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Shamrockman
Joined: 08 Dec 2009
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 Posted: Fri Apr 23, 2010 12:35 am Post subject: Buying a laptop |
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| This may not be the correct forum but any advice out there on buying a laptop in Korea. My hamster powered piece of crap has seen it's day and I'm soon to arrive in Korea. I could buy one here in Ireland but it's simply too expensive. How much would it set me back to buy a decent middle-of-the road laptop when I get there? |
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edwardcatflap
Joined: 22 Mar 2009
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| Posted: Fri Apr 23, 2010 1:02 am Post subject: |
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| My advice is get someone Korean to help you buy one online when you get here. That'll be the cheapest way. Sorry can't help you much on the price I've forgotten how much mine was. And make sure you check out the battery length, they can vary a lot |
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Big Mac
Joined: 17 Sep 2005
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| Posted: Fri Apr 23, 2010 4:01 am Post subject: |
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| Go to Yongsan Electronics Market in Seoul. That's where I bought mine. It's an HP and everything on it is in English. It even has a keyboard with no Korean on it. I got mine in the second building over from Yongsan Station. You have to go through a covered passageway over railroad tracks to get to it. I paid about 1.5 million won for it, though I paid a bit more for a better computer. There are definitely laptops there in the 800,000 to 1 million won range. |
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skgirl
Joined: 19 Nov 2009
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| Posted: Fri Apr 23, 2010 11:58 am Post subject: |
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| i got my coteacher to help me order one online from DELL. they put the english programmes on it so it worked out better than going to yongsan |
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fergalreid
Joined: 02 Apr 2010
Location: Dublin, Ireland
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| Posted: Fri Apr 23, 2010 12:36 pm Post subject: |
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| Sounds like you'll get a laptop cheaper at home, man. I'm Irish too and I plan to buy a cheapo Dell for �500 or so before I go. My current laptop turns 4 in September and I think it might have been built by Isambard Kingdom Brunel. |
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Shamrockman
Joined: 08 Dec 2009
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| Posted: Sun Apr 25, 2010 3:59 pm Post subject: |
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| Thanks everyone. Will probably just get one before I go in a couple of weeks. Fergalreid where in korea are you going to? i'm wonju-bound. |
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fergalreid
Joined: 02 Apr 2010
Location: Dublin, Ireland
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| Posted: Sun May 02, 2010 3:00 pm Post subject: |
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| Shamrockman wrote: |
| Thanks everyone. Will probably just get one before I go in a couple of weeks. Fergalreid where in korea are you going to? i'm wonju-bound. |
Well I'm hoping to get through the EPIK/SMOE maze in one piece. Hopefully Seoul or, failing that, Daegu. |
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TellyRules986
Joined: 09 Nov 2009
Location: Korea
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| Posted: Sun May 02, 2010 3:38 pm Post subject: |
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| Another option is that when you meet someone from the military (yeah I know, people don't like military for some reason) to have them take you on post. You can buy many of the things you need, including laptops. |
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discostu333
Joined: 18 Nov 2009
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| Posted: Sun May 02, 2010 9:47 pm Post subject: |
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My advice would be buy something before you get here.
One of the things I noticed when I got to Korea was how much electronics stuff is marked up. Even homegrown products from the likes of Samsung and LG are more expensive than back home in the UK.
It's also not as easy to find stuff like Asus and Acer laptops in general stores. You have to trek to Yongsan and spend a good part of a day walking round to find these cheaper brands and even then they cost a lot more than back home.
Its also worth bearing in mind that Windows 7 (which most laptops ship with now) will be in Korean. The guy at the store where I bought a laptop from in February told me this just as I was leaving the shop. Fortunately there is software which can work around this but if you're not a competent computer user then it can be an unwelcome problem. |
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jizza
Joined: 24 Aug 2009
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| Posted: Sun May 02, 2010 9:54 pm Post subject: |
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| Buy it in Ireland. I'm kicking myself for not buying electronics/computer stuff in the US before I came. Things here are anywhere from 30-100% more expensive than in the US (no, that's not a typo, 100%. Some LG monitors here are like $1000, just a 32" 1080p, which is only $500 in the US) |
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Groznyji
Joined: 26 Apr 2010
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| Posted: Mon May 03, 2010 1:11 am Post subject: |
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| jizza wrote: |
| Buy it in Ireland. I'm kicking myself for not buying electronics/computer stuff in the US before I came. Things here are anywhere from 30-100% more expensive than in the US (no, that's not a typo, 100%. Some LG monitors here are like $1000, just a 32" 1080p, which is only $500 in the US) |
I've found almost the exact opposite to be true. You can find overpriced items anywhere, in any country. But I've found dirt-cheap electronics here.
