Eh, you know how it is in Singapore – always hunting for the best tech deals, right? From the latest GPUs to online shopping loots, we Singaporeans are always on the lookout. This post dives deep into recent HardwareZone forum discussions (Jan-Feb 2025) on General Tech and Shopping, uncovering the hottest topics, common complaints, and practical tips to navigate the tech landscape here. Let’s makan this together!
Current Tech & Shopping Scene
Here’s what’s been trending in the past few weeks:
- Singapore is a key market for Nvidia, accounting for around 20% of their global revenue.
- The new RTX 5090 is causing major hype, but initial prices are way above official MSRP, with pre-orders ranging from $4,600 to $5,400.
- Many are opting for DIY builds to ensure value for money, avoiding pre-built PCs with potentially lower-quality parts.
- Shopee live streams are popular for earning daily coins, with some users collecting 80-150 coins daily.
- Graphics cards with 12GB VRAM might become insufficient soon, as Ray Tracing becomes increasingly common.
Tech & Shopping Frustrations
But it’s not all sunshine and rainbows. Here are some pain points discussed:
- Inflated GPU Prices: The RTX 5090’s actual starting price is S$5,000+, much higher than the stated official prices, leading to disappointment.
“so nvidia’s official SG stated prices were fake lol 5090 starting S$3,320 (there were none starting at that price). Actual starting S$5,000+.”
final1 (January 2025)
- RMA Nightmares: Local distributors often give excuses like “oxidation” to reject warranty claims, causing frustration.
“Frankly speaking, I got a shock when told RMA can be rejected due to oxidation. It just doesn’t make sense to me. What do these ppl expect us to run the system in? Clean room?”
Steyr69 (January 2025)
- Poor Pre-Built PC Value: Pre-built PCs often include lower-quality components, making them less desirable for resale.
“Prebuilt PCs rarely include components that are highly sought after by DIY builders because the builder company need to buy in bulk, which often means using less desirable parts, usually lower quality or poor value parts which have low demand in the market.”
Phen8210 (January 2025)
- Distributor BS: Some distributors try to downgrade components during RMA, like offering a gold PSU instead of a platinum one.
“Dealing with local distributors for RMAs is often a headache. Many bros also shared stories of their bizarre practices, like when RMAing a platinum PSU, they try to downgrade it and offer a gold PSU instead.”
Phen8210 (January 2025)
- Limited Stock: The RTX 5090 is hard to find, and some suspect that China exporters are getting priority over local gamers.
“wow many sinkapore bots crash the site. more likely china exporters on standby! Have also wont sell u. More profitable to give china bots exporter.”
kimsix (January 2025)
Smart Tech Shopping Solutions
Don’t worry, we got some solutions for you, kiasu Singaporeans!
- DIY Builds: Prioritize good value for money components in DIY builds to ensure better resale value.
- Contact Retailers: Text or call local retailers like Fuwell, PCThemes, and Bizgram to get on waitlists for GPUs.
- Official Support Tickets: For RMAs, log official support tickets with the brand (Asus, MSI, ASRock) before contacting local distributors. This gives you a tracking chain log.
- RMA Documentation: Take photos of your components before sending them for RMA to avoid getting scratched items back.
- Undervolting: Consider undervolting your GPU to reduce power consumption and heat, potentially losing only 5-10% performance.
“Just saw Tech Yes City try out a basic undervolt 2500MHz@0.9V on the 5090 FE, running at 405W compared to 575W at stock and losing around 5-10% in his benchmark.”
soreloser (January 2025)
Source Threads
Read the original discussions on HardwareZone: