Where To Buy State Of The Art Pc

[stat]

Where can I buy a decent rig in Pattaya. Watana offers only HP preconfigured "junk" with double price tag. Tuk.com has good prices but staff does not speak english or extremely little english, does not have websites or website with no prices... Tried for 30 minutes to get an email adress from one of the vendors to no avail.

I will travel for my visa run could go anyplace with the benefit of saving some money. Thinking about Singapore, Hong Kong, Taiwan or China.

Looking for a rig with Sandy Bridge CPU along with a stepping 3 Motherboard GTX 570, ssd etc

Would transport the rig then via plane back to Thailand any experiences on transporting a desktop pc in a suitcase in terms of thai customs?

Thank you!

[garyh]

If Thai Customs believe it is Secondhand they will not want duty, perhaps take an old case with you and get the PC built into old case then transfer to new case in Thailand. Keep in mind too baggage handlers are always in a hurry and throw bags. If you can use the airlines fragile baggage service if they have one.

[Langsuan Man]

I think it is not going to save you as much money as you think

Go back to Tukcom and on the fourth floor in the back ( away from the up escalator) on the left hand side you will find a shop that has a bunch of PC cases on display. The people there are Indian (Sikh)and speak excellent English and have access to the most up to date processors, video cards, and other components

Have them build you a computer and they will repair and warranty it

If you are worried about pricing just go to one of the online computer vendors listed here at Thai Visa and compare prices and I am sure you will find that Tukcom prices are competitive

Getting a non branded computer somewhere you do a visa run will not give you any warranty and why even take a chance with Thai Customs

Good luck and happy computing

[bkksw]

I don't think you'd save anything at all buying in Singapore or that availability is that much better. You might save 5-10% on stateside prices which are more than negated by shipping costs.

It's mostly a matter of knowing what to buy and where to buy it. Thailand generally has a very good selection of high end parts, but they can be 3-6 months behind western countries on availability.

Here is a recent computer build on one type of high-end system, each component is discussed and weighed and it's indicated if locally available or not. Something like this is much better for a myriad of reasons over a store bought HP or Dell. If you like I can go more into detail as to why.

[fantuzi]

The best ,the latest and cheapest - in US.You can bring it in hand,as hand luggage,just discard cartoon.Thai customs? - not a problem,dont tell them about your price!

[prism]

Take a trip up to Bangkok and go to Panthip IT Plaza. There's several higher-end shops that are worth a look. Give yourself plenty of time. Also, look into the bug that's effecting the Sandy Bridge's chipsets. Might be a short while before the bug-free versions become available.

Edited February 24, 2011 by prism

[raylo]

Never had a problem with Thai customs when bringing in via personal luggage.

If you want some satisfaction and are savvy enough you can build it yourself for best performance for your baht / dollar

whatever. Then you are better off size wise bringing the bits in and personally assembling with a locally purchased case

If you cant make the luggage allowance do not bring in as unaccompanied luggage as that means you have to pick

up from the Cargo terminal and they will be looking for customs duty. If you dont speak Thai the chances are

you're going to get ripped off by using an agent.

In Thailand the option exists of picking up the bits and getting a shop like in PanTip to assemble

Warranty you ae covered for all individual parts by the individual sellers so if you have an issue

you need to be able to fault find and if you purchase overseas you have to go back and be prepared to wait.

Thailand: You can't beat Pan Tip in Pratunam. Fortune Town is very limited and Shinawatras palace out Don Muang is worse

Remember a lot of the shops have single ownership and therfore non competetive between themselves. It is easy to work out

which ones.

Singapore: Sim Lim near Bugis and work your way through the 2-4th floors checking the posted price lists

Hong Kong: 2 choices Wan Chai or Kowloon. Best pricing in the region but same as the others you have to price

compare and usually buy from individual shops. Go at the wrong time and it is like being in a tumble dryer.

With all 3 you need to shop around between individual shops. I have usually ended buying components

seperately as quite often the shops even next door to each other will not be competitive. That is:

Memory cheaper here, CPU there, M/B there and so on.

For price comparisons I use an Australian website: Umart.com.au

That way I know I am getting a good price. There are plenty of other websites but not as easy to read and use for cost

comparisons.

Of course you could always take the easy way out and sit on a bar stool like the majority of professionals on

this forum.

[Spoonman]

I would not bring in a complete PC due to it possibly being damaged.

Cases are cheap so if you cannot find what you want here in Thailand I would purchase the components then have it assembled here into a locally sourced case.

