Procedure to get a graphics card

rdev82

Hi all,

I am new here and understand the procedure to attempt to get a graphics card is:

1. Check online.
2. Show up early.
3. HQ said vouchers are given to the number of people in line as there are available graphics cards.

Have others experienced this same procedure? I drove over to the Madison Heights, MI store to purchase all of the parts necessary for a computer system. Decent graphics cards on up were out-of-stock as expected. I felt like I just stepped back into the 80s/90s with the volume of stock the store had for the other parts. The store is just amazing!

JLWhack

The best way to get a high demand gpu like the 30 series is to show up before openings and pray there is not that much people and that you will land a voucher for your desired GPU. The process with vouchers is going to the store location and someone in MC will come out and give vouchers that will be only available after a certain time before it is invalid to use. Checking online is never really reliable because by the time you get there to get the item, it will 100% be gone.

So to sum it up... go early on tues-saturdays and attempt to get your desired GPU... This is what I am doing tomorrow as well...

rdev82

JLWhack let me know of your experience. The store nearest me is about 55 minutes away from my house. Fun drive though.

rdev82

@JLWhack Were you successful?

floresfrank1

@JLWhack

Wait so, Microcenter stocks every Tuesdays and Saturdays? If so, I could go early on Tuesdays!

Are you sure :D?

Thanks!

CindyH

In Madison Heights you need to get in line around midnight. I got there at 6am this morning and the line was all the way around the store. I talked to the people sitting in the lawn chairs and they said they showed up around 2am. Microcenter needs to come up with an idea where there is an actual signup.

Next delivery is Thursday morning.

MAP123

@CindyH how did you find out when the next delivery is? My closest Microcenter is in Dallas which is a 2 hour drive for me. I am willing to be there as early as possible if I know they have a delivery coming. Do you have any idea if this delivery date holds for other microcenter locations??

Ian

https://community.microcenter.com/discussion/comment/31736#Comment_31736

Greetings. We receive shipments periodically to each Micro Center location. It would not be the same from store to store.

Mazeman

@Ian to be clear, are you saying that people line up from midnight to opening everyday to get cards and have no idea if there’s a shipment that day?

Ian

https://community.microcenter.com/discussion/comment/31754#Comment_31754

Greetings. I am sorry we would not have an exact time to provide you. We have seen most customers are going to the store before it opens to see if we have received shipments. Most often we seem to receive shipments on the weekdays. I'm unable to promise when we'll be receiving any new shipments or offer when to expect a shipment will be delivered, but it seems that most have success going in the morning before we open.

rd4n3el

https://community.microcenter.com/discussion/comment/31754#Comment_31754

I visited my local store today and found out the following:

• People begin lining up the day prior. At 2pm local time, there were about 12 people in line. Also consider that it had been raining on and off and more rain was predicted overnight.
• Store staff said they usually get some stock in each night/morning but they dont know how many will be arriving. The person I spoke with was pretty non-committal and evasive. I told him I understood that what happened in the past doesn't mean anything for the future but still, he wouldn't share much. For example, do they get 2 cards on average? 50 on average? I just wanted to make an educated decision on standing in line overnight. No such luck.
• Also frustrating, there were "12 people in line" when I visited today but actually, there were only 3 humans in line. It seems like people bring chairs and line them up, and I guess that holds their place in line?? I don't get it to be honest. What is the point of the line if you can just plop something down in your place. I understand a bathroom break or something but 9 of the 12 people missing? Frustrating.

MAP123

Very strange that microcenter thinks their current solution is the best, especially when many people still haven't received a covid vaccine yet. I will drive to the Dallas microcenter and camp outside overnight only if I know I can get a card. Otherwise, I am going to surmise that essentially only people who live in Dallas can get these cards which might have something to do with why the only Texas-based craigslist ads for RTX 30 series cards are by sellers in Houston and Dallas (the two microcenter locations in Texas 🤔) at prices that can only be classified as scalper prices.

So there seems to be two issues with microcenter's current plan for customers buying an rtx 30 series gpu. One being the obvious issue of urban camping for a night amongst a crowd of strangers while covid is still a concern for many people.

rd4n3el

I am in Frisco, the situation I described was for the Dallas location.

I was thinking of going back at 10am when they open but don't see any point in it honestly, the "line up process" seems weird that you don't have to be in line to hold your place in line. Seems like there can be a better solution especially since they are only allowing one purchase per 30-days.

Jbc029

https://community.microcenter.com/discussion/comment/31760#Comment_31760

Those people lining up during the day before are not there to buy cards. They're there to hold spots for people who will be the next day. They're paid for their time to hold a place. If you find this happening at your local store, you have zero chance of actually buying a card at that location.