sliderider wrote:

What is it supposed to be? Is it the motherboard from the first computer you played WoW with?

not quite. It's one of the actual server blades from the original servers.

luckybob wrote:

sliderider wrote:

What is it supposed to be? Is it the motherboard from the first computer you played WoW with?

not quite. It's one of the actual server blades from the original servers.

What a way to get more money for a piece of obsolete hardware than what it's actually worth.

sliderider wrote:

What a way to get more money for a piece of obsolete hardware than what it's actually worth.

That sentence makes absolutely no sense here at vogons 😉
Hardware worth is completely relative.

Besides, it's for a good cause. 100% of the net profits are going to the St. Jude Children's Research Hospital. At least for me that was the reason to spend a little bit extra.

For everyone wondering what that piece of hardware is:
It's one of the original server blades from 2005 which hosted the World of Warcraft realms until 2010. Blizzard replaced them with modern hardware and auctioned off the old ones as memorabilia.

Mystery wrote:

That sentence makes absolutely no sense here at vogons ;) Hardware worth is completely relative. […]
Show full quote

sliderider wrote:

What a way to get more money for a piece of obsolete hardware than what it's actually worth.

That sentence makes absolutely no sense here at vogons 😉
Hardware worth is completely relative.

Besides, it's for a good cause. 100% of the net profits are going to the St. Jude Children's Research Hospital. At least for me that was the reason to spend a little bit extra.

For everyone wondering what that piece of hardware is:
It's one of the original server blades from 2005 which hosted the World of Warcraft realms until 2010. Blizzard replaced them with modern hardware and auctioned off the old ones as memorabilia.

It's still a rip off for the buyer. You overpay them for a piece of old hardware and then they get a tax write off using your money. If you want to support the charity, you're better off just donating the money directly so that you get the charitable deduction and not Blizzard. The tax deduction is worth more than the old hardware.

sliderider wrote:

Mystery wrote:

That sentence makes absolutely no sense here at vogons ;) Hardware worth is completely relative. […]
Show full quote

sliderider wrote:

What a way to get more money for a piece of obsolete hardware than what it's actually worth.

That sentence makes absolutely no sense here at vogons 😉
Hardware worth is completely relative.

Besides, it's for a good cause. 100% of the net profits are going to the St. Jude Children's Research Hospital. At least for me that was the reason to spend a little bit extra.

For everyone wondering what that piece of hardware is:
It's one of the original server blades from 2005 which hosted the World of Warcraft realms until 2010. Blizzard replaced them with modern hardware and auctioned off the old ones as memorabilia.

It's still a rip off for the buyer. You overpay them for a piece of old hardware and then they get a tax write off using your money. If you want to support the charity, you're better off just donating the money directly so that you get the charitable deduction and not Blizzard. The tax deduction is worth more than the old hardware.

Say what you want about Blizzard, but they know how to do two things VERY well.

1: make a great game that millions play for DECADES.
2: find ways to make wallets lighter.
3: OMGICANTWAITFORDIABLO3!!!!!!

sliderider wrote:

It's still a rip off for the buyer. You overpay them for a piece of old hardware and then they get a tax write off using your money. If you want to support the charity, you're better off just donating the money directly so that you get the charitable deduction and not Blizzard. The tax deduction is worth more than the old hardware.

It's not like they're being sold as standard HP BL25P server blades for regular use. These are supposed to be memorabilia for the World of Warcraft players and these old servers have been modified to represent that.
Whether you like WoW or not (I personally don't like it anymore), these are a piece of gaming history. Usually stuff like that gets thrown out. I really think that the preservation of hardware, especially if it's hardware that has sentimental value to some people, is a good thing.

How exactly am I overpaying for this thing? It's not like there's a standard going rate for old World of Warcraft servers. Who cares about the value of a regular BL25P server?
Especially in this forum there are people (me included) buying hardware for retro systems and other stuff at prices that "normal" pc users or gamers would find completely stupid.
Why do we pay a lot of money for old hardware, that we might not even use or need? Nostalgia, collecting, experimenting or whatever the reason, some people are willing to pay more than the average person, because they're interested in the thing they're buying for "too much money". Are they being ripped off or getting something for their collection/hobby, even though a lot of people think it's stupid?