Flick an email to the forum sponsor InvadeIT, they have always been prompt with replies and offer decent no bullshit advise, they can even assemble it for you.

[stat]

Wow some great advice here!

My problem is I want a 1155 system for the next 3 years so I need one of those Mobos as soon as I they hit the shelve, as I do only have my laptop at the moment. Guess I will try Tuk.com again. I am still wondering why none of the companies in Tuk.com have a decent website with prices. Mid March these boards should be out, but if Thailand is 6 month back then I must change my configuration...

How much cheaper is Pantip than Pattaya and what are my chances of getting a b3 stepping board there as soon as they hit the worldwide market? (supposed to be mid march)

I would pad the complete PC with clothes (in the tower) and outside and take it as cabin luggage with me in a trolley. Other option as some mentioned is to just buy the vital parts and get a case here in Pattaya. Which shop would you guys recommend to built the system. I could do it myself but guess labor is 2 cheap here to bother myself.

One guy mentioned a sikh driven shop with people with good command of english what is the name of this place? BTW I just need some that understand English as so far that he can answer my question and give me his email which the last time did not work out ...

Thanks again for the great advice!

[bkksw]

Wow some great advice here!

My problem is I want a 1155 system for the next 3 years so I need one of those Mobos as soon as I they hit the shelve, as I do only have my laptop at the moment. Guess I will try Tuk.com again. I am still wondering why none of the companies in Tuk.com have a decent website with prices. Mid March these boards should be out, but if Thailand is 6 month back then I must change my configuration...

How much cheaper is Pantip than Pattaya and what are my chances of getting a b3 stepping board there as soon as they hit the worldwide market? (supposed to be mid march)

I would pad the complete PC with clothes (in the tower) and outside and take it as cabin luggage with me in a trolley. Other option as some mentioned is to just buy the vital parts and get a case here in Pattaya. Which shop would you guys recommend to built the system. I could do it myself but guess labor is 2 cheap here to bother myself.

One guy mentioned a sikh driven shop with people with good command of english what is the name of this place? BTW I just need some that understand English as so far that he can answer my question and give me his email which the last time did not work out ...

Thanks again for the great advice!

The 1155 (P67) boards have already been here since their introduction. What you need to make sure of, is if they're post SATA chipset issue..

Almost all vendors in Pantip speak English.

B3 isn't enough to wait for..

[stat]

The 1155 (P67) boards have already been here since their introduction. What you need to make sure of, is if they're post SATA chipset issue..

Almost all vendors in Pantip speak English.

B3 isn't enough to wait for..

B3 Mobos from Gigabyte and Asus should be out beginning of March

Will check next week in Tuk.com if Mobos available...

http://ht4u.net/news/23443_weitere_hersteller_starten_auslieferung_der_b3-chipsaetze/

(Sorry only in German)

[Darrel]

Actually those HP machines arent bad at all for the price. Quiet, cool, quite fast, with well-matched components.They would suit just about any average user who isnt a hard-core gamer or HD video renderer. Most people only use a small fraction of any computer's real capacity.

That said, if I was looking to get a high-end machine then I would make a short-list of compatible parts and buy them in HK whilst on a visa run. I find Pattaya prices to be very high for parts, higher even than in the UK with 20% VAT. The choice is very limited also. Dont buy the case or power supply in HK though. Everything else (mobo, proc, video card, RAM, hard drive, DVD/BD, Windows DVD, cables) will easily fit in your carry-on luggage and as long as you throw away the packing and protect the parts with some bubble wrap you wont be bothered by customs or damage.

Edited February 26, 2011 by Darrel

[raylo]

Actually those HP machines arent bad at all for the price. Quiet, cool, quite fast, with well-matched components.They would suit just about any average user who isnt a hard-core gamer or HD video renderer. Most people only use a small fraction of any computer's real capacity.

That said, if I was looking to get a high-end machine then I would make a short-list of compatible parts and buy them in HK whilst on a visa run. I find Pattaya prices to be very high for parts, higher even than in the UK with 20% VAT. The choice is very limited also. Dont buy the case or power supply in HK though. Everything else (mobo, proc, video card, RAM, hard drive, DVD/BD, Windows DVD, cables) will easily fit in your carry-on luggage and as long as you throw away the packing and protect the parts with some bubble wrap you wont be bothered by customs or damage.

Never been bothered either way. I keep the original packing as it is designed to protect correctly.

