units for which the extra fee was paid. This practice is fucking over the consumer, no doubt about it.

Craig has a business plan that seems to be working and Im sure if there were truly any wrong doings on his part Trading Standards would be all over him like a bad rash.

Just like Nintendo and Sega and Sony are beating down GPH/GBAX's door for actively promoting the emulation of illegally obtained games they own the rights to, on the GP2X? Other game systems sell millions of units. The GP2X has sold around 30,000 worldwide in over a YEAR. No one gives two shits about a system like that as far as a nationwide or global market is concerned, so they give even LESS notice to one company selling them, even if they are the most popular distributor.

Regarding the exchange rate problem, unless he paid with cold hard cash any other currency exchange is handled by the the credit card provider etc. Why should the shop refund any discrepancy caused by the CC company?

Wrong; it is not at all uncommon for online shopping systems to perform money conversion beforehand and then charge the relevant amount to the chosen payment method. Paypal works this way, for example. If the item is 25gbp and you order it from a US-based Paypal account the 25gbp will be converted to USD and then that value will be deducted from your account. If the software doing the conversion has out-of-date exchange rates you may be screwed over and lose a substantial amount of money on the transaction, especially if it is an expensive item like a GP2X.

The pound/dollar ratio is very high at the moment with nearly 2USD=1GBP. Also market conditions could have changed between the initial payment and the time of query.

This was many months ago. At any rate I severely doubt the conversion ratio between GBP and USD changed so dramatically in the space of five minutes.

On a more personal note, I have only been on these forums a short while but I've read enough to see who looks more professional from these sorts of posts. Epicenter, you obviously have a personal problem with Craig and the GP2X in general.

I have a problem with people being screwed. I don't post in this forum about the GP2X or my views of its faults, because it caused problems, a lot of people didn't want to hear it and there was no point getting myself worked up about it because this forum is more of a GP2X circlejerk than a frank exchange of ideas most of the time. I posted here because this thread is about fraud, not the GP2X.

You are the true embodyment of a internet 'Troll'. You only visit this section to cause trouble and berate the GP2X and its following.

Tell that to some professional 'trolls' I know, who actually have an IRC channel for trolling-- they use bots so that a group of 5-20 trolls at a time can send commands to this bot and their messages will be sent to persons on AIM to harass them more efficiently. People who actually make a sport of trolling, go to forums just to piss people off. You'll notice I have quite a history here, I used to speak quite highly of the GP2X before my patience drew to an end. A lot of that had to do with Craig, a lot with the GP2X itself. While my views were viewed as unfavorable by many, no one should frown on a person who sympathizes with keeping ignorant consumers from being conned out of their hard earned money.

After reading many of your posts I can say conclusively, Sir you are an ass.

I'm very glad to see we're trying to keep a civil tone. This note and the use of 'internets' in your post for no discernable reason whatsoever is already enough for me to dismiss your entire argument as the rantings of your typical forum stooge. However, I have taken the time to rebut your entire post. You owe me some more artful wordplay than 'ass', 'Sir'.

 

[ruckage]

Anyone remember what this topic was actually about?
?
?
?

Thought not

 

[andyB911]

Why do so many people have a problem with purchasing an item which has been tested to overclock to a certain speed. Graphic card manufacturers have been doing it for years with GPU's, they overclock over the reference speed for the GPU, make sure its stable and then sell it as such.

I will concede that the current marketing ploy is a tad nasty. But if you dont read up on a product before buying it then its your own fault. Every piece of electronic equipment I purchase I make sure I spend a couple of days reading up on it. This way I know exactly what I'm getting. If someone doesnt do that when the information is so freely available on the 'internets' then they deserve to get screwed.

I have no problem with paying someone a little extra to take the thing out of the box and test its performance. If you dont like it buy elsewhere, its as simple as that. There are other places in the world to buy these things so why bitch and moan about a company? Craig has a business plan that seems to be working and Im sure if there were truly any wrong doings on his part Trading Standards would be all over him like a bad rash.

