Big Acer shop for the lap top buffs.

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Big Acer shop for the lap top buffs.

Post by businessman » October 5, 2005, 4:45 pm

I was down the wholesale part of town near the Amulet market(L12) and i noticed a big shop selling Acer stuff.I believe they are now number one in Europe.



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BobHelm
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Post by BobHelm » October 5, 2005, 5:08 pm

Marcus, here is the UK price list for lap tops...
http://www.acer.co.uk/acereuro/wr-resou ... UK%20v.pdf
Would be interested to know what the Thai price is....if you want a UK price list for desktops, then just shout.

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Post by BangkokButcher » October 6, 2005, 12:03 am

Acer certainly seem to have comandeered a significant slice of the European laptop market, and I must admit, they do seem to make pretty good machines at decent prices.

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Post by businessman » October 6, 2005, 10:56 am

Bob,next time i am browsing round the amulet market i will pop in and get some prices.

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Post by BobHelm » October 6, 2005, 12:54 pm

Thanks Marcus. I am really not sure if it is best for me to buy in the UK and drag it out with me, or buy once I get to Udon - which unless there is a real financial difference - will be the best bet, I think. So it would be really useful to see how 'like for like' laptops compare in price - no rush, still 3 months before it becomes a pressing issue :D or should that be :cry:

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Post by businessman » October 6, 2005, 1:01 pm

You must also think of the warantee angle Bob,as what will you do if a UK computer goes wrong out here.Are warantees given in the UK global?Maybe for someone like Dell.

Having a look around i found this Bangkok website:

http://www.bangkok-computers.com/produc ... +Computers

Mobile AMD XP 2000+, 256MB DDR, 30GB Hard Drive, Combination DVD-ROM/CD-RW, 14.1" TFT XGA, 10/100 LAN, 56K Modem, 3.6 Kg., DOS, 1-Year Warranty.Price in Baht is 33900 which is approx 470 GBP.

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Post by BangkokButcher » October 6, 2005, 10:49 pm

Most large computer companies offer international warranties nowadays, especially on laptops.

The likes of Dell, Toshiba, Hewlett Packard & Compaq.

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Post by polehawk » October 7, 2005, 3:35 am

BangkokButcher,

So would you recommend buying a laptop in your home country (from a company that offers international warranty) and taking it, fully loaded, to Thailand when you retire or permanently relocate?

Also, I would guess that laptops are a hot and easy item for theft these days in Thailand (and everyplace else) so more frequent backups will be needed. How often are you guys backing up your computers over there?

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Post by businessman » October 7, 2005, 12:07 pm

I back up twice a week,not due to worry about theft,but due to the risk of ants frying my hard drive.On my third one.Nothing nicer in the monsoon season than a nice dry home inside a computer.They can move in while you are asleep and when you turn on the pc your drive is finished.

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Post by BangkokButcher » October 7, 2005, 11:27 pm

I just do a regular (when I remember :oops: ) weekly backup, more than enough for my needs, although I do store essential important files etc off site on cd. dvd's and usb keys etc.

As for taking a laptop (I wouldnt even consider a complete system) from my home country to Thailand for good, well that would depend on a number of vaiables like:

1. Age of machine, is it really worth the hassle knowing that it will be dying in a year or so??...

2. Prices here vs there.

3. Will it be easily sorted in the location I end up in?

All things considered I probably would bring one to Thailand on a permanent basis, but the warranty issue really doesn't phase me as I could probably fix it myself, apart from the lcd/tft screen that is.

But this isn't an option for everyone.

As for theft, yep, they sure are easy to nick, but as long as you take as many precautions as possible then at least you will know that even if they did manage to steal it, they would have had a bloody hard time doing so and probably deserved it...

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Post by BobHelm » October 8, 2005, 12:23 am

Sean, I have had a closer look at the Dell 'International warranty' and i don't think that it would prove to be a good deal for me. It is really concentrated on Europe (from the UK0 and only in countries where Dell have 'business partners' - I looked in vain for Thailand in their list, but it wouldn't let me get out of Europe!! Secondly it only covers you if you are VISITING a foreign country, not if you take up residency there. Hopefully :D (I am sure that you see what i mean, by that) that would exclude me as well!!
I think that my attitude would be that if i can get something in Thailand for about the same price as a similar spec machine in the UK then i will buy in Thailand. the piece of kit that Marcus mentions looks pretty good value to me (a Dell is about ฃ400, but that is for a chip speed of 1.3/1.4, most of the other laptops I have seen for sale in the UK for that price are 1.6 quickest). I would prefer to buy in Udon rather than in BKK tho as long as it is not going to cost me ฃs extra - just prefer to deal with people living near me I guess :D
Last edited by BobHelm on October 8, 2005, 1:12 am, edited 1 time in total.