Notwithstanding the OP wants a custom high end machine without paying a major manufacturers super premium. HP's are no different than anyone elses and made to a price

to suit mass market sales! When have you ever seen specs like those posted in a shelf machine?

Even high end users never use a machine to the max except as you said with video. Mostly even then it only peaks.

[Spoonman]

Notwithstanding the OP wants a custom high end machine without paying a major manufacturers super premium. HP's are no different than anyone elses and made to a price

to suit mass market sales! When have you ever seen specs like those posted in a shelf machine?

Even high end users never use a machine to the max except as you said with video. Mostly even then it only peaks.

I dont think many companies are marketing sandy PC's just yet but the Dell area 51 will cream the op's specs from a great height.

http://www.dell.com/...e-area51-alx/pd

Edited February 26, 2011 by Spoonman

[Langsuan Man]

Isn't it pretty obvious that the OP is from Pattaya, so why does everyone keep insisting that he go to Panthip in Bankgok first ?

I don't know the name of the Sikh owned shop in Tukcom but follow these directions and you can't go wrong:

Get on the UP escalator at the ground (street level) floor, the next floor will be the one with all the Cell phones, go around and continue on the UP escalator to the next floor, which will the floor that has the entrance to Power Buy and all the camera shops, go around and continue of the UP escalator and get off at that floor

There will be two shops immediately in front of you that sell hardware, turn left and you will see a shop that sells Mac accessories, go towards that shop and then make a right in the corridor and continue straight ahead and you will see the last shop on your left has a whole shelf of Black computer cases in front of you and will have a glass display case that will have a lucite clear computer case on top of it

Go in there and tell them what you want, IF they don't have what you want or are too high, then spend the time and effort to go to Panthip Plaza in Bangkok, but be prepared to walk a long way to the nearest BTS station or sit in traffic waiting, if you drive

[stat]

Actually those HP machines arent bad at all for the price. Quiet, cool, quite fast, with well-matched components.They would suit just about any average user who isnt a hard-core gamer or HD video renderer. Most people only use a small fraction of any computer's real capacity.

That said, if I was looking to get a high-end machine then I would make a short-list of compatible parts and buy them in HK whilst on a visa run. I find Pattaya prices to be very high for parts, higher even than in the UK with 20% VAT. The choice is very limited also. Dont buy the case or power supply in HK though. Everything else (mobo, proc, video card, RAM, hard drive, DVD/BD, Windows DVD, cables) will easily fit in your carry-on luggage and as long as you throw away the packing and protect the parts with some bubble wrap you wont be bothered by customs or damage.

Never been bothered either way. I keep the original packing as it is designed to protect correctly.

Notwithstanding the OP wants a custom high end machine without paying a major manufacturers super premium. HP's are no different than anyone elses and made to a price

to suit mass market sales! When have you ever seen specs like those posted in a shelf machine?

Even high end users never use a machine to the max except as you said with video. Mostly even then it only peaks.

Thanks for your post! Do you have any recommendations in HK shopwise or mall wise, preferably with an internet site. Thanks!

As I am planing to make at least one trip to the mainland. If cheaper there could buy there is well.

I guess warranty is a problem how about counterfeit cpus etc in HK or China.

Thanks!

PS: I want a high end rig so that I can use it 3-5 years without installing new OS for a new computer. Install new Win 7 on rig make backup and install back up every 12 months...

price range 1000-1200€ so more an upscale rig than high end

Edited February 26, 2011 by stat

[clokwise]

Don't bother with Taiwan. These days it's near impossible to find the latest pre-built PCs in Taiwan at the usual sources (3C shops or Guang Hwa Market area). In recent years PC buying in Taiwan has moved to online, typically with 24 hour delivery to your door. The Taipei shops which used to be a magical wonderland of all the latest gear even just a few years ago are now shockingly empty or gone. But if you know exactly what you want, you will find bargains at the computer shops for individual components.

[bkksw]

About importing computer/computer parts.

Thailand's prices are not that much higher than the US, roughly 5-10%. If you consider state tax and shipping they're almost the same. Singapore is actually more than Thailand because their tax is higher.

In any event, the one great thing for consumers in Thailand is they have excellent repair centers. If you have your receipt you can walk into most service centers and walk out minutes later with a new product. I've personally dealt with HTC, Asus, Gigabyte, Logitech, Viewsonic, NEC, Samsung, Kingston, Seagate, Western Digital, HIS (video cards), Intel, OCZ, Pcpowerandcooling, Sythe, and others.., you walk in, they test the part, check your receipt, and walk out with a new whatever. Its fast and easy. No sending stuff in, no hassle.

