Laptop Prices

[nycbkk]

Quick question...I'm in the market to buy a new laptop computer.

Am I better off buying it in the US or at Panthip Plaza? It's been a while since I've been in Panthip so I'm not sure on comparable prices...

Here I can get a P4 3 ghz, 512MB RAM, 60GB HD, 15 inch screen, 64MB video card, and dvd burner for about $1500 from Dell.

Can I get something like that cheaper in BKK? Do you know if I buy from Dell here if I can get it serviced under warranty in Thailand in the event of a problem?

I'm likely going to be in Thailand for a couple of years as of next month!

Thanks.

[siam]

NYC,I had the same dilemma,but decided to buy on the net,

bought a Sony Vaio,2.8 chip,512 ram upgradable to 1024,fire wire,60 gb,cd burner,15 inch lcd display,for £850 refurbed,just look on ebay,the same laptop from a retailer would of set me back £1400.

[Richard-BKK]

Hello Nycbkk,

Did you try http://www.dell.co.th

With kind regards,

Richard

[nycbkk]

Thanks for the input. Already checked Dell Thailand site and it seems that they only have some older Dell Laptop models...strange...

However, the ebay lead is a good one...I think I may have found a great deal on a Sony.

Thanks for the help!

[siam]

Hi I bought mine from a company on ebay called Sonystyle,I did a check on them and they are actually the Sony company themselves selling the Laptops and comps that are refurbed under warranty,brand new models,You even get to get a new warranty on the item as well,

I got a cracking deal,as i said £850,But i bought the firewire card and router box for an extra £100 from the USA,

[joinme2leave]

i reckon .. the original post was NOT 100% answered.

agree with any ebay deal (and one can be lucky or not) ...

but - once again - could it be CHEAPER to buy a laptop at Panthip? (e.g. VAIO)

are there any experienced Panthip buyers on thaivisa who do also know about Panthip sellers guarantee service (I think this might be a stupid question )

[ovenman]

I haven't priced laptop computers lately but in general, quality electronics are more expensive in Thailand than they are in the US.

[CTM]

Generally notebooks are much more expensive in Thailand with slower CPU, less memory, etc too.

Buy in the US is better. Just ask if the warranty is good in Thailand. Call the manufacturer and read the manual. Most sales people won't know.

Also, make sure it is dual currency. Some companies will make you buy a different AC adapter for international use. Pain to carry and can be expensive($100+).

[dthomasss]

Laptops are considerably more expensive here in BKK and the latest state-of-the-art units seem to lag by about 6 months or more.

For example, I bought my HP in the USA last April (2003) before moving here. It has a 40 gig HD, 512 megs ram, Athlon XP2000 processor, 32 megs shared ATI video, 15" screen, DVD=CDR combo drive. With rebate I got it for $959 (39,000 baht) at Best Buy. The same setup here would run about 79,000 baht or more.

Definitely buy before coming here!

[drummer]

Dell actually sells their overstock on eBay. You can get warrantied Dell computers that way.

[Phil Conners]

Y'all talk about Ebay ... but have any of you actually bought computers on Ebay and have them delivered here in Thailand? Experiences?

[drummer]

Good point. I'm not in Thailand yet. I bought mine @ Frye's Electronics, anyway. Things are more expensive in BKK, but you can always just head down to Singapore - You'll prolly save in the long run - travel expenses and everything.

[skycop51]

Am wondering not much mentioned about the power problem. I intend on buying a lap top...when I get ready to come over. Dual powered is the way to go correct?

What about tv, I own many dvd's and know I will need a multi system tv/dvd player right!

Real concerned, power appears to be problematic. I have lived there but it was a long time ago.

Looking forward to retiring there.

My best,

Bill

[Crushdepth]

If you want to buy a Dell, buy it in the US you will get a better deal (Dell Thailand is a million miles behind and have a very limited range of stuff). Dell does offer extended servicing plans etc here (see their website, but I wonder what happens if you need a part they don't have in stock ?). However, if you want to buy something else you really need to decide on a set of specs or particular model so you can make an objective comparison and then start shopping around.

Someone else asked if Pantip operators honour guarantees. Like everything else, some of them do and some of them don't. We've never had a problem (apart from intermittent faults that suddenly start working when you turn up to the service centre !) but then we deal with a limited number of shops that we know are straight.

One thing about getting stuff sent to you from overseas: The customs department is as corrupt as ######, and they are highly likely to impound anything and everything valuable looking until you pay duty on it. So if you want to ebay it may be a good idea to get it shipped to you in the US and then bring it with you on your flight.

[Sunny Valentine]

I bought a Dell in Europe to bring it to Thailand. The sales Department strongly advised me to buy a Latitude Model, as only these are serviced in Thailand.

Might be a good idea to check this first hand!

Sunny

[bkk_mike]

Dual powered is the way to go correct?

What about tv, I own many dvd's and know I will need a multi system tv/dvd player right!

Thailand is basically 220v. Most laptops can handle 110-250v, but you need to check when buying.

As for DVDs, buying multi-region players is actually a lot easier outside of the US in general. (basically because movies tend to come out first in the U.S. so less reason for locals to have multi-region players- and, let's be honest, Americans tend to not travel much to other countries. - Also, Asia has a hodge-podge of different region codes (Thailand is a different region from China, which is a different region from Japan, which is a different region from Australia), which means that multi-region players have more demand here. (In the UK - you get multi-region players, but mainly to allow the playing of US discs because movies are out in the US first. - Here, there is the additional reason to let ethnic Chinese to play Chinese discs, regardless of which country they are in).

You don't generally need a multi-standard TV though, so long as your DVD player handles standard conversion. - i.e. Most DVD players nowadays will convert the NTSC signal on the disc to PAL before sending it to the TV. (but you should check the box when buying - although even there, most modern TVs can handle a non-PAL signal anyway, so long as it's coming on the composite / component / S-Video inputs).