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Post by BangkokButcher » October 8, 2005, 1:09 am

I must admit Bob, that I havent torn all of the warranty t&c's from the companies I mentioned before so it really does not surprise me that their 'international warranty' does have certain clauses attached.

I do think that I would rather buy locally for a 'replacement' system and just rip the stuff that I needed from my old one once it has done it's time.

I know I contradict myself a little with the above sentiment, but note that I said 'replacement'.

Price does sound pretty good for that one though :) considering the spec.

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Post by JimboPSM » October 8, 2005, 1:30 am

I have a Dell desktop system at home and was thinking (despite desperately bad service when I bought it :( ) about sticking with Dell when I got to Thailand.

I looked at the Dell Thailand site some time back and it was pretty awful, just taken another look and it

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Post by BobHelm » October 8, 2005, 1:45 am

Thanks Jimbo, Dell did not generally seem to e flavour of the month on Thaivisa :D If the Udon prices compare to the Acer web prices then I think that is the way i will go....just have to wait until Marcus needs some more amulets... :D

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Post by polehawk » October 8, 2005, 4:52 am

Thanks for the useful info, guys (but ants in the hard drive? hmmm, maybe a new virus?). :)

I own a year-old Dell desktop and am very satisfied with it. Dealing with their outsourced service department (in India? I dunno) was like pulling teeth, however. I was looking at Inspiron notebooks on the USA website but, from ThaiVisa posts and the Dell Thai website, I get the opinion that Latitude notebooks sales/service seem to be the Thailand product at this time. All things considered, I may just wait until arriving in Udon and buying locally with the hope that they will provide quality after-sales service. They better or they will have an irate Polehawk in their shop and they won't like me. :twisted:

Quotes from TW: "1-2-3-4-5-6......jai-yen, jai-yen. Cool off, big guy." :D

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Post by businessman » October 8, 2005, 11:13 am

Thanks for the useful info, guys (but ants in the hard drive? hmmm, maybe a new virus?).
The "ant" advice is for the guys who are going to live in an Udon village.In the centre of town they are probably much less of a worry.Here they get into all things electrical and opening the computer case is no trouble. :)

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Post by Paul » October 8, 2005, 11:20 am

I live in the centre of Udon and apart from the odd ant trails usually starting from the roof - solved with a quick spray, I dont suffer ants at all.
I did once have a 'chit-chat' (small lizard type creature) find its way into my toaster once though. Unfortunately I only realised it when my toast smelled bloody awful and there was a pile of ants coming too and fro.
When I dismantled the toaster- there was one very crisp animal - urghhh.

Dont have any other insects in the house thanks to careful use of screens and therefore haven't any of the problems that Businessman has :)

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Post by businessman » October 8, 2005, 11:27 am

Town or country,thats a choice Bob and the others coming will have to make.Sure is nice to live out in the rice fields but no one told all the bugs and snakes that they could not live here any more. :)

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Post by Paul » October 8, 2005, 11:40 am

Make no mistake - we still get our share of bugs and snakes here in the town centre but thankfully they are all on the outside of the house - usually in the garden. So far I have counted 7 snakes, including one who made his home in a concrete hole next to my house - now immortalised in cement forever !
I have taken photos of many of the more scary bugs seen in the garden - just haven't got around to posting them yet - will do soon (hopefully)

Paul

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Post by BobHelm » October 8, 2005, 2:25 pm

businessman wrote:Town or country,thats a choice Bob and the others coming will have to make. :)
Very true Marcus and I guess Thailand is no different to anywhere else when making this choice (just 'more so' :D ) I would be interested to know what other members think on the town/country issue and also which they live in (Jeab, a poll??). All the huge advantages of city living aside I was tending more towards the 'village life' myself even though I think it will involve considerably more 'effort' on my part.

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