Now, consider the average computer component is warrantied for 3-5 years.

Even if you saved a few bucks in another country, doubtful when you consider the cost of the ticket, are you willing to give up this sort of warranty service for so little?

[Darrel]

AFAIK most big names offer international warranties. So a HK receipt should do here just as well as a Thai one would.

And no one would suggest travelling to HK just to buy some computer parts (though I might consider taking the bus to Bangkok if I was buying several parts), but the OP did mention combining his purchase with a visa run. If you are going to HK anyway you may as well buy your goodies there and pay less and get a better choice.

[AnnyLing]

Is that you Statist?

[bkksw]

AFAIK most big names offer international warranties. So a HK receipt should do here just as well as a Thai one would.

And no one would suggest travelling to HK just to buy some computer parts (though I might consider taking the bus to Bangkok if I was buying several parts), but the OP did mention combining his purchase with a visa run. If you are going to HK anyway you may as well buy your goodies there and pay less and get a better choice.

Not all big names offer international warranties, in fact most offer separate warranties because different countries have consumer laws affecting the warranty offered.. For instance NEC monitors are warrantied 3 years here, 4 years in the USA.. They are not interchangeable and I've checked on this one.

My experience with computer parts not purchased in Thailand vary. Western Digital for instance was nice enough to explain to me they were in no way obligated to replace my drive, but as a courtesy they'd transfer my warranty just this once. Promise Tech and OCZ and Pcpowerandcooling all made me ship the product to Taiwan for exchange because of the agreement they had worked out with the Thai service centers. Intel made me ship the product all the way back to the states as did Plantronics, XFX, Viewsonic, and some others. USA receipt, USA repair. A Sony product purchased in Singapore was cheerfully repaired here in Thailand using their receipt.

Cameras, you can forget about. Every major camera manufacturer (and this is also the case with most computer part distributors) service center, Nikon, Canon, Olympus, etc.. has an independently operated and funded "Thailand Warranty/Servic Center." IF you buy a camera from a gray/black dealer in MBK with an international warranty and it goes bad, that specific dealer might handle things for you, but the local service center will not. Same deal as in the states where the service centers are privately owned. If you want service at the Thailand Service Center you must have a local receipt AND your "Thailand Warranty Card" included with the camera.

Buying computer and camera stuff is a function of what I do here, so I buy a lot of stuff for myself and others. When I can't get something here I regularly order it from the states knowing full well it probably won't be covered locally. I'll always try and work with the company anyway on the more expensive items, but it's a lot of time and trouble. My guess is less than 10% of what you buy on an international warranty will be covered here, and you often won't find out until you actually walk into a service center and they refuse to serve you, or not. You can't depend on what the dealers tell you.

So, you have to ask yourself, is the more than probable lack of warranty support worth the small amount you might save buying overseas, especially considering the hassle of carrying it, possible custom duties, and associated travel costs? My answer is 'sometimes'. I order stuff not available here knowing full well it won't be covered, but I don't do it to save, I do it for availability. Other items like my NEC monitors, when it came to a baht 120,000 purchase, 20% more (over stateside prices, but shipping would have more than ate up this difference on a heavy monitor) from the local NEC Thailand dealer to get a full warranty on this high failure rate item (monitors).. was more than worth it. If I was in Singapore and wanted a new gadget (like m Sony mp3 player that went bad) I wouldn't hesitate to buy an inexpensive item and take my chances. But I will never buy computer parts (or camera stuff) outside of Thailand to 'save money' knowing what I know about the warranty centers.

[stat]

AFAIK most big names offer international warranties. So a HK receipt should do here just as well as a Thai one would.

And no one would suggest travelling to HK just to buy some computer parts (though I might consider taking the bus to Bangkok if I was buying several parts), but the OP did mention combining his purchase with a visa run. If you are going to HK anyway you may as well buy your goodies there and pay less and get a better choice.

Regarding warranty I have to say that in 2012 I will be anyway in another country so have to rely on international warranty. or do without.

Any recommendations for HK regarding an online shop/service to my hotel or shop I can pickup my stuff?

Thanks!

PS: Will contact invade.it and some guys in Tuk.com for availibily of B3 Stepping Mobos...