Of course the evil Blizzard empire will now have a mighty tax deduction of tens of thousands of dollars, but like it or not, the St. Jude hospital definitely got more money out of this than without Blizzards "selfish ripoff".
To be completely honest: I don't think that I would have considered donating money to the hospital without this incentive, so yeah, I'm a selfish nerd who wanted an overpriced Warcraft blade server on his wall. But at least the hospital got a couple bucks more to work with because of my selfishness, so there 😉

Mystery wrote:

It's not like they're being sold as standard HP BL25P server blades for regular use. These are supposed to be memorabilia for th […]
Show full quote

sliderider wrote:

It's still a rip off for the buyer. You overpay them for a piece of old hardware and then they get a tax write off using your money. If you want to support the charity, you're better off just donating the money directly so that you get the charitable deduction and not Blizzard. The tax deduction is worth more than the old hardware.

It's not like they're being sold as standard HP BL25P server blades for regular use. These are supposed to be memorabilia for the World of Warcraft players and these old servers have been modified to represent that.
Whether you like WoW or not (I personally don't like it anymore), these are a piece of gaming history. Usually stuff like that gets thrown out. I really think that the preservation of hardware, especially if it's hardware that has sentimental value to some people, is a good thing.

How exactly am I overpaying for this thing? It's not like there's a standard going rate for old World of Warcraft servers. Who cares about the value of a regular BL25P server?
Especially in this forum there are people (me included) buying hardware for retro systems and other stuff at prices that "normal" pc users or gamers would find completely stupid.
Why do we pay a lot of money for old hardware, that we might not even use or need? Nostalgia, collecting, experimenting or whatever the reason, some people are willing to pay more than the average person, because they're interested in the thing they're buying for "too much money". Are they being ripped off or getting something for their collection/hobby, even though a lot of people think it's stupid?

Of course the evil Blizzard empire will now have a mighty tax deduction of tens of thousands of dollars, but like it or not, the St. Jude hospital definitely got more money out of this than without Blizzards "selfish ripoff".
To be completely honest: I don't think that I would have considered donating money to the hospital without this incentive, so yeah, I'm a selfish nerd who wanted an overpriced Warcraft blade server on his wall. But at least the hospital got a couple bucks more to work with because of my selfishness, so there 😉

The point is it's a fiddle to dodge taxes without having to spend any of their own money and every person who bought one paid a lot of money for a fancy frame and plaque.

There's also a difference between paying for a piece of vintage hardware that you are going to actually use and one that you are going to hang on the wall. The fact of the matter is that everyone who bought one of these servers got ripped off for the purpose of boosting Blizzards bottom line.

I hate WoW personally, but I still think this is cool. In 10-20 years from now, if kept in it's original state or close to it, the value of an "Original authentic WoW server blade" is only going to rise, and even if it was a shameless ripoff for tax reasons, St. Jude's still gets paid. Think of it as the Hospital still gets the money, and Blizzard got a tax discount for it.

Plus, even for a 2005 machine, it's gotta have some serious horsepower under the hood - what are the system specs?

sliderider wrote:

There's also a difference between paying for a piece of vintage hardware that you are going to actually use and one that you are going to hang on the wall.

Again, that's your personal preference. You seem to prefer hardware that is ready to use and can actually be used. I like doing that as well, I've got a lot of working retro stuff, hooked up and ready to go.
But everybody prefers different things and just because you personally don't have any connection to this particular piece of hardware, doesn't mean that anybody who does and pays more for it than you would, is getting ripped of.

The fact of the matter is that everyone who bought one of these servers got ripped off for the purpose of boosting Blizzards bottom line.

I collect old PC DOS games in their original box. I've got two shelves full, takes up a whole lot of space and constantly eats holes in my wallet.
Some people, when finding out how much I paid for some of these games, tell me that I'm stupid because many of these titles are available from websites like gog for next to nothing. Strictly looking at the games themselves, my boxed collection doesn't offer anything that the downloads don't already do. It's just a sentimental value or nostalgia that makes me spend the extra cash to put them in the shelf for collecting dust after I installed them.

I honestly don't think that Blizzard made this whole thing to get a couple 100 grand in additional tax refunds. For what? They make insane amounts of money with WoW, which makes that money look like nothing.
Tell me, would you prefer to have them make these servers available to the public via auction for the same price and conditions but without giving the money to charity? That would've been more honest (assuming your tax deduction theory is correct), but it certainly wouldn't have brought any money to the charity.

