Computer City(pantip) Pattaya?

[thaiman]

I hear there is a computer center in Pat similar to pantip in bankok? Where exactly is it?

[Thaifan2]

Yes ,its quite big but a smaller version of Pantip .Its called Tukcom and is on South Pattaya Road ,near friendship supermarket .

[britmaveric]

Can't miss it Big E on the building.

[Weho]

Guide to Tukcom:

(you can print this out for reference)

5th FLOOR: IT City store, has large selection of crap

4th FLOOR: illegal dvd's and pirated software; not one authentic piece for sale.

3rd FLOOR: mostly junk, plus some added crap as a bonus

2nd FLOOR: mostly junk, plus the POWERBY store, which also sells mostly crap

M LEVEL FLOOR: Mobile phone stores: mostly staffed by ageing transvestites with phone knowledge.

GROUND FLOOR: often BLARRING microphone peddlers with ear-shattering announcements;

BASEMENT: Amorn: lots of bad quality products for just about anything; TOPS Market: small selection of bad food.

hope this helps.

[EmCross]

Guide to Tukcom:

(you can print this out for reference)

5th FLOOR: IT City store, has large selection of crap

4th FLOOR: illegal dvd's and pirated software; not one authentic piece for sale.

3rd FLOOR: mostly junk, plus some added crap as a bonus

2nd FLOOR: mostly junk, plus the POWERBY store, which also sells mostly crap

M LEVEL FLOOR: Mobile phone stores: mostly staffed by ageing transvestites with phone knowledge.

GROUND FLOOR: often BLARRING microphone peddlers with ear-shattering announcements;

BASEMENT: Amorn: lots of bad quality products for just about anything; TOPS Market: small selection of bad food.

hope this helps.

Thanks Weho you are obviously a big fan of Tuk-com!

[CHdiver]

Guide to Tukcom:

(you can print this out for reference)

5th FLOOR: IT City store, has large selection of crap

4th FLOOR: illegal dvd's and pirated software; not one authentic piece for sale.

3rd FLOOR: mostly junk, plus some added crap as a bonus

2nd FLOOR: mostly junk, plus the POWERBY store, which also sells mostly crap

M LEVEL FLOOR: Mobile phone stores: mostly staffed by ageing transvestites with phone knowledge.

GROUND FLOOR: often BLARRING microphone peddlers with ear-shattering announcements;

BASEMENT: Amorn: lots of bad quality products for just about anything; TOPS Market: small selection of bad food.

hope this helps.

Xmas blues Weho?

[stevepattaya]

Tuk Com can't reallybe compared to Pantip - its expensive compared to Pantip and has a VERY small selection of goods in comparison ..

[Weho]

Tuk Com can't reallybe compared to Pantip - its expensive compared to Pantip and has a VERY small selection of goods in comparison ..

I agree the prices at Tuk Com can be more expensive than Bangkok, a little, but the selection is really about the same... to suggest Bangkok has more electronics stuff is absurd... Basically, Pantip has more SELLERS, but the stuff is all the same... even for pirated CD's and DVD's, Tuk Com is equal to Bangkok, with the exception of the "Look Maew" store inside M.B.K., it's on the BTS level, about midway back, in one of the cross aisles, on a corner, I think facing an entrance to the parking lot... they have DVD's to order, takes one day, or they will mail them inside Thailand at no extra charge... and they have stuff that NO ONE else has... and the dvd's are always perfect quality... they have lots of documentarys too.

[wpcoe]

A couple of the stores on the 3rd floor are branches of the same stores in Bangkok's Pantip Plaza, with the same reasonable prices: e.g. Hardware House, JIB, M&D.

[Taijitu]

Can't miss it Big E on the building.

Isn't it a big @ ??

[Langsuan Man]

I hear there is a computer center in Pat similar to pantip in bankok? Where exactly is it?

Here is a picture of the outside.

LSM

[edwardandtubs]

I agree that Tuk Com is equal to Pantip in terms of price. I bought a decent monitor that was cheaper than any Pantip seller and a few other computer bits and pieces as cheap as anywhere in Pantip. It's just loads of small retailers packed together so if you don't like the price move on to the next one. There's nothing about Pantip that makes them magically able to offer much lower prices.