[AsiaCheese]

Check with "Pattaya2U", 3rd floor in Tuckcom, continue more or less straight on from the escalators to the back. The boss (guy with ponytail) speaks English, and the shop is generally top-notch. Bought my desktop system there, upgraded bits & pieces over time, and had several notebooks repaired there too. Very good service!

For the record: I recommended Pattaya2U in another post regarding notebook repair -- but I'm in no way affiliated with them

[SurfRider]

,

I'd suggest Khun Gong at Banana IT at TukCom -- he has 7 years experience building PCs -- has the latest gear and his English is good.

He built a custom PC for me recently as well as several for a couple of friends who are super-high-tekkies.

The Banana shop is on the 3rd or 4th floor - as you get off the escalator, do a "U" turn to the right and the shop is a few feet down on your left.

Ask for Khun Gong - They also have apprentices, so accept no substitutes!

.

[TimeBandit2]

The problem with socket 1155 is a big deal. Basically, all socket 1155 motherboards are defective and have been recalled by Intel.

It's costing Intel billions, and even sites like Newegg.com in the US don't have socket 1155 boards in stock. Check for yourself - all they have are "open box" customer returns.

You'll have to wait, or go with the six core AMD Thuban, which (when running multithreaded code) keep up pretty well. Look at the benchmarks for yourself.

The GTX570 is sweet though aye?

I agree with the rest that it's better to just source your components locally. Check out www.jedicool.com and www.hwhinter.com for a price guide.

Edit: If you do with socket 1155, remember to go with P67, not H67 and the 'k' Sandy Bridge not the normal one. Example: 2500k NOT 2500.

You probably already know that and why it's important but I thought I'd mention it anyway in case you didn't.

Edited March 1, 2011 by TimeBandit2

[stat]

The problem with socket 1155 is a big deal. Basically, all socket 1155 motherboards are defective and have been recalled by Intel.

It's costing Intel billions, and even sites like Newegg.com in the US don't have socket 1155 boards in stock. Check for yourself - all they have are "open box" customer returns.

You'll have to wait, or go with the six core AMD Thuban, which (when running multithreaded code) keep up pretty well. Look at the benchmarks for yourself.

The GTX570 is sweet though aye?

I agree with the rest that it's better to just source your components locally. Check out www.jedicool.com and www.hwhinter.com for a price guide.

Edit: If you do with socket 1155, remember to go with P67, not H67 and the 'k' Sandy Bridge not the normal one. Example: 2500k NOT 2500.

You probably already know that and why it's important but I thought I'd mention it anyway in case you didn't.

Thank you so much for the jedicool link at last a shop who posts prices online !! The HW link shows only some prices not all so I think but the site is a mixture of Thai and English...

Regarding Sandy Bridge bug that is what I referred to with B3 Stepping in this stepping all the Sata 3gbs are working. I am thinking of buying a mobo with 4 sata6bs so that should be Ok even with the b2 stepping.

[Tywais]

Thank you so much for the jedicool link at last a shop who posts prices online !!

Many of these sites in the pinned topic have prices listed on line. Online computer/electronic stores

[stat]

The problem with socket 1155 is a big deal. Basically, all socket 1155 motherboards are defective and have been recalled by Intel.

It's costing Intel billions, and even sites like Newegg.com in the US don't have socket 1155 boards in stock. Check for yourself - all they have are "open box" customer returns.

You'll have to wait, or go with the six core AMD Thuban, which (when running multithreaded code) keep up pretty well. Look at the benchmarks for yourself.

The GTX570 is sweet though aye?

I agree with the rest that it's better to just source your components locally. Check out www.jedicool.com and www.hwhinter.com for a price guide.

Edit: If you do with socket 1155, remember to go with P67, not H67 and the 'k' Sandy Bridge not the normal one. Example: 2500k NOT 2500.

You probably already know that and why it's important but I thought I'd mention it anyway in case you didn't.

My last option is to buy the rig in Germany

http://www.sunnyhardware.de/assets/s2dmain.html?http://www.sunnyhardware.de/index2.php

despite 19% VAT the rig is much cheaper in Germany than here in Thailand and probably I get the 19% VAT back. Not sure however if that will work as my girlfriend (German) would take the PC with her as luggage.

[TimeBandit2]

Looking at that site, none of the graphics cards offered with the "Komplettsysteme" are as a powerful as a GTX570. That card alone costs B10,000+ so maybe that accounts for the price difference.

Good luck to you,

[powderpuff]

Jedicool are good TKCOM are better. Used them both. Same prices.