Most hard disk drive models are sold as two different packages: OEM drives and
retail drives (sometimes called retail kits). Retail drives are of
course drives that are distributed to retail stores and online dealers for sale to the
general public. OEM drives are those sold to system manufacturers in large quantity, for
inclusion in PCs built for resale: "OEM" stands for "original equipment
manufacturer" and refers to a company that makes PCs (or other equipment).
Retail packaged hard disk drives normally include the following (though this varies
from manufacturer to manufacturer and model to model):
- Hard Disk Drive: The hard disk drive itself, in an anti-static bag or similar package.
- Installation Instructions: Instructions on how to configure and install
the hard disk.
- Drivers and/or Overlay Software: A floppy disk or CD-ROM containing any
necessary drivers or utilities, and usually, a copy of that manufacturer's version of drive overlay software for working around BIOS capacity
problems in older systems.
- Mounting Hardware: A set of appropriately-sized screws for mounting the
drive into the system case.
- Interface Cable: A cable of the correct type for the drive's interface.
- Warranty Card: A card describing the warranty provided on the drive, usually three or five
years in length.
- Pretty Box: A very colorful box that looks nifty and holds all of the
above.
In contrast, OEM drives typically contain the following:
And that's it (heck, even the jumpers aren't a sure thing. ) The reason that OEM
packaging is so "plain" is that most OEMs do not need the additional support
materials and packaging required for a proper retail package--they are just going to put
the drives into PCs, not resell them to end users. If you are SuperPeeceez Inc. and make
10,000 systems a month, you just want 10,000 drives--not 10,000 fancy boxes, 10,000
warranty cards, 10,000 driver disks, and so on. So the drive manufacturers just ship OEMs
lots of bare drives, with the minimum required to protect them, and that's all. By
skipping all the extras, the OEM is able to buy the drives at a lower price from the
manufacturer (and the fact that they are buying them by the thousand certainly helps with
price as well!)
Originally, OEM drives were available only to, well, OEMs. If you needed a hard disk
for your PC you bought it in a retail box and that was that. A few years ago however, OEM
drives began to appear for sale to individuals and end-users. They usually enter the
market either by an OEM selling off extra drives to another company that then offers them
to the public, or increasingly these days, by companies that buy them in bulk specifically
for resale. Like the OEMs, many experienced PC home-builders and upgraders realized they
don't need most or even all of the goodies in a retail package, and preferred the lower
price of the OEM drives. Many companies quickly added OEM drives to their product lines to
fill this demand.
Warning: In most cases, the
retail and OEM versions of a given drive are identical, however this is not always the
case. Sometimes a manufacturer will make slightly different versions of the same drive for
the OEM and retail channels. A common difference is having a larger
cache on the retail drive than on the OEM drive.
There's nothing wrong with buying OEM drives if you can get a significantly better
price and don't need the items included in the retail package. However, you must be sure
of what you are buying. In some ways the most important thing in that retail box is the
warranty card, because there can be serious warranty consequences when purchasing OEM hard
disks made by certain manufacturers. See this
discussion of warranty coverage on OEM and retail drives for details. Ironically, in
many cases OEM drives are no cheaper than the equivalent retail versions with full
warranty, and in some cases, I have seem retail boxes go for less than plain-wrapped OEM
drives!
Warning: When buying a hard
disk mail order, be 100% certain of what you are purchasing. As always, most online
retailers are honest but there are always a couple of bad apples who will send you an OEM
drive after you ordered a retail one. Sometimes the salespeople at these companies don't
really understand the difference between OEM and retail and may not really understand the
warranty issues involved. Shop with care, and send back for exchange anything you are sent
that isn't what you ordered.
Next: Hard Disk Handling
