Jenny from Newegg TV makes installing an SSHD into a PS4 look easy…but the contestants had to do it blindfolded!
Last Friday, Newegg TV hosted their first ever Install THIS! Build Challenge at Newegg’s City of Industry Hybrid Center. A hearty group of loyal Newegg customers were in attendance – with one dedicated fan driving all the way from Victorville, Calif. – for their chance to win a SONY PlayStation 4 and Seagate SSHD. GameCrate and Unscrambled were on hand to witness all the action as contestants competed against each other to prove who the fastest builder was.
Everyone in attendance received a raffle ticket, but only six lucky people were selected for the competition. All six contenders were randomly paired up into three teams of two where one of each pair would be blindfolded as his or her partner gave instructions on how to install an SSHD into a PS4. The Install THIS! Build Challenge wasn’t going to be easy, and even the best builders in attendance were discussing how difficult it was to do this in practice.
The three competing teams were:
Team #1 Andrew (instructor) from Buena Park and Lynne (blindfolded) from El Monte
Team #2 Reza (instructor) from Chino Hills and Abe (blindfolded) from Walnut
Team #3 Francis (instructor) from Victorville and Daniel (blindfolded) from Pomona
The six lucky contestants with Jenny!
Installing an SSHD into a PS4 isn’t that hard, but being able to do this blindfolded is something that not many people can do. Jenny from Newegg TV, an expert builder herself, was able to accomplish this feat in roughly four minutes and not many people thought they could come close. As it turns out, our tech-savvy customers were a lot better at blindfolded building than they expected.
After a quick demonstration from Jenny on how to complete the installation, the three teams were ready to begin the challenge. With the crowd cheering and the Newegg TV cameras rolling, the Install THIS! Build Challenge was pure excitement from the very start.
Teams #1 and #2 were clearly favorites and neck-and-neck the entire time, while Team #3 struggled to keep up the pace. The finish was a close call, but, in the end, it was Team #1 who was victorious and completed the challenge in 4:35:00 with Team #2 right behind them at 4:45:00. Calling this competition “close” would be an understatement.
Team #3 gave a couple of reasons why it was so hard to keep up with the competition despite being experienced builders.
“It was a little bit more difficult than I previously imagined and the hardest part was not being able to physically help. I build computers for myself so it was hard for me not to be able to step in. Just explaining what to do was difficult.”
–Andrew from Buena Park
“I’ve never installed an SSHD into a PS4 before and the grommets came out of nowhere…that was the hardest part. I watched a bunch of videos and I’ve replaced the hard drive on my laptop but it’s a lot harder when you’re blindfolded.”
–Lynne from El Monte
Andrew did a great job coaching Lynne, but it wasn’t enough to compete with the other two teams.
Team #2, composed of a longtime Newegg shopper and one of our most popular EggXpert reviewers, missed winning by a margin of 10 seconds and explained what they could have done to come out on top.
“I’ve been a Newegg customer for eight years but have never installed an SSHD into a PS4. It was easier than I thought it would be and I focused on keeping my teammate calm during the competition. I gave as much instruction as I could and I think we could have won if we were calmer. We were very anxious.”
–Reza from Chino Hills
“It’s not easy to do things blindfolded and we could have won if I didn’t make so many mistakes. I stabbed myself with a screwdriver midway through the competition. I also bent the retaining bracket for the hard drive, lost one of the grommets, and doubled up on a different grommet. If it wasn’t for Reza’s coaching I wouldn’t have been able to fix those mistakes.”
–Abe from Walnut
Reza and Abe lost by only a few seconds.
Despite not being as fast as Team #1, all four members of the losing teams still received a Seagate SSHD as a consolation prize. With their reward in tow, the runners-up joined the rest of the crowd as they witnessed a head-to-head competition between both members of the winning team to see who would go home with the PS4.
Teammates only a mere moment ago, Francis and Daniel were now rivals battling for the world’s most coveted gaming console. Nobody was blindfolded this time around and the race to the finish was even faster and just as close as the first one. Unfortunately, as epic as the final round of the Install THIS! Build Challenge was, there could only be one winner.
Daniel proved to the crowd that he was indeed the fastest builder when he beat Francis by only 15 seconds. Needless to say, he was very happy to be the sole winner.
“I lucked out in the first round because the grommets didn’t fall off. I think not seeing helped me to not drop them. I don’t have a PS4 so I couldn’t practice before the event, and my roommate has a PS3 but it’s very different. But, I know how to build computers and I guess it helped me win. I was very happy when I won the SSHD in the first round because my hard drive just went out, but now I plan on just keeping it in the PS4 and buying another one from Newegg. This PS4 is going right where my roommates PS3 currently is.”
–Daniel from Pomona
Francis, who traveled all the way from Victorville and was fortunate enough to be selected as one of the contestants, was content with winning second place because he didn’t go home empty-handed.
“I work in the IT field so I’m used to talking people through working on their computer, but this challenge was more difficult than I thought it would be. Giving Daniel instructions during the first round may seem like it was an advantage to him, but he was blindfolded and I’m the one that saw how to do it. I don’t think I lost today and came out a winner with a new SSHD. I’m going to upgrade my current tower and maybe create a multimedia server with it later on.”
–Francis from Victorville
Francis coached Daniel through the first round and lost to him in the finale.
Even though six people won a Seagate SSHD and only one of them took home the grand prize, Newegg TV was generous and raffled away plenty of prizes to many customers in attendance. As an added bonus, Seagate also provided goodie bags for the people in attendance. Overall, the Install THIS! Build Challenge proved to be a huge success.
This event wasn’t the first to be held at the City of Industry Hybrid Center, but it was definitely one of the most successful. In the past we’ve had exclusive launch events, video game competitions, and plenty of food trucks, and our customers are spreading the word about how fun these events can be. If you want to be one of the first to know about the next Newegg Hybrid Center event, follow us on Twitter and like us on Facebook for updates. You never know, the next Install THIS! Build Challenge winner could be you!