To me this was pure fanservice from Blizzard. I completely agree with you, that there is no way in hell, that a 2005 HP BL25P blade server is worth more than...what...75$?...and anyone paying significantly more is being ripped off (or braindead if they spend 1000$+). However, you can't put a number on an item with sentimental value to someone, no matter how useless, outdated or "overpriced" it might seem. People collect, and pay handsomely for, all kinds of useless crap.

It's a really nice thing that Blizzard did for the fans. And I've not really seen anyone else do something like this. Usually old hardware goes right in the junk, which is often a damn shame. Auctioning these off and giving the money to charity is nice, even though I don't like much of what Blizzard does these days.

Sorry for writing so much 😉

maddmaxstar wrote:

I hate WoW personally, but I still think this is cool. In 10-20 years from now, if kept in it's original state or close to it, the value of an "Original authentic WoW server blade" is only going to rise, and even if it was a shameless ripoff for tax reasons, St. Jude's still gets paid. Think of it as the Hospital still gets the money, and Blizzard got a tax discount for it.

That's pretty much the point. The hospital gets the money...that's what's most important.
And I'm pretty sure that 90%+ of the people bidding on these servers (myself included, I admit it) wouldn't have given the money to charity if it weren't for these auctions.
So yes, Blizzard is greedy, but the Hospital got a lot of donations they otherwise wouldn't have.

Plus, even for a 2005 machine, it's gotta have some serious horsepower under the hood - what are the system specs?

It varies, but they should have two single core Opterons and 6-12GB DDR ECC RAM. Later realms might have two dual core Opterons, since the BL25P recieved several upgrades after release.
It's not much, but certainly not too shabby, especially considering the age of the systems.

Here are more specs:
http://h20000.www2.hp.com/bizsupport/TechSupp … dTypeId=3709945

If Blizzard were really so altruistic they would make the donation with their own money. That they made the donation with other people's money brings their motives into question.

I really don't think slide rider gets it.

I don't play WoW but if I did I'd jump at the chance to own a bit of history from it- especially the server blade that ran the realm I played on.

Better that someone is happy with a unique keepsake than having it sit in landfill or melted down for scrap metal. That the money went to charity is merely a bonus.

WoW is a hugely influential game with millions of players around the world so not exactly obscure. The value of this blade is likely to increase over time.

Congrats on your win mystery, very cool 😀 if I played WoW I'd be jealous 😀

^ yeah I agree as well, a nice thing to have 😁 congrats!

sliderider wrote:

If Blizzard were really so altruistic they would make the donation with their own money. That they made the donation with other people's money brings their motives into question.

I didn't say they were altruistic. I'm pretty sure they're the opposite.

But consider this:
The hospital gets a lot of money, the auction winners get geeky wow-related hardware to drool over and Blizzard gets publicity and a tax deduction.
Everybod wins.

At the end of the day, Blizzard is a business and I'd be surprised if they didn't think of themselves as well. 😉

Mystery wrote:

Not strictly retro, but I've got a lot of nostalgic memories associated with it. […]
Show full quote

Not strictly retro, but I've got a lot of nostalgic memories associated with it.

I got the exact realm I've played on since launch until I quit a couple of months ago.

Photo isn't mine, so the name on the plate is different.

Oh, if anyone cares, it's a HP BL25P 😉

congratulations. i also quit wow a while ago, but would have been cool to get a server blade. didn't feel i could afford it though 🤣.

sliderider wrote:

The point is it's a fiddle to dodge taxes without having to spend any of their own money and every person who bought one paid a lot of money for a fancy frame and plaque.

Isn't that the case with, you know, every piece of memorabilia ever?

sliderider wrote:

The fact of the matter is that everyone who bought one of these servers got ripped off for the purpose of boosting Blizzards bottom line.

How is it "ripped off" when the buyers voluntarily bidded in an auction?

All I'm hearing here is a bit of baseless anti-Blizzard vitriol.

SquallStrife wrote:

Isn't that the case with, you know, every piece of memorabilia ever? […]
Show full quote

sliderider wrote:

The point is it's a fiddle to dodge taxes without having to spend any of their own money and every person who bought one paid a lot of money for a fancy frame and plaque.

Isn't that the case with, you know, every piece of memorabilia ever?

sliderider wrote:

The fact of the matter is that everyone who bought one of these servers got ripped off for the purpose of boosting Blizzards bottom line.

How is it "ripped off" when the buyers voluntarily bidded in an auction?

All I'm hearing here is a bit of baseless anti-Blizzard vitriol.

Can you show us on the doll where the big bad corporation touched you?

