Need a laptop for a Thai 20's woman for college

[Old Fool]

30 minutes ago, Yellowtail said:

 

Send her the money

my wife says too..

[Yellowtail]

2 hours ago, Old Fool said:

my wife says too..

 

Two birds with one stone...

 

Don't torment yourself. Money is easy, and everyone is happier. 

 

The important thing is that your DIL love the gift, not that she has the right computer. That it makes your wife happy is a bonus...

[Old Fool]

I figured out what to do.  I can't cheap out on this.  My wife works now, so I can go a little higher on the price.  My DIL works at a boba shop.  I'm going to follow all of the recommended links here and buy a new HP, Asus or equivalent from one of the online shops and send to her work insured.

 

i5, 4 GB ram (expandable), 256 hard drive, 1080p, 14".  I will budget $600 USD/ 19,000 baht.  My local Sam's Club has a 15.6" with 8 GB ram for $650.

 

Thanks for all of the replies.

[Old Fool]

This the one I want.  It's sold out though:

 

https://www.advice.co.th/branch-u084/index.php/product/productdetail/A0136081

[Maha Sarakham]

Any particular reason you don't want to buy her a new laptop from the States and ship it over?  It will cost about $100 to ship but it will be better than anything she can get there and cheaper.  The one thing I hate buying in Thailand is electronics, its all overpriced and the specs are ancient technology compared to similarly priced computers over here.

[shdmn]

4 minutes ago, Maha Sarakham said:

Any particular reason you don't want to buy her a new laptop from the States and ship it over?  It will cost about $100 to ship but it will be better than anything she can get there and cheaper.  The one thing I hate buying in Thailand is electronics, its all overpriced and the specs are ancient technology compared to similarly priced computers over here.

Lazada and Ali Express prices look reasonable to me.  You can also go to the IT malls and get good deals on stuff.  Especially 2nd hand.

[Yellowtail]

4 hours ago, Maha Sarakham said:

Any particular reason you don't want to buy her a new laptop from the States and ship it over?  It will cost about $100 to ship but it will be better than anything she can get there and cheaper.  The one thing I hate buying in Thailand is electronics, its all overpriced and the specs are ancient technology compared to similarly priced computers over here.

 

She will likely need a Thai-English keyboard for one. You can get that in the US but it will not be one of the cheaper offerings...

[Yellowtail]

4 hours ago, Old Fool said:

This the one I want.  It's sold out though:

 

https://www.advice.co.th/branch-u084/index.php/product/productdetail/A0136081

 

Careful, black is bad luck....

 

For that money assuming she has a desktop at home, you might think about an ipad. That's what my boy uses at school. You can order it online, let your wife pick the color and have it engraved...

[Eindhoven]

8 hours ago, Old Fool said:

This the one I want.  It's sold out though:

 

https://www.advice.co.th/branch-u084/index.php/product/productdetail/A0136081

 

 

Hey Old Fool....please pay attention! ????

 

 

 

Quote

Two year on-site warranty. Wide View screen as opposed to a narrow view TN type, Ryzen CPU as opposed to Athlon/Celeron/Pentium. 8GB of RAM as opposed to 4GB, NVMe SSD as opposed to HDD, 720p webcam as opposed to VGA, 3 cell battery as opposed to 2 cell...

 

You would have made a horrible blunder in buying that ACER. Thank goodness it was not in stock.

 

Quote

14.0" 1366x768 (HD), TN, 60Hz, 
Acer ComfyView LED-backlit TFT LCD

 

I actually think the spec might be wrong; but you could hardly complain if they sent her a model with a TN screen. The other thing is...where is the operating system? ????

 

 

[Eindhoven]

8 hours ago, shdmn said:

Lazada and Ali Express prices look reasonable to me.  You can also go to the IT malls and get good deals on stuff.  Especially 2nd hand.

 

IT malls in the USA??

[owl sees all]

I bought a Toshiba 17 months ago from Cockpit in Udon Thani. 8,500 Baht.

 

One gig HD. And other stuff.

 

Run Linux.

[Yellowtail]

15 minutes ago, owl sees all said:

I bought a Toshiba 17 months ago from Cockpit in Udon Thani. 8,500 Baht.

 

One gig HD. And other stuff.

 

Run Linux.

 

Isn't Cockpit a tire store?

[owl sees all]

1 minute ago, Yellowtail said:

 

Isn't Cockpit a tire store?

