Buy laptop in Europe, HK or Beijing?

[yuet_sien]

Hi everybody,

I will be going to Beijing, at the beginning of February.

My old laptop won't do anymore, so I like to buy a new one (Intel centrino, with DVD writer, card reader, > 3 USB, >= 15 screen) for my stay in Beijing. I will make a stop in HK before going to Beijing.

Where will I get a better deal: here in Europe, in HK or in Beijing?

A Dutch friend bought his laptop in Holland, cause he didn’t trust the Beijing stores, and according to him, the prices are just a bit higher in Holland, but he is willing to pay for real world wide guaranty. And the problem with having a Chinese Windows installed (he can't read Chinese, neither do I).

Any (English) webside for price comparing?

Thanx!

[geraldc]

HK would be the best place to buy a laptop. However you would have to know what you were doing. i.e. know what model you were after, what language operating system you wanted etc.

If you bought your laptop at one of the electrical chains, Broadway or Fortress you would pay less than you would in Europe (and they would probably give you a free cuddly toy etc), but for the best deals you'd have to venture to somewhere like the computer centre in Mongkok.

[trevelyan]

I was in this same situation two years ago. Knew I needed to have a worldwide warranty so it boiled down to a choice between IBM and Fujitsu, the two companies which - at that time - had worldwide "we take care of the problems" warranties (avoid any company that will need you to mail in the laptop). Ended up going with Fujitsu for a number of reasons and have never looked back. Typing this post on that same laptop.

By way of full disclosure, I'm an unabashed Fujitsu enthusiast, mostly because they undercut IBM and had what I thought was a better laptop (built-in CDRW drive in an ultralight --- buy the lightest you can!!!). But also because I've had service issues and was really pleased with how they were resolved. There is a local service depot near the University quarter. I've been three times: once when I spilled water on my keyboard and it stopped working (in warranty so replacement was free of charge), once when I smashed my screen up in a bike collision with an incompetent Chinese biker (don't pass FASTER on the right), and once when I needed to have an internal component changed (the power plug got too loose and wouldn't charge). Repairs were all done on site. You walk in with your laptop, and chat to the guy fixing your machine in Chinese while he rips apart your laptop.

They really went the distance with me too. When the screen busted I was worried about losing my data, so they hooked-up another screen and let me burn my important files to CD. I came back later to get the screen changed.

I think the prices on Fujitsu's stuff is all 差不多 worldwide. They have an unadvertised student discount (I forget if its 5% or 10%), but you need to fax in proof of student registration, so if you're not a student in Europe you may want to wait until you're registered at a Chinese school if you go that route. Otherwise I'd buy it abroad because you may get better service in China as a foreigner than someone who bought the laptop locally. I think locals worry about pissing off the international company.

Downsides? Price. When I bought my laptop Fujitsu was significantly cheaper than IBM with the student discount factored in. But you still have to pay for Windows. Chinese vendors cut the Windows tax off... but can't offer much in the way of service and you're basically screwed if the thing breaks after you leave China. If you're REALLY determined you can also scrounge around the used computer markets in Zhongguancun. I wouldn't want to do this without much Chinese, but you can get older laptops at pretty decent prices if you're capable of inspecting the quality of the merchandise yourself (to avoid getting ripped off) and don't mind buying a slightly older machine.

Check the prices. Remember that you'll get a great exchange rate against the Yuan now too....

[trevelyan]

Also worth mentioning -- even if you buy something a laptop from an international vendor like IBM/Fujitsu/whatever... you can haggle if you buy it in China.

Chinese computer markets are cool that way. : )

[yuet_sien]

Thanx!

Trevelyan, how do I get the student discount? Is it a refund thing?

If I buy the laptop in HK, is it possible to have one with an English operating system? Anyone any experience with this?

[Chappie]

Check this http://www.tweakers.net/pricewatch

if you are looking for the lowest price in the netherlands.

If you buy brands its better to buy it here. For example I "stole" my IBM Thinkpad from my dad. It only "accepts" the recovery windows. Other windows creates errors and problems.

Its better to buy in here if you want a non A brand. If a brand its doesnt matter where you buy it.

Yeah that is also a good one the Euro - Yuan exchange rate is now very good for us