Korean Job Discussion Forums

[Suwon4AGT]

Hi,

So, I'm tired of hanging out at smoky PC cafes and I'm close to buying a PC/Mac. My travel senses tell me that I need to buy a laptop, but they are really expensive (relative to the U.S. and some other countries). I'm also having one of those lame dilemnas about switching to a Mac, as Vista is never going to beat XP in performance and Windows 7 coming out soon. But again, price, why does Apple machines cost so much?

I think I just some general advice and a sign from from supernatural force about which way to go on this. I've been a PC Desktop boy for many years, I've built many of them and I'm more than comfortable with handling security and virus issues. But I also know that those who have taken the Mac plunge generally don't regret it. Is the extra cost worth it?

If I were back home, I would just talk to some local guys who I know and trust. But it seems difficult to talk to anybody about this in Korea. I did, in fact, go to the Yongsan electronics market and wandered around the l'Park Mall and some other building that has a walkway attached to the l'Park Mall. I got a 'headache' from the endless stream of slick PC used-car-looking sellers.

I'm probably making a bigger deal out of this then I need to. But again, it's always good to get advice and hear other's experience when one is not sure.

Thank you in advance!

[fullmulletjacket]

well you def want to skip on the mac. With Jobs out theyre going to be going downhill fast. Also the price is really high. Laptop really is the way to go. What I did when I wanted on was I contacted someone from Dell Korea and asked them to quote me a price on some of the different US models in won. I got some great quotes and went ahead and had them make me one with USA standard everything.

Whatever you choose good luck.

[Suwon4AGT]

[dporter]

Buy a netbook loaded with XP and you'll be gold.

The Dell Mini 10 or the Asus 1000 are good options.

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16834220504

http://www.dell.com/content/products/productdetails.aspx/laptop-inspiron-10

[littlelisa]

I think it really depends on what you're using it for, or what you're looking for in a laptop.

I just bought a mac in September, and it was the right decision for me. BUT I was in Canada, not Korea (last time I heard the price here was quite high), I got the educator's discount, a free ipod touch AND it was about the same price after that as the PC laptop that I'd have bought (I was being a bit more picky on weight than the average person, for one thing). I'm installing XP on mine anyway, though, because a lot of Korean sites pretty much need IE. Anyway, I would have been happy with a machine running windows, and I'm happy with my Mac.

Unless there's info I don't know about what you're looking for, I would suggest a laptop running windows and just install XP (or get one with XP already installed). The price difference here doesn't make a mac worth it, I think, unless you have a special reason. If the price difference were not as high, though, that might be a different thing. But even then, it still depends on what you're using it for.

I think that Mac/PC is less important than other things (what do you need in your computer? Compare features and price and see what comes out the winner. Everyone's got different features that are more important to them, so you have to look at that, I think).

[Ukon]

[broken76]

Desktop will always be better on a price to performance ratio. A laptop is for portability.
Like it was mentioned before it really depends on what you want and need to do.
If you're just surfing the web then a netbook will fit the bill for usability and portability.
If you want a highend notebook there are some companies that sell really cheap PC laptops. They're pretty much the companies that manufacture computers for namebrands (Samsung, Dell, etc) but sell it under their own name thus a cheaper price. Many don't come with an OS making them cheaper and without any bloatware. Download a copy of Windows 7 and install it for free. When Windows 7 eventually comes out you can install that, I believe the majority of Vista drivers will work for Windows 7. Highend notebooks pretty much won't do XP since they don't bother making drivers for them.
As for a Mac if you want to say that you're a Mac owner and willing to pay a premium they are nice computers. But if you care about where you spend your money a PC is definitely a better buy.

[Suwon4AGT]

Thanks for the replies everybody. It sounds like PC is the way to go. I would like to be able to compose music. I have my original Reason 4 disks with me. I know musicians swear by Macs, for the most part, but its the expense of one here I feel is a dealbreaker. PC it is. And the portability factor is important enough to me, so laptop it is.

Thanks again everybody. You've been very helpful!!

[Suwon4AGT]

Just a little update..not that anyone cares.

I went to the Yongsan electronics district again. I found a few more places, but I just couldn't pull the trigger. The hassle of dealing with the sharks that work there..eesh! Plus, going through the hassle of dealing with hunting down a legit English version of Windows. Eh, no thanks.

That, and I decided that I do want to take the Mac plunge. I'm going to go with an IMac 20". It's portable enough to take on a flight, as I have a friend who has flown to several different countries without any problems. And there's a good chance that I will be staying for at least a couple of years, so I really don't need a laptop.

Thanks again for everyone's input!

[crescent]

[ppcg4]

I'm a Mac user, but I really think that Microsoft is moving in the right direction with Windows 7. I've been a beta tester since they first started the program, and it has really developed into an awesome OS.

The dealbreaker for me is the fact that Microsoft doesn't include a suite of media applications to manage photos, music (iTunes is free, but Garageband is absolutely awesome for composing), and video editing. iMovie is great for the casual editor, or just touching up a jittery video.

7 does have some of the leftover annoyances from Vista, however. It still bothers you about letting a file make changes to your system, and it does require a pretty beefy computer to run smoothly.

If you are set on a PC, get the highest spec one you can afford, and max out the RAM. I guess the part about getting the best bang for your buck kinda goes without saying.

I'd say Macs are better in terms of longevity. I've seen 10 year old Macs running their previous OS (Tiger) very well.

Anyway, whatever your choice, good luck.

[rokgryphon]

A little free word to the wise. I am a Mac systems integrator in Phuket. Warranty is not worldwide on desktops for Macs. So, if you take it home and it is still under warranty via original warranty or AppleCare; it will have to be repaired in the country it was bought in.

ps I use 4 Macs for work, 24 and 20 inch iMac, Mac Mini and 15" MacBook Pro, I love using them all and was an "anything but Mac guy" not so long ago.

Happy to answer more questions via PM

[Suwon4AGT]