Regarding the exchange rate problem, unless he paid with cold hard cash any other currency exchange is handled by the the credit card provider etc. Why should the shop refund any discrepancy caused by the CC company? (I presume he paid by credit card or similar) The pound/dollar ratio is very high at the moment with nearly 2USD=1GBP. Also market conditions could have changed between the initial payment and the time of query.

On a more personal note, I have only been on these forums a short while but I've read enough to see who looks more professional from these sorts of posts. Epicenter, you obviously have a personal problem with Craig and the GP2X in general. You are the true embodyment of a internet 'Troll'. You only visit this section to cause trouble and berate the GP2X and its following. After reading many of your posts I can say conclusively, Sir you are an ass.

Agree with all the above - well put.

Craig, could you do us all a favour and change your web-site from:

Want more power?
The Power pack is the same as above but runs at 270MHZ and comes with a Screen Protector.

To something like:

Want guaranteed overclocking?
The Power pack is the same as above but has been tested to be stable overclocked up to 270MHZ and comes with a Screen Protector.

That would end this debate. I know its fun to watch the moaners, but it fills up the forum with negative rubbish.

 

[Hippo]

These cards are clearly labelled as overclocked all over the packaging. They even have names like 'BFG 6600GT OC'. You can't get much more obvious than that. gp2x.co.uk states they are a new version of the GP2X with 275 MHz processors. That is a flat-out lie- this isn't even an arguable point. IT IS A LIE.

I agree with you on this point. It SHOULD be stated that this is an 'Stable Overclock Tested Model'. I cannot argue this point. However with 5 mins of google searching I found out the truth.

I personally believe that the GP2X is a product that is NOT aimed at the 'Newb Crowd'. Anyone who is interested in the GP2X will have the capability to research the product. A similar example would be Xbox mod chips. Anyone who desires to buy one of these items will have researched it and will know exactly what it does.

Because of the relativly small user base of the GP2X most of the users will have a bit of intelligence and read before they buy.

It would take quite a substantial amount of time to find the information that indicates the product you get won't really have a clock rating of 275 MHz. In fact, most people, myself included, read articles and official reviews, not often-anecdotal (and therefore not trustworthy) posts on internet forums for the majority of their pre-purchase research, because I've seen ridiculous posts like 'The Athlon 64 3700+ makes a loud whining noise, you can hear the transistors crunching the numbers inside. Buy a nice quiet chip like the 3000+.' [This is not an exaggeration, it is actually a post I've read.] And if you take a look at the reviews, they claim there is a '275 Mhz Dual-Core processor'. A fine example is the Register, who stated in no uncertain terms that the CPU was upgraded to a 275 MHz unit, because they too were deceived.

I disagree, the true speed can be found very quickly with some simple googling. The register article was a case of some hack being fed information he knew nothing about. Whether that information came straight from gp2x.co.uk as truth I do not know and therefore any comment I make about this is purely speculative.

That's fine and dandy, I'm OK with that too, except:
#1, This isn't what people are being told happens. They are told they get a faster processor. They don't.
#2, The way gp2x.co.uk tests their units, they don't just see if it overclocks to X speed, mark it up and sell it-- they put them in piles of Fast and Slow units, so only the users paying the extra mark-up fee get an acceptable overclock, because all the rest come from the 'Slow' pile. This wouldn't be such a big deal if the vast majority of users got a 266 Mhz stable overclock until right when Craig stated he was making preparations to sell overclock-tested units, at which point average GP2X overclockability on units sold by Craig/GBAX dropped to ~240 MHz with the exception of units for which the extra fee was paid. This practice is fucking over the consumer, no doubt about it.

Aside from the real speed/overclocked speed issue, to which I already agree with you, I have no problem with units being tested and sorted. It is a consumer choice. Pay extra for good overclocks or dont. There are other places on the internet to buy these things, if the gp2x.co.uk customer doesnt like it he can take a chance elsewhere. There are several hardware sites that will (or used too) regulary sell tested overclocked CPU's for a premium.

