Job Discussion Forums

[baltomatt]

Is it better to buy a laptop here in the US or wait until I get to China? (Aren't they made there, and cheaper?)

And, on a related note, how easy is it to access my e-mail, do online banking, etc. there on my US account? I still have my house on the market and need to communicate with my real estate agent, replenish my checking for automatic electronic bill pay, etc.

Thanks in advance.

[thessy]

I suggest buying a laptop in the US. They are not cheaper in China and don't let anyone tell you otherwise. Sure, you "can" get a laptop for ~$500 in China, but you could get twice the machine for $500 if bought back home. A few weeks ago there was a post on this board going so far as to say someone here has a friend who buys 3-4 laptops every trip home to the US for the purpose of reselling in China for a profit. In China you also have the added hassles of making sure you are buying authentic, finding an English OS, English peripherals, etc.

As a whole the internet in China is fine for doing such tasks as checking email, online banking, or pretty much anything else you can do back home provided it isn't blocked by the firewall, but as with anywhere else it's going to depend on the reliability of access from your specific residence or access point.

[randyj]

For laptops, in mainland China one can buy half the machine for twice the price, for some reason. It's a dilemma, because I need to upgrade. I may just go with a desktop.

[Miles Smiles]

Thessy and randyj nailed it.

Buy it stateside. Be sure to bring with an external hard drive and a flash drive or two, plus the necessary network cable. Get your antivirus and all programs stateside as well. Whatever you do, be sure NOT to get a laptop with Windows 7 starter edition. You can get a fully loaded Dell pretty cheap straight from Dell.

[kev7161]

But don't forget, you'll need a different power cord as Chinese electrical outlets are different than US ones - - or you'll need an adapter.

[JamesD]

[wangdaning]

[thessy]

I think kev was referring to the adapter to actually plug the thing in and not the laptop AC adapter.

You very likely will need the kind of adapter needed to modify the plug. Most US-bought laptop AC adapters have the standard US 3-pronged grounded type plug and that generally isn't accepted in China. You would need to buy an adapter that converts (ideally) to the 3-pronged flat/angled Chinese connection. Those are not too hard to find in China, but unless the idea of needing to go shopping in a country on the other side of the world before being able to use your computer sounds exciting, you may want to consider taking at least one with you (I went the eBay route).

Regarding actual laptop AC adapters, the extreme majority of AC adapters can accept a 100-240V input so that should not be an issue. I believe the above poster if he says such an incompatible adapters exist, but having previously worked in a related field I can say I have never encountered such a thing. For other electronics it's quite common and sometimes the norm, but for a laptop it would be highly unusual to have an AC adapter produced that did not operate on 100-240V.

[johntpartee]

[Miles Smiles]

I've owned laptops since 1999. Each was provided with a 120-240 AC power transformer. I don't think I've ever seen an American market laptop that didn't have one.

Even desktops have a switch on the CPU to change it from 120 to 240.

Thanks for the reminder about the three-pronged Chinese adaptor! I forgot about that.

[johntpartee]

[Yes, Ma'am]

On a similar note, are there compatibility issues with connecting my US bought Xbox and Wii to my uni-supplied television? I don't know what brands are common in China, but I'm assuming it will be a Chinese brand TV that I've never heard of.

[themanymoonsofjupiter]

[flyingscotsman]

[Yes, Ma'am]

Is an Xbox 360 cheap? They're made in China, right?