Job Discussion Forums

ashamanmat · Joined: 03 Feb 2003 Posts: 4

I have a very good computer here in the US and wanted to take it with me to China. I�m not a computer guru but is this possible. I won�t take my monitor as it will weigh too much, I may even leave my case here and just take the parts like my hard drive, mother board, video card, processor and things like that. Can anyone tell me if this can be done in any of the bigger cities? I plan on teaching in Shenzhen. Or do you think it would be more cost effective to just sell my computer here and buy it over there. Also, can I bring my US version of Windows XP with me on CD?

Peter · Joined: 29 Jan 2003 Posts: 161

A PC will attract customs duty, while a laptop does not.There is a price difference between HK and Shenzhen for laptops. Check it out
In HK there is a whole floor in the Star ferry building, Tsim Sha Tsui,Kowloon.Discs will only attract attn if they are porn.

Peter · Joined: 29 Jan 2003 Posts: 161

I checked it out. If you want a quality, international laptop like Sony or an Toshiba you are better off in HK by 2000 HK dollars.
Buy a Chinese laptop in SZ, it be only be fixed in SZ, but they ARE really bargains

ashamanmat · Joined: 03 Feb 2003 Posts: 4

Thx guys for the insight...

noyb · Joined: 22 Feb 2003 Posts: 93

2,000 HK dollars is the equivalent of $250 US. You will NEVER get a good notebook for that price in Hong Kong. Try about $10,000 HK for a low-tech notebook. Also, if you bring your desktop to China, there exists real possibilities of either losing it or paying a tax that is alost double what it is worth. I have seen it happen many times.

Edward · Joined: 04 Mar 2003 Posts: 46

NYOB...

I am sure what Peter meant by this statement:
" If you want a quality, international laptop like Sony or an Toshiba you are better off in HK by 2000 HK dollars. " wasn't that you could BUY a laptop for 2,000 HKD, but that the price was 2,000 CHEAPER!

I live in GZ, and they have a great computer market near the river, called "Hai Yin Er Shou Dian Nao Cheng"...some refer to it as the 2nd hand computer market. Whatever it's called, it's a great place to buy a PC in the GZ area.

2nd hand? Well, the case will be new, so will the mother board and CPU. But the CDROM drive, floppy drive, and HD will all be secondary stuff, meaning that you save a lot, and get a big bang for your RMB!

You can look at spending around 1,200 RMB on up [if you spend over 3,000 RMB, you are paying too much] for a:

Pentium 3 [600+ speed or higher]
8-12+ BG HD
CD drive
floppy
monitor, keyboard, mouse

Some, but not all of the dealers there will give you a 3 month guarantee. I had to take mine to the service department, because the ADSL tech who was sent to my apartment to install my adsl card screwed up my system!

Can you buy a laptop in that place? Yes, but I don't recommend it; laptops are the most problematic systems in the hardware world. They are vunerable to moisture, rust, and static discharges, just to mention a few things. Also, if you spill a cola, water, or beer on your laptop keyboard, you risk losing the whole system. You spill a beer on your desktop keyboard, you are out about...10 bucks!

Don't bother bringing your good laptop here. Leave it in care of someone back home, and buy something here. Besides, the power systems in the cities are less than reliable, being prone to power spikes that put even the most expensive power/surge protectors to the test.

Good luck!

Michael