Just like Nintendo and Sega and Sony are beating down GPH/GBAX's door for actively promoting the emulation of illegally obtained games they own the rights to, on the GP2X? Other game systems sell millions of units. The GP2X has sold around 30,000 worldwide in over a YEAR. No one gives two shits about a system like that as far as a nationwide or global market is concerned, so they give even LESS notice to one company selling them, even if they are the most popular distributor.

Sorry you misread/misunderstood what I said. In the UK we have a govenment set-up body called Trading Standards. This is place consumers go if they feel they have been ripped off etc by a company. Trading Standards have the power to force companies to change advertisement, refund monies and even cease trading. Since gp2x.co.uk is still in business I presume no-one has complained.

Wrong; it is not at all uncommon for online shopping systems to perform money conversion beforehand and then charge the relevant amount to the chosen payment method. Paypal works this way, for example. If the item is 25gbp and you order it from a US-based Paypal account the 25gbp will be converted to USD and then that value will be deducted from your account. If the software doing the conversion has out-of-date exchange rates you may be screwed over and lose a substantial amount of money on the transaction, especially if it is an expensive item like a GP2X.

This was many months ago. At any rate I severely doubt the conversion ratio between GBP and USD changed so dramatically in the space of five minutes.

Since I dont know the whole situation I cant make any further worthwhile comment on it. However if this person has truly been ripped off I can only advise then to contact Trading Standards in the UK.

I have a problem with people being screwed. I don't post in this forum about the GP2X or my views of its faults, because it caused problems, a lot of people didn't want to hear it and there was no point getting myself worked up about it because this forum is more of a GP2X circlejerk than a frank exchange of ideas most of the time. I posted here because this thread is about fraud, not the GP2X.

You have your opinion and are intitled to share it. So do I.

Tell that to some professional 'trolls' I know, who actually have an IRC channel for trolling-- they use bots so that a group of 5-20 trolls at a time can send commands to this bot and their messages will be sent to persons on AIM to harass them more efficiently. People who actually make a sport of trolling, go to forums just to piss people off. You'll notice I have quite a history here, I used to speak quite highly of the GP2X before my patience drew to an end. A lot of that had to do with Craig, a lot with the GP2X itself. While my views were viewed as unfavorable by many, no one should frown on a person who sympathizes with keeping ignorant consumers from being conned out of their hard earned money.

I'm very glad to see we're trying to keep a civil tone. This note and the use of 'internets' in your post for no discernable reason whatsoever is already enough for me to dismiss your entire argument as the rantings of your typical forum stooge. However, I have taken the time to rebut your entire post. You owe me some more artful wordplay than 'ass', 'Sir'.

I apologise for that remark, being new to the GP2X scene I am still rather in love with this device and I am rather defensive of it. Dismiss my arguement and my writing style at your will, I hope in some small way this reply has made up for the minutes you lost in reading my first post.

I underestimated you as being a troll. Reading your post makes be believe you do have the best interests at heart for the consumers and maybe even the GP2X, this does not however make some of your opinions correct or make me agree with you.

Knowing that you converse with professional 'trolls', as you describe them, guides me to the belief that you actually enjoy some of the negative post directed at you. And why not. However if you truly believe some of the things you say and you actually care about the 'ignorant consumers' do something about it other than spouting on a community forum. Contact the authorities in the UK (Trading Standards/Police) and then let us know how far you get.

 

[fawny]

You owe me some more artful wordplay than 'ass', 'Sir'.

No. I think he got it right.

It comes across that you are trying to defame Craig because of some personal falling out you have had. You are lieing to achieve this end. You are making up scenarios in your head and presenting them as if they are fact, when any other number of possibilities could account for events. I think 'ass' is too mild a description.

Craig advertises a dollar price so your conversion ripoff story sounds like total bull. If Craig advertises a dollar price then that is the price he is offering it at. The consumer decides wether to buy at that price or go elsewhere. Comparing the dollar price to the sterling price based on exchange rates is moronic.