For example, that LG monitor you mentioned? I bought one with the same specs (but a different brand) when I first got to Korea for $350. I bought it at Homeplus so it's not like I was off the beaten path. The only overpriced items tend to be specialty items, like if you want the US version of a video game.
OP, you can get cheap laptops in Yongsan as others have said. You should take a Korean with you to help haggle the price down a bit. You should also do a bit of research beforehand to get an idea of what the price range is for the laptops you're looking for. The Yongsan market is great for bargains if you know what you're doing but they'll rip you off in a nanosecond if you're lost and confused.
Also, depending what you want to use your laptop for, you could simply buy a netbook. Those are loads cheaper. |
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carleverson
Joined: 04 Dec 2009
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| Posted: Mon May 03, 2010 1:40 am Post subject: |
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| Groznyji wrote: |
| jizza wrote: |
| Buy it in Ireland. I'm kicking myself for not buying electronics/computer stuff in the US before I came. Things here are anywhere from 30-100% more expensive than in the US (no, that's not a typo, 100%. Some LG monitors here are like $1000, just a 32" 1080p, which is only $500 in the US) |
I've found almost the exact opposite to be true. You can find overpriced items anywhere, in any country. But I've found dirt-cheap electronics here.
For example, that LG monitor you mentioned? I bought one with the same specs (but a different brand) when I first got to Korea for $350. I bought it at Homeplus so it's not like I was off the beaten path. The only overpriced items tend to be specialty items, like if you want the US version of a video game.
OP, you can get cheap laptops in Yongsan as others have said. You should take a Korean with you to help haggle the price down a bit. You should also do a bit of research beforehand to get an idea of what the price range is for the laptops you're looking for. The Yongsan market is great for bargains if you know what you're doing but they'll rip you off in a nanosecond if you're lost and confused.
Also, depending what you want to use your laptop for, you could simply buy a netbook. Those are loads cheaper. |
ummmm, NO. |
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young_clinton
Joined: 09 Sep 2009
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| Posted: Mon May 03, 2010 2:04 am Post subject: |
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| One thing you can do is have a friend purchase a Samsung notebook from G-market. Since it will have an operating system in Korean, have your Korean friend help you to immediately upgrade your computer to Windows 7 Professional online at the Korean Microsoft Website. Windows 7 Professional allows you to choose the language you want on the operating system. It has to be the Windows 7 professional version though. |
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jizza
Joined: 24 Aug 2009
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| Posted: Mon May 03, 2010 2:37 am Post subject: |
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| Groznyji wrote: |
| jizza wrote: |
| Buy it in Ireland. I'm kicking myself for not buying electronics/computer stuff in the US before I came. Things here are anywhere from 30-100% more expensive than in the US (no, that's not a typo, 100%. Some LG monitors here are like $1000, just a 32" 1080p, which is only $500 in the US) |
I've found almost the exact opposite to be true. You can find overpriced items anywhere, in any country. But I've found dirt-cheap electronics here.
For example, that LG monitor you mentioned? I bought one with the same specs (but a different brand) when I first got to Korea for $350. I bought it at Homeplus so it's not like I was off the beaten path. The only overpriced items tend to be specialty items, like if you want the US version of a video game.
Also, depending what you want to use your laptop for, you could simply buy a netbook. Those are loads cheaper. |
I didn't actually specify an LG monitor because i'm 99% sure they're all more expensive in Korea but lets try a few. I'll use Enuri to find the lowest price in Korea and Amazon.com for the price in the US (sometimes not the lowest price but it'll do)
The monitor I was referring to is the 32LH30. It's 32", 1080p.
The name in the US is 32LH30 and in Korea it is 32LH30FD.
Amazon.com has it for $500. Link:http://www.amazon.com/LG-32LH30-32-Inch-1080p-Gloss/dp/B001V5J7OI
Korea's enuri.com has it for 949,000W. Google tells me at the current exchange rate that 949000W=848.40600 US$.
$848 compared to $500 is a 69% price difference.
Also, netbooks here are around 50% more expensive in the US. |
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the ireland
Joined: 11 May 2008
Location: korea
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| Posted: Mon May 03, 2010 5:10 am Post subject: |
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I bought a dell netbook online back home in Ireland and got it for �250. It's got a webcam, 160gb hard-drive, 1gb ram, built in mic and all the other stuff you will need for browsing the net and doing smaller things on. It also included delivery and my choice of colour.
Obviously if you are a gamer it will be no good, but It has a 10.1 inch screen, is light as a feather. (I honestly have to open my bag to make sure it's in there sometimes). When I use other laptops now with 15inch screens it feels like I am using a desktop.
If you buy the same one as me, go to tesco, asda, pc world or somewhere and buy a small mouse cos the built in mousepad is useless. |
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