Korean Job Discussion Forums

[tesseract]

I plan to buy a laptop in the US before I leave for Korea. I plan to use it for e-mails, online shopping, etc. but I also want to use it to download and watch my favorite tv shows and maybe some movies. What should I look for when I buy a laptop? I thought I would ask here before asking at the computer store because, well...I'm not sure all that downloading is legal. Of course if it's not legal I would never do such a thing and I never mentioned it here.

[Bulsajo]

http://www.eslcafe.com/forums/korea/viewforum.php?f=8

[tesseract]

Thanks for the link. I found some useful information but not exactly what I'm looking for. I am a computer idiot and I just need to know what kind of capabilities to look for in a laptop as far as memory, video card, anything else I'm not thinking of. I want to be able to download tv shows and movies from home and I have no idea what to look for when I buy a laptop. I could probably spend a few months sifting through old posts to find it, but life is short. Can anyone help me?

[Hater Depot]

If you are not going to play games then don't bother with a video card. Since you want to be doing some big downloads you need plenty of hard drive space 80 gigabytes should be good. For your internet connection, just make sure you have modem, LAN, and wireless capability. Also get at least 512 megabytes of RAM.

As a frequent traveler I like Averatec because they are so damn thin and light. The downside of them is that they can only be repaired at the official facility in California.

[flotsam]

[keithinkorea]

If you're bringing a laptop from the states the most important factor to take into account is that it must be compatable with Kimchi, if not it simply will not work here.

[Paddycakes]

I've never owned a laptop...

How do you plug a US/Canada laptop into the wall in Korea to recharge the battery's, etc., given the volt and prong differences?

I guess you'd need to buy a convertor before coming over?

[keithinkorea]

[I_Am_Wrong]

[Cigar_Guy]

I know I've said this before, but I'll say it again: other than the fun factor of being able to take your computer with you, why get a laptop?

I got a laptop before coming here for two reasons (basically the only reasons I can think of to get one): I knew I'd want to use it in class (which I do), and I wanted to have it already set up and set to go before I came here. As part of this second reason, I went with a Mac, which has had its pluses and minuses (which we really don't need to get into now).

If you're planning on doing work (paper or otherwise) out of the house, or are thinking of using music or video or other tools in the classroom, it's worth going with a laptop. You should probably ask your school about their views on it--some are more stringent with their teaching plans and won't want you to do it.

If you're concerned about having internet/computer access immediately upon getting here, I wouldn't be concerned. All over town there are PC Rooms, where you can go for like 1000 won/hour for a quality computer and high-speed access for e-mail and messaging without much difficulty. A desktop will give you an advantage in price and performance.

The nice thing here is that you can get the computer built exactly the way you want it, without paying for anything extra. If you're not up for that, give me a yell and I'll build it for you (an open offer for anyone else interested in a PC).

[krats1976]

Get a Dell.

I love mine. I've had next to zero problems with it (CD drive is being a bit lame, but hey, it is 4 years old).

I'm infinitely glad I brought this thing with me.

[tesseract]

I think I will go with a Dell when I buy. I have a refurbished desktop from Dell that I got really cheap when I was a student and I've been very happy with it.

Thanks for the offer CG. I might take you up on it when I get there. It just amazes me when people talk about building a computer as if it's no more complicated than popping a frozen pizza in the oven.

[Cigar_Guy]

[bijjy]

Getting a powerbook was the best choice I ever made computer-wise. Moving to Korea had a 100% impact on my choice to switch to mac. mac laptops have the best warranties. the warranty is for three years, and is good for the entire computer. unlike PC's, where you would need to ship individual parts back to the particular manufacturer, you simply ship the computer to mac, and they deal with it all.

but i haven't had a single problem with mine so far, and my contract is almost up.

its also 12" so i can take it with me wherever. took it with me to southeast asia, and i take it with me to hair salons so i can show the hairdressers pics of the styles i want.

there is one mac store in downtown daegu that i know of. they're nice folks; gave me some free adaptor prongs.

i can't wait till i return home, so i can use wifi though. korea is very behind in wifi.

i suggest getting your computer in your home country because you can negotiate everything in English. if you get a mac tho, they ship anywhere.

[I_Am_Wrong]