The Power pack is the same as above but runs at 270MHZ and comes with a Screen Protector.

does not even imply, let alone state that it has a 275Mhz processor. It actually states that it is the SAME.

Does it not occur to you that the reason Craig introduced the clock-speed tested option may have been due to the batch of units that suffered the lower clock speed limitation ?

Providing the device is meeting the 240 Mhz advertised speed no-one is being ripped off. If you buy a car with an advertised top speed of 120 mph and it achieves this speed you have not been ripped off even if some production runs turn out the same model that can reach 180 mph.

Having the option to ensure you get a speed tested model is a service he is offering, not some sinister plot to screw people over and ruin his hard earned reputation in this field.

 

[Epicenter]

I apologise for that remark, being new to the GP2X scene I am still rather in love with this device and I am rather defensive of it. Dismiss my arguement and my writing style at your will, I hope in some small way this reply has made up for the minutes you lost in reading my first post.

I underestimated you as being a troll. Reading your post makes be believe you do have the best interests at heart for the consumers and maybe even the GP2X, this does not however make some of your opinions correct or make me agree with you.

I greatly appreciate your mature reply. A response in this manner is extremely uncommon on this forum. Of course you are fully entitled to your views on the issue, as am I to my own. I will reciprocate your statement in that I hope my remarks did not strike you as a personal attack of any sort.

Knowing that you converse with professional 'trolls', as you describe them, guides me to the belief that you actually enjoy some of the negative post directed at you.

I will admit I enjoy a spirited argument. I'm not fond of professional trolls, however, nor do I welcome negative response-- if I did, I'd probably just be creating tens of obnoxious accounts with the names/avatars of DBZ characters and spouting gibberish about emulating the PS3 and shouting staggeringly long strings of obscenity in every forum. When I express dissent, you'll note I always go for a methodical and logical approach. This is generally not well received on GP32X.

As you mentioned you were 'defensive' of the GP2X-- I was that way once, too-- before I realized all the faults that I've brought to the forefront in my post history, and it became abundantly clear neither GPH nor Craig (GPH's primary distribution method) had the consumer's (including myself) best interests in mind.

However if you truly believe some of the things you say and you actually care about the 'ignorant consumers' do something about it other than spouting on a community forum. Contact the authorities in the UK (Trading Standards/Police) and then let us know how far you get.

I believe I'll give this a shot. I will say, however, that since GP32X is the largest avenue of communication regarding the GP2X in Europe, the US and Australia (potentially the world), making public the wrongdoing against consumers in such a public light may work better than attempting to make a case with a government organization that probably has much larger and significant work to be concerned with, and would likely not give the issue the time of day. (If I am wrong about this bit, my apologies.) At any rate, I doubt the majority of offenses commited by GPH/Craig/GBAX could be considered 'criminal', but still harm the consumer and should be made public knowledge nonetheless.

 

[ruckage]

However if you truly believe some of the things you say and you actually care about the 'ignorant consumers' do something about it other than spouting on a community forum. Contact the authorities in the UK (Trading Standards/Police) and then let us know how far you get.

I believe I'll give this a shot. I will say, however, that since GP32X is the largest avenue of communication regarding the GP2X in Europe, the US and Australia (potentially the world), making public the wrongdoing against consumers in such a public light may work better than attempting to make a case with a government organization that probably has much larger and significant work to be concerned with, and would likely not give the issue the time of day. (If I am wrong about this bit, my apologies.) At any rate, I doubt the majority of offenses commited by GPH/Craig/GBAX could be considered 'criminal', but still harm the consumer and should be made public knowledge nonetheless.

Wouldn't be worth contacting the police as it isn't something that concerns them but Trading standards would indeed help out. In the first instance they would advice as to whether any trading laws have been infracted and if upon hearing there advice you believe they have they would then investigate. They have helped me out on several ocassions where I have been ripped off. They take all infractions very seriously and at the very least demand that all UK trading laws are met if someone is found to be breaking them.