Could be right there YT. Have to look between the tyres for bargains.

 

In Udon it's a big white and black painted building on the city part of the H2.

[Eindhoven]

1 hour ago, owl sees all said:

I bought a Toshiba 17 months ago from Cockpit in Udon Thani. 8,500 Baht.

 

One gig HD. And other stuff.

 

Run Linux.

 

 

So totally useless to the OP....

[shdmn]

7 hours ago, Eindhoven said:

 

IT malls in the USA??

Thailand

[shdmn]

On 6/16/2021 at 5:34 PM, Lacessit said:

Big C has several in that price range. OfficeWorks also.

 

The problem with online shopping arises when something fails. For a low-cost item, there's not much pain. For something as expensive as a laptop, I would want to be able to go back to an established outlet, not a collection of electrons.

That's a matter of opinion.  Laptops are comodities now with a very low defect rate.  I've bought most of my electronics online for years now including 2 laptops, monitors, motherboards, hard drives etc.  If they don't work you send them back.  I've sent a few things back in the past.  I've never tried with Lazada/Ali Express but Amazon makes it really easy.

[Eindhoven]

3 hours ago, shdmn said:

Thailand

 

The OP is in the USA....

[shdmn]

48 minutes ago, Eindhoven said:

 

The OP is in the USA....

Yes I know.  They asked how to buy a laptop for a Thai and even mentioned local Thai shops. 

[tgw]

On 6/17/2021 at 7:41 AM, clivebaxter said:

I agree with local shop over anything else, they will set the machine up for you and they are there if it develops problems, lazada sellers tend to disappear. I'm taking neighbors kids to look for laptop in Jib or Banana this afternoon, Asus or Lenovo.

 

I've had a couple of bad experiences with Banana, so I'd rather recommend JIB.

[rcuthbert]

On 6/17/2021 at 8:22 AM, Old Fool said:

I'm leaning to new, but now I don't know. 

 

I have a gaming desktop that is about 3 years old.  It's still sick.  I feel that it is probably pretty ok compared to top of line pc's today due to the lack of excitement over the past 8 or so years in the PC industry.  I kind of feel that we are topping out on the real story vs. the BS tech hype.  PC's just aren't advancing like they were prior to 10 years ago.  So now I'm thinking- used like suggested.  Hmm..  I hated used PC's before because of the quick advancement of PC's and the outdated used products being peddled. 

 

Maybe used is ok now like Toyota cars are.  ??? 

 

Maybe a used name brand like Fujita, Dell, HP is the way to go, but the $400 laptop is maybe a two year project here, so I don't know now.  

5 years ago, I bought used Dell note book from a reputable Canadian computer shop for $200 CAD. Since that time, I have had the Motherboard rewritten, and the hard drive replaced. The total cost was approximately 2500 baht. So, for approximately $300 CAD I have had an efficient laptop.

I keep in mind that parts and labor are relatively inexpensive here.

I would look for a Dell with a strong CPU, and at least 5 gigs of ram.

[tgw]

4 hours ago, shdmn said:

That's a matter of opinion.  Laptops are comodities now with a very low defect rate.  I've bought most of my electronics online for years now including 2 laptops, monitors, motherboards, hard drives etc.  If they don't work you send them back.  I've sent a few things back in the past.  I've never tried with Lazada/Ali Express but Amazon makes it really easy.

 

the thing is, with Lazada, the responsibilities are not always very clear.

Normally, Lazada is not your counterparty, but it's the seller of the item, which is not Lazada. That's where many things can go wrong.

 

When Lazada is your counterparty though, then there is less to worry about returns / warranty.

 

But I say why risk it when there are shops like JIB around?

 

[shdmn]

18 minutes ago, rcuthbert said:

5 years ago, I bought used Dell note book from a reputable Canadian computer shop for $200 CAD. Since that time, I have had the Motherboard rewritten, and the hard drive replaced. The total cost was approximately 2500 baht. So, for approximately $300 CAD I have had an efficient laptop.

I keep in mind that parts and labor are relatively inexpensive here.

I would look for a Dell with a strong CPU, and at least 5 gigs of ram.

Not sure what you mean by motherboard rewritten.  You probably mean an OS upgrade.  I know how to do all that stuff myself but its often easier just to let some Thai guy do it for the prices they charge.  They do it all the time and are usually pretty good at it.

