Buying a desktop computer

[jackie45 0]

Coming to Pattaya for 6 months. Considering buying a desktop computer in LOS for email & web browsing. No games or elaborate music requirements. Alternative is to bring an older laptop from the USA.

Suggestions on where to purchase most appreciated, as well as budget estimates for the usual desktop configuration.

Finally, when I leave in 6 months is there a secondary market for computers among expats? Thanks.

[cybers1b 8]

Coming to Pattaya for 6 months.  Considering buying a desktop computer in LOS for email & web browsing.  No games or elaborate music requirements.  Alternative is to bring an older laptop from the USA.

Suggestions on where to purchase most appreciated, as well as budget estimates for the usual desktop configuration.

Finally, when I leave in 6 months is there a secondary market for computers among expats?  Thanks.

There are several IT Malls in Bangkok:

 

1) Panthip Plaza - around the corner from World Trade Center - this i the biggest of all them and you will find it easily - any taxi driver will know where it is.

 

2) Fortune Town IT - at the Fortune Tower - also easy to find and getting more popular very fast.

 

3) Zeer Rangist IT - near the Airport (about 50 Baht with a Taxi from the Airport - also well known among the taxi drivers)

 

4) IT Section in the MBK Mall - http://www.mbk-center.com

 

5) For people who want english speaking assistance and a good after sales service (which is not quite common in thailand) Bangkok Computers (partly farang owned) http://www.bangkok-computers.com

 

6) if you just want to order the stuff online: http://www.pantipprice.com/

 

for PATTAYA:

 

you can try out this Mall - they are in Sri Racha and I think that they also have a branch somewhere in Pattaya:

 

TUKCOM.COM - http://www.tukcom.com/

 

the link to the location map to the pattaya branch is http://www.tukcom.com/images/pattaya_map.jpg

 

but i never saw the pattayabranch so i don't know if it is still there and if it is any good.

 

hope this helps

cheers

cyber

[SunnyValentine 173]

Tuk.com in Pattaya is expected to open sometime in November. It will be on South Pattaya Road, near the Day-Night Hotel.

All the Big Supermarkets have PC, of variying Quality, and the staff is usually clueless. I very much doubt that they have any kind of after-sales Service at all. Prices are ok, though.

There is also Liberty Computers on Second Road, farang owned, I have not bought there, but heard they are ok.

I doubt there is much of a second Hand Market, well, there is the Cashconcerter at Carrefour, and I see classifieds in both Weekly Papers, though I doubt you can sell quick through these.

I would go for a Laptop anytime!

 

Sunny

[ClitPirate 0]

As a side note the Zeer Center is part of the Asia Airport Hotel complex so look for the Hotel Sign and you'll find it that way. Be aware that you need to underpass after the hotel to get back on that side of the frontage road. Good DVD/CD in the top floor and one fo the cheapest mobile mall in BKK on the first floor. Food court in the basement.

 

Another good place to look is a the BIG mall complex just north of Zeer. Future Park. There are, was last month, a few computer sotores there. Totally Thai!

 

http://www.futurepark.com/ is the link for that one!

[cybers1b 8]

As a side note the Zeer Center is part of the Asia Airport Hotel complex so look for the Hotel Sign and you'll find it that way.  Be aware that you need to underpass after the hotel to get back on that side of the frontage road.  Good DVD/CD in the top floor and one fo the cheapest mobile mall in BKK on the first floor. Food court in the basement.

 

Another good place to look is a the BIG mall complex just north of Zeer.  Future Park. There are, was last month, a few computer sotores there.  Totally Thai! 

 

http://www.futurepark.com/  is the link for that one!

 

By the way can some one tell me where this came from

****************  McAfee VirusScan ************************

******* Alert generated at: Fri, 17 Sep 2004 18:16:15 -1000 *********

*********************************************************************

 

McAfee VirusScan has detected a potential threat in this e-mail

sent by schendl@loxinfo.co.th.

The following actions were attempted on each suspicious part.

We strongly recommend that you report this virus-related activity

to schendl@loxinfo.co.th.

 

 

The attachment "archive.pif" is infected with the W32/Netsky.p@MM Virus(es).

This attachment has been cleaned.

If anybody recognises scheld@loxinf.co.th as a source of gay porn.

I can tell you - it came from scheld@loxinf.co.th

by the way, Future Rangsit is well frequenbted by farangs - becuase of it's location near to the airport and 3 big international schools so i don't know what "totally thai" was supposed to mean?

 

cheers

cyber

[cybers1b 8]

Loxinfo people are after the perosn above as the send out virus laden porn.  They have a picture from some web site!

sounds like you think that the email belongs to me? I am afraid I have to dissapoint you I would not use another provider in Thailand then the one I work for and loxinfo ain't the one. And if you seldom see farangs in Future Rangsit - get glasses

 

cheers

cyber

[ClitPirate 0]

Hey 45...

Here is good link with lots of info on IT places. Just think after you go to Pantip you can catch a cab do New Petch a bit and hit one of many soapies. I need a good soapie after leaving that place. Especially if I hit the Thieves Market in Pratunam, just across the street by the tall hotel. (watch your wallet and cell phone over there)

http://www.bangkokbob.net/pantip.html

[BigDUSA 71]

I would bring the older laptop and forget about buying a computer in LOS. Prices are higher in LOS and you will take a big hit trying to sell off your nearly new computer.

