Buy A Computer In The Usa Or Buy One In Thailand

[midlifecrisis]

When I leave the USA next year, I will give my old desktop to my son.

The question for me is, do I buy a laptop in the states or wait until I get to Thailand and buy one there.

The upside to buying in the states is I can use it now, load my programs, etc.

The one downside I can think of is I will need an electrical adapter for power.

Curious as to what you expats think on the subject.

[dave_boo]

The price differential is not that large to sway you either way. Don't worry about purchasing the adapter UNLESS the laptop is 110 only; most are 110-220.

I usually recommend people to get a Dell in the States unless they're moving permanently to LOS. Getting a Dell get's you an international warranty and it's fairly inexpensive for what you're getting. The ability to customise it online sure beats running around looking for a laptop that meets your expectations or modifying your expectations to meet the available laptops.

[thunder30101]

Usually i would recommend buying here for the warranty and service availible, but coming next year ? buy it there you only get a one year warranty anyway and it will be about up by the time you get here and you get the fun of a new computer till then. very little difference in prices, all electronics now are 110-240 volt transformers. Personally i wouldnt buy a dell look at their cutomer service problems the last few years, they lost their edge when micheal dell went partying, kinda like gateway and i def dont like any company with proprietary systems.

[wildoates]

I moved here 2 years ago, I brought a Dell with a 3 year warrenty, have had to have things fixed 2 times here with no problems. When you move you get the warrenty changed to here, I call them and they come running. I even moved to the Northeast and they sent a man here to fix it. Dell's are much cheaper in the States than here and it all works out well.

[longball53098]

I've read reports that Dell's service here on a laptop is not very good on the Inspiron line but no problem for the Latitude.

Power is a non issue as all power packs are universal for voltage but you may need a plug adapter depending on where you want to plug it in.

You can get better deals on Dell in the US than here and as stated you have the time to use it there and get it set up the way you want it. I bought my Inspiron before I moved here 3 plus years ago. Hard drive crashed 2 years ago and no trouble replacing it here. Machine has run well now for 2 years except for my blunders installing and removing software.

Next machine will be a desktop as I live here full time now.

[Bahookie]

I'd get it back home. It is hard to get one without the squiggly Thai writing on it in Thailand.

[spacefruit]

I'd get it back home. It is hard to get one without the squiggly Thai writing on it in Thailand.

Aggree, get one in USA. The customer service in US is second to none in terms of what the customer demands, (and gets) up front. Usualy better spec and of course as has been mentionsed a proper keyboard.

Higher end Sony's are particularly worth getting in USA.

(I know, I know, they come stuffed with bloat, but I am a sucker for them - except I just got a mac....another story)

[MeetJohnDoe]

would definitely buy in the states...bigger selection, custom build options, and cheaper prices (especially on higher-end models). as mentioned, just make sure it's 110-220 (most are as businessmen travel around the world) and has international warranty with service center in Thailand (ACER, Sony, HP, Toshiba, Apple) are main notebook brands in Thai so would stick to these brands).

Buy it a couple 3-4 months before coming over and break it in...any problems will show up early in use and so have time for USA service or replacement.

Edited April 14, 2009 by MeetJohnDoe

[gandalfthewhite]

I would definitely consider buying a notebook in USA rather than Thailand, bsically for two reasons:

1. Probably 15-20% cheaper in USA than Thailand.

2. Original software, including ORIGINAL (not copy) of Windows Operating System.

[BEENTHEREDONETHAT]

Yes get it in the states, the thai software will drive you nuts and most likely be a copy.

My wife bought one here and it is a pain in the butt.

[PattayaParent]

I bought a DELL in US and it only had a local US warranty.

However the local Thai DELL were very helpful to me in determining the problem even though it is a machine not available in Thailand and the US DELL were extremely helpful in getting it fixed.

For after sales service I'd recommend them as nothing was too much trouble for them but it seems I have (not had as it's recurred again) a common problem associated with DELL, the vga card.

So if you're going to get any make, get one that sells the same model in Thailand and get an International Warranty.

But why do you want to buy a laptop here? A desktop would be much cheaper.

[MTH]

I would also recommend buying it back in the US and test it out before you're coming over. I have hand carried two desktops and one 19" LCD monitor over as the pricing is quite a bit lower in the states. It was on three separate trips though... and the first desktop was a SFF that fit in my carry on. For the second desktop, I did buy the case and power supply over here in Thailand. Everything else was bought from newegg, my favorite shopping site for computer parts. Currently I subscribe to deals from buy dot com, and I get about 4-5 email a week, with great deals on refurbished laptops and other stuff. If you're not worried about refurbished equipment, you get them for about half the price of a new one. This is the route I'm considering when my current laptop is due for a replacement.