[rcuthbert]

21 minutes ago, shdmn said:

Not sure what you mean by motherboard rewritten.  You probably mean an OS upgrade.  I know how to do all that stuff myself but its often easier just to let some Thai guy.  They do it all the time and are usually pretty good at it.

https://www.google.com/search?client=firefox-b-d&q=How+to+fix+motherboard&sa=X&ved=2ahUKEwjOzZ-76abxAhXM73MBHUYVAE4Q1QIwFnoECA4QAQ&biw=1366&bih=598

[shdmn]

20 hours ago, rcuthbert said:

https://www.google.com/search?client=firefox-b-d&q=How+to+fix+motherboard&sa=X&ved=2ahUKEwjOzZ-76abxAhXM73MBHUYVAE4Q1QIwFnoECA4QAQ&biw=1366&bih=598

I know how to replace/fix a motherboard. I don't need people posting a google search of it. ???? 

 

We are talking about laptops btw, not desktops.  It's not the same thing.  You generally don't do that on laptops since it can be a PiTA. That is like replacing the entire laptop.  So generally not cost effective anyways.

[rcuthbert]

37 minutes ago, shdmn said:

I know how to replace/fix a motherboard. I don't need people posting a google search of it. ???? 

 

We are talking about laptops btw, not desktops.  It's not the same thing.  You generally don't do that on laptops since it can be a PiTA. That is like replacing the entire laptop.  So generally not cost effective anyways.

No need for your rudeness; consequently, I have put you on ignore.

 

[impulse]

On 6/20/2021 at 12:09 AM, Eindhoven said:

IT malls in the USA??

 

We call them Best Buys and Walmarts and Office Depots.  Used to be Fry's and Circuit City's, too.  But they went the way of the dodo.

 

[Eindhoven]

3 hours ago, impulse said:

 

We call them Best Buys and Walmarts and Office Depots.  Used to be Fry's and Circuit City's, too.  But they went the way of the dodo.

 

 

I meant the OP is in the USA and the recipient is in Thailand...he will not be buying anything in the USA..... and he won't be browsing IT Malls in Thailand for second hand items....sigh. Seems no one really follows the thread.

[smallgnome]

On 6/17/2021 at 8:22 AM, Old Fool said:

I'm leaning to new, but now I don't know. 

 

I have a gaming desktop that is about 3 years old.  It's still sick.  I feel that it is probably pretty ok compared to top of line pc's today due to the lack of excitement over the past 8 or so years in the PC industry.  I kind of feel that we are topping out on the real story vs. the BS tech hype.  PC's just aren't advancing like they were prior to 10 years ago.  So now I'm thinking- used like suggested.  Hmm..  I hated used PC's before because of the quick advancement of PC's and the outdated used products being peddled. 

 

Maybe used is ok now like Toyota cars are.  ??? 

 

Maybe a used name brand like Fujita, Dell, HP is the way to go, but the $400 laptop is maybe a two year project here, so I don't know now.  

Give the student your 3 year old one and then get yourself something new...That way you know what you are giving the student works fine and you get something new.  I have a 9 year old Sony Vaio that works a charm. Replaced hard drive for 1500 baht, new screen case 4,000 baht, nothing else done in 9 years.  I recently bought a MacBook Air...also nice and faster, but I'll also use the Sony as backup and for MS Word applications...

[Eindhoven]

Just now, smallgnome said:

Give the student your 3 year old one and then get yourself something new...That way you know what you are giving the student works fine and you get something new.  I have a 9 year old Sony Vaio that works a charm. Replaced hard drive for 1500 baht, new screen case 4,000 baht, nothing else done in 9 years.  I recently bought a MacBook Air...also nice and faster, but I'll also use the Sony as backup and for MS Word applications...

 

and how do you propose that he gives the student the old laptop? Send from the USA? What if it stops working after a few months? No warranty and the girl has to pay to fix it out of her own pocket and likely lose the use of it at a critical time. That's why an on-site warranty is best.

Why would a laptop purchased in Thailand not "work fine"?

What does you buying a MacBook Air have to do with this thread?

[greenmonkey]

I would defo buy new locally. I went to Central westgate and got mine - there was a big range to choose from the many IT stores there and prices starting from as little as 10k from memory. They also brought me to a shop that loaded all the apps on that I needed for my work and when I had a problem (virus) they sorted it for me. Also came with a one year guarantee. Not sure why you would even consider a second hand to be honest.