Job Discussion Forums

jr1965 · Joined: 09 Jul 2004 Posts: 175

Can anyone suggest a good place to buy a new (desktop) comptuer here in Madrid? Also, has anyone bought a laptop here? If so, approx how much did you pay for it?

Thanks for your ideas!

JR

Moore · Joined: 25 Aug 2004 Posts: 730 Location: Madrid

I bought mine from PC Box: it's a build to measure place and there are some good deals there if you have the confidence to do it / a mate who can help you out, and they will assemble it for you.

In terms of "proper" shops, I really recommed El Corte Ingles: more expensive but their guarantees are superb (for example I had an MP3 player for four months, it broke, they refunded me cash there and then. A mate dropped her Creative Zen and cracked it (so obviously her fault) and they still replaced it. Their guarantee is for two years.

Do not buy from PC World: they quibble about any return even when it is clearly a defective product.

Any shop in Spain is obliged to take back any item within 14 days of purchase for any reason, don't let them tell you otherwise.

Spainish · Joined: 17 Jun 2004 Posts: 61 Location: Madrid, Spain

I got an excellent deal on a new PC at Media Markt. Only trouble with them is their locations. But the 200 euro price difference was enough for me to not complain to much while lugging the big box home in the subway.

Check mediamarkt.es for store locations.

jr1965 · Joined: 09 Jul 2004 Posts: 175

Thanks to you both for your suggestions! I�ll check these places out this weekend.

jr

foss · Joined: 17 Aug 2004 Posts: 55

Abyss (near Conde Casal) is really cheap, but I'm not sure how long they take getting the order through.

Kaisersoze · Joined: 17 Apr 2006 Posts: 9

Is buying a laptop a good idea? Is a computer necessary when teaching in Spain? (and or taking a TEFL course)

Spainish · Joined: 17 Jun 2004 Posts: 61 Location: Madrid, Spain

Yes and no. It's not absolutely essential. There are helpful resources online for ESL teaching for example, but basically, more often than not, the people I know who have brought their laptops were glad they did.

It's also becoming quite common to find shared flats with internet access included in the rent price, so you wouldnt have to bother with the cyber cafes that seem to be getting more expensive and more pickpocket prone by the minute.

Suerte,

Spainish

P.S. It's not something I would carry around all the time or to class though. Of the 4+ years I've been here I've only known one person who had their laptop stolen while carrying it around the center (due to a rather elaborate attention diverting scam involving fake bird poo, a phony police badge and an "identical" bag switch Shocked

), but you never know!

Moore · Joined: 25 Aug 2004 Posts: 730 Location: Madrid

Quote "Is buying a laptop a good idea? Is a computer necessary when teaching in Spain? (and or taking a TEFL course)"

-Spainish is right when he/she says you don't need one for teaching, but they are really good for: downloading tv from home, hifi when attached to some speakers, personal dvd for your room, watching tv if you get a tv card, listening to internet radio stations, playing games etc. etc.: basically good cheap fun at home which can help quite a lot when you're struggling to get on your financial feet here.
Basically if you've got one or the spare cash to buy then bring one; if it's going to eat heavily into your savings for when you arrive then don't bother.

MAP Magazine · Joined: 24 May 2006 Posts: 46 Location: Madrid, Spain

I think a laptop is necessary for teaching. There are a lot of WIFI hotspots now in Madrid, and you can quickly dip into one to search for free teaching materials online. It's useful especially if you are on your way to a conversation class, as you can quicky scan all the news sites for something to talk about, including quirky or false news from sites like The Onion (false news) or Boing Boing (quirky news).

I don't know anything about PC, but I certainly couldn't live in Madrid without my MAC! (by the way: for all of the other Mac users out there, in Spain you are known as "maqueros").

Later gators,

Phil
Maquero n�mero uno

Kaisersoze · Joined: 17 Apr 2006 Posts: 9

Are laptops cheapter in Spain (Barcelona) then they are in Canada (or US)?

I will be buying one soon but Im thinking of getting it once Im in Barcelona if they are cheaper there.

edit; wow this website is dead.

jr1965 · Joined: 09 Jul 2004 Posts: 175

Kaiser,

I don't know about Canada, I can speak for the US: computers are quite a bit cheaper in the States than they are here in Madrid (and I suspect in Barcelona too). If you're going to buy here in Spain, be prepared to spend the extra cash.

JR

Kaisersoze · Joined: 17 Apr 2006 Posts: 9

^
Thanks. I guess my only probelm is the adapter (since the plugs are different). I wonder if I can just buy an adapter in Europe for my computer. I imagine the plug into the computer would be the same for all laptops.