Purchase Laptop

[Spaniel]

My son will be going to college in the USA in June andl will need a new laptop. Not sure what model but generally would it be cheaper to buy one here, Thailand, or in the US?

[Prakanong]

If I was you I would get it in the USA if only for warranty issues etc.

I do not see Thailand as cheaper for laptops at all which would be the only reason to purchase one there if you were going to be using it the majority of the time in another country.

[justwilliam]

If you are looking for one of the global brands such as HP, I don't think the prices on average are too different between the US and Thailand. I bought my most recent HP laptop in the US last October, and I have seen it here for the same price or even less (I have also seen it at a higher price, so you would be advised to shop around anyway).

However, while not wishing to be disagreeable (Prakanong), I was in Fortune IT Mall in Bangkok last week and was quite surprised at the low prices of many laptops. Now they may have been "last year's" models, or otherwise of modest specification, but they were inexpensive. If you are looking for the cheapest, I suggest you check them out.

The issue of warranty is important, but again, if you buy a global brand, they will probably honour the warranty. This has been my personal experience with both Dell and HP, who have honoured my US warranties here in Thailand. In addition to warranty, there is the issue of on-line and telephone-based support capability. If your son will need telephone support in the Thai language, it might be preferable to buy here in Thailand.

And one last point, operating system. If you buy in the US you will certainly have a fully licensed copy of the operating system. If you buy in Thailand, you need to take care with this item. The inexpensive laptops here may have unlicensed copies of Windows. While you can circumvent this issue, it is another form of hassle for your son.

[Prakanong]

I will admit the only prices I have seen in Thailand for laptops have been in the press and obviously they will be the latest models from global brands like HP etc.

The bottom end models have seen in Singapore ie Acer with Celereon processor etc are running at just below 1000 SGD or about 22000 THB which is the same as the offers I have been getting emailed from the UK recently too.

[lomatopo]

First check with the college/university to see what they offer/require. Then identify ~ 5 models which meet your requirements then start comparing prices, while valuing currencies. I'd say you'll get a better price in the U.S.A. on all but the lowest tier manufacturers/models. Obviously the warranties need to be added in to the mix.

[Veazer]

I would personally go for a Dell in the USA with the "complete care" warranty or whatever it is called now. I foolishly purchased a Dell with just a one year warranty and it died shortly after the waranty expired and there's not much I can do except try to get parts shipped over.

My ex-boss had the complete care package and they came to his house when anything went wrong, even in Chiang Mai. You should be able to get a 3-4 year home repair warranty for around $300.

[monty]

I will admit the only prices I have seen in Thailand for laptops have been in the press and obviously they will be the latest models from global brands like HP etc.

The bottom end models have seen in Singapore ie Acer with Celereon processor etc are running at just below 1000 SGD or about 22000 THB which is the same as the offers I have been getting emailed from the UK recently too.

Bottom end laptops (most notably Acers and Compaq's) are 20,000 Baht. For just a few thousand Baht more (+- 25000 Baht) you already can get quite nice specs.

If you decide to buy here, make sure the power brick can handle the 110 Volt used in the US. Most will, but better safe then sorry so double check...

Example: http://www.shop4thai.com/en/product/20868/

This is the on-line price at shop4Thai, you can find it under 20,000 in most IT centers...

Not sure, but on the Acers international warranty might cost a bit more...