Korean Job Discussion Forums

[slancaster]

I'm looking to get the best deal on a laptop computer. Should I buy it here in the U.S. or wait until I get to Korea? I imagine if I found a good used one, I could buy it here. Would you do that? Any specific suggestions for the best company and unit? Thanks.

[southboca]

It sounds like you are looking for a cheap computer. If you live by a big city, the best bet is day after Thanksgiving, early, early in the morning. You can have it sent through the mail tax free for up to 6 months after you start working -- just need to ship it as household goods along with some paperwork saying it's needed for your job.

Even if that timing doesn't work for you, you're still probably going to get a better deal in the U.S.

In the U.S. you know where the best stores are. You can read the adds from the newspaper, including the fine print. You can haggle for a better deal in your 1st language. You can also troubleshoot any repairs and handle upgrades in English. You can even shop on line auctions.

Here, you'll probably end up in Yongsan which has about 500 million little mom and pop stores trying to haggle in the wrong language and with money that you aren't very comfortable with. If you haven't decided on a particular model, chances are, no one will really be able to explain the computer specs to you either.

The only upsides I can see to waiting til you're here are:
1. You don't have to carry it.
2. You get the Korean alphabet on the keyboard.

I'd recommend a Toshiba -- but that's all I've ever had. I bought my current Toshiba in 2003. It's still running -- and I use it a lot.

Buying a desktop used makes a lot of sense, buying a laptop used makes less sense. Things like batteries, keyboards, mice, etc. tend to wear out. Because they are built in, they can be expensive to replace. I had to get a new keyboard for my laptop here -- set me back about $120. My dad ordered a used laptop on line -- replacement parts cost him about $180 within the first 6 months...and he's a computer engineer. He buys new now.

[TOGirl]

I looked for a laptop last year here in Korea and took my Korean friend along to help but things just seemed overwhelming.

My American co-worker bought one here though and it was a good laptop but after I went home I found an HP with DVD/CD burner for the same price as his (his didn't have this).

I would recommend my HP, they are one of the only companies that gives you an international warranty so even though I bought my laptop in Canada I can have it serviced anywhere.

I think the other poster is right that its much easier to buy at home where you can get info on what the laptop has instead of getting a translation that may not be 100% accurate.

[mindmetoo]

Check the tech forum sticky on this issue.

[ThePoet]

Right now at Dell U.S. they have a laptop for less than $500.00

Poet

[Lemonade]

Definately buy one in the states. I did. The deals are a lot better and the sales service is way better than what you can expect as a foreigner here in Korea.

[Karabeara]

Buy at home! Definately. The lowest price you'll find is about 900,000 won for a bargain-basement model.

Dell is the place to buy, or if you can find a good local deal at an electronics store (on sale). Budget to add more RAM. 1 gig is best.

[Lemonade]

[slancaster]

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[slancaster]

[BigBlackEquus]

Not so fast. AMD Sempron mobile chips are nowhere in the same league with current Intel Celeron M chips, much less the Centrinos. Cache sizes are not even close (256 for the Sempron vs. 1 meg for the Celeron M's and 2 meg for Centrinos). Semprons get damned hot, too! You can't tell me your keyboard isn't warm! The Turion is a nice chip, though. The HP/Compaq models do have nice wide screens for the money.

As for mobile printers, I saw a nice mobile Canon (I think it was a Canon) at Carrefour. But it was pricey.

As long as you have a DVD drive in the laptop, it will play DVDs and CDs. If you have that, then you can do anything you have listed so far, with ease.

[slancaster]

Thank you for all of your responses so far. As you've probably figured out, I'm not computer-savvy; I need help in choosing the best laptop for my needs. I am doing research on my own, however, and I came acrooss a couple of Compaq Presario models at Circuit City and Office Max here in the States. One is a notebook with the AMD Sempron processor with 512 MB DDR SDRAM while the other is a notebook with the Turion 64 Mobile Processor and 1024 MB DDR SDRAM. Yes, I want to download and store DVD's and music in addition to normal word processing and internet functions, but would I really need the Turion and all that memory over the Sempron and its accompanying memory? And is the former that much speedier than the latter? Someone mentioned that the Sempron heats up a bit----is this bad because of the possibility of damage and/or malfunction? What are the real advantages of having the Turion? The difference in price is about $200. Is it worth it?

Also, the model with the Sempron processor has "DVD-ROM/CD-RW combo drive" but, according to a salesperson, does not have the capacity to burn CD's/DVD's (unless I misunderstood). The model with the Turion processor does have this capacity. Based on my needs, which I previously described, would I need a burner? IS IT WORTH HAVING?

Finally, if I didn't go with a Compaq (HP), which brand and model would you recommend that is comparable or better? And why is it better in your opinion. Thanks.

[numazawa]

It's not a fair comparison at all. I mean, where do you even find stripclubs in Korea, never mind talking about laptops!

Bah, I never went in for that stuff anyway. Don't waste your hard/earned money.