But seriously, Blizzard is OUT TO MAKE MONEY. *gasp* When diablo 3 comes out I will HAPPILY pull my pants down, and take it like a man in order to buy the collectors edition. Also the 2nd part of Starcraft 2.

I got out of wow after the 1st x-pack. Because now the game is like a combination of 2nd life and farmville. But with only half the dificulty of the two. Would I LOVE to have a blade from Doomhammer? yes. will I ever get one? Probably not unless I win the lotto. (there were a LOT of rich players on Doomhammer)

(You were replying to sliderider right?)

SquallStrife wrote:

Isn't that the case with, you know, every piece of memorabilia ever? […]
Show full quote

sliderider wrote:

The point is it's a fiddle to dodge taxes without having to spend any of their own money and every person who bought one paid a lot of money for a fancy frame and plaque.

Isn't that the case with, you know, every piece of memorabilia ever?

sliderider wrote:

The fact of the matter is that everyone who bought one of these servers got ripped off for the purpose of boosting Blizzards bottom line.

How is it "ripped off" when the buyers voluntarily bidded in an auction?

All I'm hearing here is a bit of baseless anti-Blizzard vitriol.

No, it's not the case with every piece of memorabilia to dodge taxes. In case you don't know how the con Blizzard pulled off with the sale of these servers works, I'll spell it out for you. They take an old piece of obsolete hardware that they otherwise would have trashed because it is nearly worthless, put in a pretty frame with a plaque that maybe cost them $25. Then they sell these obsolete servers that maybe have a value of $100, probably less, for the server + $25 for the plaque to a bunch of fools with more money than sense for $800-$1000 each. Then they donate the money to charity, it doesn't matter which charity, and get a big tax writeoff. Their motivation isn't to help the charity, it is to get the tax deduction. At 35% corporate tax rate they essentially get paid $280-$350 for each one using the buyers money and the buyer gets a nearly worthless circuit board in an equally worthless lucite case. The buyers got bent over and Blizzard doesn't even use any grease. So how where in all that does the buyer get any value for their money?

Oh, and the victims all cons voluntarily hand over their money, so that point is irrelevant.

I think you've got a roo loose in your top paddock mate

sliderider wrote:

No, it's not the case with every piece of memorabilia to dodge taxes.

Does your browser not display bold? The point of memorabilia is that fans can own some otherwise worthless piece of trinketry, at a price determined by its sentimental value. What that piece of trinketry is, how it's presented, and what's done with the money afterwards is completely irrelevant.

sliderider wrote:

They take an old piece of obsolete hardware that they otherwise would have trashed because it is nearly worthless, put in a pretty frame with a plaque that maybe cost them $25. Then they sell these obsolete servers that maybe have a value of $100, probably less, for the server + $25 for the plaque to a bunch of fools with more money than sense for $800-$1000 each.

I repeat, this is exactly how memorabilia works. Sporting, gaming, fishing, competitive tai chi, whatever. An old used baseball bat worth $5, an engraved plaque worth $2, a case worth $10, order now for $250. This is NO DIFFERENT.

sliderider wrote:

Then they donate the money to charity, it doesn't matter which charity, and get a big tax writeoff. Their motivation isn't to help the charity, it is to get the tax deduction. At 35% corporate tax rate they essentially get paid $280-$350 for each one using the buyers money...

One buys the server from Blizzard, they pay their 35% or whatever on the money they receive. They pay the charity, and receive a 35% refund on the money they sent.

If anything, the exercise is at a net expense to Blizzard in administrative costs. The benefit to Blizzard is most likely that auctioning the gear is cheaper than paying e-recycling companies to remove the stuff. E-waste is a big deal these days.

sliderider wrote:

and the buyer gets a nearly worthless circuit board in an equally worthless lucite case. The buyers got bent over and Blizzard doesn't even use any grease. So how where in all that does the buyer get any value for their money?

Where does the buyer get value in any kind of memorabilia? It's in the eye of the beholder, so to speak. It's valuable because the buyer values it. Shit, the entire basis of your economy is that demand exists for things.

You obviously don't value this item, and nobody's forcing you to.

sliderider wrote:

Oh, and the victims all cons voluntarily hand over their money, so that point is irrelevant.

The difference between this and a con, is that the "victim" as you put it, doesn't get what they were offered.

The buyer bids on a used WoW server, the buyer receives a used WoW server. Still failing to see the con here.