[JSixpack]

I agree that Tuk Com is equal to Pantip in terms of price. I bought a decent monitor that was cheaper than any Pantip seller and a few other computer bits and pieces as cheap as anywhere in Pantip. It's just loads of small retailers packed together so if you don't like the price move on to the next one. There's nothing about Pantip that makes them magically able to offer much lower prices.

+1.

However, Panthip does have shops that offer high-end or specialty items of no interest to the average user.

[wpcoe]

What I miss even at the mult-storied Pantip Plaza is a comprehensive D.I.Y. shop like there is in Akihabara in Tokyo, or even on a lesser scale like Fry's Electronics in USA. I just got back from a trip to Japan, and had a small shopping list of things I absolutely could not find in Thailand including a PATA-to-SATA converter to adapt my IDE DVD player to SATA, a high-quality (i.e. quiet with high air-volume) 12cm case fan, a Molex-to-SATA power connector, and flat Ethernet cables (yes, Japan has ultra-thin, flatter than phone wire) in Cat-5, -5e and -6 versions.

I went to two of the larger and more popular DIY shops -- Tukumo and T-Zone -- and to give an example: they both had *dozens* of case fans in various sizes, with well-marked specs on them. Try finding *that* in Thailand!

Another example: Tukumo had an entire aisle (5 meters?) of shelves of nothing but DVD and CD drives -- every brand and model you could think of, some retail boxed sets, other bare-bones. They were not behind locked glass counters, either. You could pick up the box and read the specs unhindered by bored sales clerks. Imagine that!

And, even nicer, is that everything is IN STOCK, not "Sorry, sir. Finish".

Considering how some computer peripherals are manufactured in Thailand, like hard drives, the selection in stores here is quite limited. I realize that many of the hard drives are for export only, but I know that some Japanese electronics firms are able to produce a small quantity of local-branded items for the Thai market based on the for-export Japanese brand names. I bought a "New Zen" brand LCD TV and DVD player a few years ago at Carrefour and when I asked why it was so much cheaper than the big brand names I was told it was the Thai local version produced by the same factories, with the same technology and mostly same parts, as one of the big brand names. I forget now which Japanese company, but at the time I was duly impressed. The sales people showed me the comparable size and feature-set unit from that Japanese brand, and not only the picture, but the onscreen menus were suspiciously similar. The New Zen price, though, was considerably lower.

[JSixpack]

What I miss even at the mult-storied Pantip Plaza is a comprehensive D.I.Y. shop like there is in Akihabara in Tokyo, or even on a lesser scale like Fry's Electronics in USA. \

I hear you! Wouldn't that be great? Love my electronics shopping trips whenever I go bact to the States.

I was told it was the Thai local version produced by the same factories, with the same technology and mostly same parts, as one of the big brand names. I forget now which Japanese company, but at the time I was duly impressed. The sales people showed me the comparable size and feature-set unit from that Japanese brand, and not only the picture, but the onscreen menus were suspiciously similar. The New Zen price, though, was considerably lower.

Maybe, but I made the mistake once of buying one of those local DVD players, persuaded by the salesman (they always try to steer you away from the real Japanese players and to the cheap brands). It has *worked* OK for years, but the firmware is very poor. You can't turn it on via remote, but have to get up and push a button. It doesn't remember where you stopped on particular discs so that you can resume where you left off. I bought a Pioneer after that and it's well worth the premium, being both reliable and smart. No more cheap off-brand DVD players for me.

[Tolley]

Guide to Tukcom:

(you can print this out for reference)

5th FLOOR: IT City store, has large selection of crap

4th FLOOR: illegal dvd's and pirated software; not one authentic piece for sale.

3rd FLOOR: mostly junk, plus some added crap as a bonus

2nd FLOOR: mostly junk, plus the POWERBY store, which also sells mostly crap

M LEVEL FLOOR: Mobile phone stores: mostly staffed by ageing transvestites with phone knowledge.

