Chinatown NYC Modchip Installs

[Matt]

Went to the store across from J&L. They wanted $120 for it installed. J&L is the same price. Both with Magic 5.1 chips. Is the one on the lower floor across from J&L the penguin center? Didn't see a name on it. Where is the pengiun center?

That's expensive - I can do your mod for way less than that, postage included. The only downside it that because of the shipping turnaround time is a week and a half or so.

The Magic 5 isn't the best chip, either. It's not very stable and I've had a hell of a time with them. The older Magic 3.1 works better in my experience, and for newer consoles I always use Messiah or DMS chips now.

[Rumpy]

Fucking shit, change that sig, clownboat.

lol. clownboat?

[FirstBlood]

120 for a magic 5.1 is a joke...

I paid alittle over half of that for a duo, shipping included.

[Dyne]

$100 or more for just an install is just fucking crazy. i know of places that sell duo, magic and ultra chips plus installs for $80. dms and install for $120.

[Matt]

I charge a lot less than $120 even for a DMS. Shipping almost makes up the difference, though.

[hanzo]

Where else to get an install? If u add shipping charges to send it to you, it's the same right?

[Zenigata]

If I gather correctly, they're charging $100+ for the sole installation - something Matt charges $30 for. (assuming he hasn't changed his rates). Either that or the installation and a severely overpriced chip.

[hanzo]

it's for the chip and install. Can anyone do it for cheaper - shipping?

[Zenigata]

Even so, paying that much for a Magic chip is silly. Or paying that much for them to install it (whichever they say is the bulk of the cost). So.. I guess what it comes down to is that you can get the most advanced chip for a little under/equal to that with Matt. Or, perhaps Matt could get you a Magic if you don't need all the fancy stuff, and that would be cheaper, I imagine.

[Matt]

It's $35 now. Still a lot better than most places I've seen! Generally you'll get charged between $45 and $60 for installation - $100 is really out of line.

If I do it, the total cost to you (including shipping both ways) will be between $79 and $119. If you're just looking to play imports and have an older system (39001 or earlier), the Magic 3.1 is fine - it does the job well and is really cheap. The more expensive chips are handy if you want to play foreign DVDs, experiment with homebrew stuff, or have a 50001 system.

Even so, paying that much for a Magic chip is silly. Or paying that much for them to install it (whichever they say is the bulk of the cost).

Assuming the shop is buying in bulk, they're probably paying $12-15 per chip. That's a nice profit margin they've got.

Keep in mind that folks who own shops almost never know how to do mods. They usually hire local mod guys, who don't work for free and probably charge the shop close to the same amount they'd charge anyone else. So you're really paying two people's salaries at once.