[cybers1b 8]

I would bring the older laptop and forget about buying a computer in LOS. Prices are higher in LOS and you will take a big hit trying to sell off your nearly new computer.

BigD - you can get a good Desktop system for less money then in Europe or the US if you know computers a bit - some of the no name brands use the same hardware as the big and expensive brands. It is not said that a Computer in Thailand has to be more expensive then back Home.

 

cheers

cyber

[ClitPirate 0]

Since most notebooks are not made in LOS they get nipped on the duty bud pretty well. I have brought a couple of computers for my BKK Darlings two very bright kids. Both honors students one at the Business University on Sukhumvit and the other at the private school in Rangsit where half the day is done in English. Both kids opted for U.S. mobiles that didn't use Thai script. (I payed again) Only can SMS with friends in english!

 

Buy a Laptop at home and you have no problem. If you need Thai there is subscript that I believe has a keyboard overlay. I think that's what they did the Sony Vaio's the girls got at the start of school this year. Its funny how I have been letting them each borrow my two Sony's.

 

But do visit the places on the list. Particularly Future Park. Anybody whom says its hard to get to is totally wrong as the mini bus system services the Center. If you need directions there best to ask teenages as you'll have a better chance to get an answer in english. You won't see many Farang at the place.

http://www.bangkokbob.net/microbus_routes.html

Micro Bus route map url, its bus number 26 and has Air Con and TV (most anyway)

Very cheap, only 40 baht. Can cover the same distance that would be a 500 baht cab ride w/tip.

[irishman 0]

Jackie45,

 

I would second BigDUSA's advice about bringing your old laptop with you. You don't need much for email and the internet connections are slow enough to discourage use. (That may change now as ADSL is coming more common)

 

The secondary market is almost non exhistant.

 

Cyber,

 

You are usually fairly right on but in this case you are way off base. I'm not sure when the last time you have done any comparison shopping for computers in the States but I have done a bit lately and believe me, you can get almost double the value for the same money when you buy in the US. I just bought the GF a desk top computer in Pattaya that was built from components and after shopping in BKK at Pantip and other places. I wanted her to have it for school so I couldn't wait until I returned. If I could have waited until I reterned, I could have had double the memory, twice the HD size, a faster and better CPU, and a DVD-RW/CD-RW for the same price as I paid in Pattaya after shopping around there for two weeks.

 

There is no place like FRY's and CompUsa when they have their sales (every week) here in the States.

 

Cheers

[cybers1b 8]

Jackie45,

 

I would second BigDUSA's advice about bringing your old laptop with you. You don't need much for email and the internet connections are slow enough to discourage use. (That may change now as ADSL is coming more common)

 

The secondary market is almost non exhistant.

 

Cyber,

 

You are usually fairly right on but in this case you are way off base. I'm not sure when the last time you have done any comparison shopping for computers in the States but I have done a bit lately and believe me, you can get almost double the value for the same money when you buy in the US. I just bought the GF a desk top computer in Pattaya that was built from components and after shopping in BKK at Pantip and other places. I wanted her to have it for school so I couldn't wait until I returned. If I could have waited until I reterned, I could have had double the memory, twice the HD size, a faster and better CPU, and a DVD-RW/CD-RW for the same price as I paid in Pattaya after shopping around there for two weeks.

 

There is no place like FRY's and CompUsa when they have their sales (every week) here in the States.

 

Cheers

I have never bought a computer in the US - so I guess you are right

 

But Pattaya is still more expensive then Bangkok.

 

Let's put a price on it. You can buy a Desktop with a 60GB HD, 512 MB Memory, Modem, 10/100 LAN, 3D grafics card, DVD Drive, Fairly good Soundcard, Speakers and a 17" Monitor for 16,500 Baht at Panthip (Hyundai/Frok Brand - the HD is seagate, the grafics are gforce, dvd is samsung) - Hyundai/Frok has a promotion (ok, they had in july, maybe not anymore) on which they gave you a free 256MB USB Minidrive for free on top (i have seen them for about 3000 Baht). I would still consider this a good price, even though I have really no idea about the prices in the US. I must admit that.

 

cheers

cyber

[SunnyValentine 173]

From my window-shopping experience I can tell that you get quite good offers on Computers in Thailand, but only if you don't need the most advanced stuff.

For the high end Models the prices here are ridiculous, but for the regular ones (those that could have been high-end 2 Years ago) you can get competitive prices if you shop around.

 

Sunny

[cybers1b 8]

Sunny is right about that one, the newest state of the art equipment is pricy in thailand. But for the requirements that where mentioned above with no need for fancy features, I think that you can get a better offer here then back home. But maybe the stuff is reall that much cheaper in the US.

 

cheers

cyber

[Rex7777 0]

For what it's worth, I'd buy a low priced laptop here in the US and just bring it along. You can get a decent one for around $1,000.

 

Rex

[BigDUSA 71]

I've seen decent laptops at Best Buy for $700USD. Brand new in the box. Many products in the US are way cheaper then in other countries including the country they are made in.