GROUND FLOOR: often BLARRING microphone peddlers with ear-shattering announcements;

BASEMENT: Amorn: lots of bad quality products for just about anything; TOPS Market: small selection of bad food.

hope this helps.

Nice summary indeed.

[aguy30]

Some of you are whining about Tukcom. Maybe you don't remember a few years ago when there were only a few overpriced and really understocked stores around Pattaya. It is true that Tukcom does not have the variety that can be found at Pantip. Many popular, main stream items are available here. Much of the computer components are not junk, but exactly the same brands and models for motherboards, memory, cpu's and hard drives as found in Tokyo, Taipei, and California.

Tukcom does does have JIB, Hardware House and M&D. JIB and Hardware House are reliable and have their prices on the web. Same prices as for their shops in Pantip.

WARNING, WARNING, WARNING about M&D.

I bought an Epson printer from them and it's usb port failed just before the warranty period ended. I returned it to M&D and after one week, the manager (Max, the big Indian guy with beard and head cover) informed me that there would be a charge for repairs. It would be 1400 baht, 85% of a new unit. A call to Epson confirmed my suspicion that this was a rip off. I returned the printer to an Espon repair shop and they fixed for free in one hour. M&D may have very competitive prices, but I won't buy anything from them ever again. A VERY FEW BAHT MORE WILL GET GOOD SERVICE FROM HARDWARE HOUSE AND JIB.

[Pattaya46]

Hi,

Guide to Tukcom:

5th FLOOR: IT City store, has large selection of crap

4th FLOOR: illegal dvd's and pirated software; not one authentic piece for sale.

3rd FLOOR: mostly junk, plus some added crap as a bonus

...

Nice summary indeed.

I do know that my English is very limited,

but I did not know that "crap" was the English word to define - by instance -

Acer, Compaq, Sony or Toshiba computers...

Your comments about Tukom are ridiculous :

You find here exactly the same things as in other big IT stores : not better, not worse.

Pattaya46

[Phil Conners]

WARNING, WARNING, WARNING about M&D.

I bought an Epson printer from them and it's usb port failed just before the warranty period ended. I returned it to M&D and after one week, the manager (Max, the big Indian guy with beard and head cover) informed me that there would be a charge for repairs. It would be 1400 baht, 85% of a new unit. A call to Epson confirmed my suspicion that this was a rip off. I returned the printer to an Espon repair shop and they fixed for free in one hour. M&D may have very competitive prices, but I won't buy anything from them ever again. A VERY FEW BAHT MORE WILL GET GOOD SERVICE FROM HARDWARE HOUSE AND JIB.

I concur! I have had similar bad experiences with M&D. Max seems to be ok but by his own admission he "just helps out"; the real boss is the cashier who seems to be permanent on PMS.

Anyway, No problem as both Hardware House and JIB have very similar prices and excellent service.

[aguy30]

Max claimed to be the manager. I don't know if M&D is chain store or franchise.

I agree about the lady behind the counter at M&D. She may be a rare variety of spitting viper.

The computer component brands sold at Tukcom include:

Seagate, Western Digital, Hitachi, Kingston, Asus, Gigabyte, MSI, Intel, AMD, Samsung, LG and more.

All are well known around the world and not a crap brand in that group.

[Langsuan Man]

WARNING, WARNING, WARNING about M&D.

I bought an Epson printer from them and it's usb port failed just before the warranty period ended. I returned it to M&D and after one week, the manager (Max, the big Indian guy with beard and head cover) informed me that there would be a charge for repairs. It would be 1400 baht, 85% of a new unit. A call to Epson confirmed my suspicion that this was a rip off. I returned the printer to an Espon repair shop and they fixed for free in one hour. M&D may have very competitive prices, but I won't buy anything from them ever again. A VERY FEW BAHT MORE WILL GET GOOD SERVICE FROM HARDWARE HOUSE AND JIB.

I concur! I have had similar bad experiences with M&D. Max seems to be ok but by his own admission he "just helps out"; the real boss is the cashier who seems to be permanent on PMS.

Anyway, No problem as both Hardware House and JIB have very similar prices and excellent service.

I will echo the sentiment about M&D. I needed some data off an old hard drive, just some addresses and I spent two hours while they tried all kinds of computer programs on the hard drive. I stood there for over an hour and the only answer I could get was 'He be right back"(referring to Max). After another half an hour I just unhooked my hard drive and walked out. Another shop had my data for me in five minutes. Every time I walk past the place I make it a point to scowl at them and will go all the way to Bangkok before I will buy anything from them.

My other rant is the computer shop at the back end of the same aisle, the one that has a white board with their prices and is always busy. I had the specs that my new Intel motherboard required for a power supply and they told me that the cheapest that I could get it for would be 4,000 THB, I told them I would think about it and went to the place that special ordered my Cooler Master, Wave Master case and they sold me a 450 Watt Cooler Master power supply that exceeded the Intel specs for 2,000 THB.

The lesson learned is even with the variety of shops at Tukcom, it pays to check around.

LSM

[v8tfcorty]

hardware house website.

[JSixpack]

Some of you are whining about Tukcom. Maybe you don't remember a few years ago when there were only a few overpriced and really understocked stores around Pattaya.

Hey, I remember well; it was horrible. Let's see, there was arrogant Wattana and indifferent Liberty and (cough) Computer Link . . . . Tukcom is a great blessing. Lots of great stuff there. Almost never have to look for anything in Bangkok now. Obviously some shops are better than others at Tukcom (same as anywhere), but after a few visits you find who's good and all's well.

[aguy30]

Save a trip to Pantip. You can always place an order for what they don't have in stock at JIB and Hardware House in Tukcom. Just check the sites to see what is available before you go downtown.

http://www.jib.co.th/

http://www.hwhinter.com/price.php

[wilko]

I recently had to buy a new laptop so I naturally spent some time cruising the local outlets including Tuk com Pattaya.Firstly I found that the prices in Pattaya on some items were considerably more than in Tuk Com Sri Racha.

I was also very disappointed to find out that although there are many stalls they all stock more or less exactly the same crap - i.e. about a dozen different laptops models in total and about 5 makes - Acer HP/Compaq, Toshiba and Benq..and Sony. This limited range seems to apply to printers, scanners and in fact the whole kit and caboodle....it's just one huge LACK of choice.

mind you I thought Pantip was similar.....

[moo9]

Guide to Tukcom:

(you can print this out for reference)

5th FLOOR: IT City store, has large selection of crap

4th FLOOR: illegal dvd's and pirated software; not one authentic piece for sale.

3rd FLOOR: mostly junk, plus some added crap as a bonus

2nd FLOOR: mostly junk, plus the POWERBY store, which also sells mostly crap

M LEVEL FLOOR: Mobile phone stores: mostly staffed by ageing transvestites with phone knowledge.

GROUND FLOOR: often BLARRING microphone peddlers with ear-shattering announcements;

BASEMENT: Amorn: lots of bad quality products for just about anything; TOPS Market: small selection of bad food.

hope this helps.

Sorry but I fail to understand the ironical undertone out of this post.

They sell what is sold everywhere, whether it is crap or not.

moo9

[timekeeper]

i concur on the Siracha trip, almost everything is cheaper there than in Pattaya, i saved 20,000 baht on exactly the same set of wheels for my car on the best price i could get in Pattaya. save 20K for a trip of 20 miles? yes please, i would walk it for that!

[Tolley]

If you know very little about computers you would probably be very happy at Tukcom.

[wilko]

i concur on the Siracha trip, almost everything is cheaper there than in Pattaya, i saved 20,000 baht on exactly the same set of wheels for my car on the best price i could get in Pattaya. save 20K for a trip of 20 miles? yes please, i would walk it for that!

have I missed something or is that just rather obliquely off topic?

[timekeeper]

looks like you missed something, there is another Tuk Com in Siracha and another contributor stated that it was cheaper in Tuk Com Siracha than for the same goods in Tuk Com Pattaya. i concurred on the computer aspect of being cheaper there as i had saved money on many occasions than i expanded the subject slightly to point out most goods are substantially cheaper in Siracha than in Pattaya and gave a set of alloy wheels as an example of how much cheaper and how much could be saved by going to Siracha. happy now?