My SO Needs A Computer

[Thomas Promise]

My SO currently does not own a Computer. I am going over to see her in about 5 weeks from now. Any advice on how to go about buying a Computer in China. I heard they where a lot cheaper there then here.

I am not a Micro-Soft Engineer with a computer myself. So my knowledge is limited on purchasing a puter. Any help would be appreciated.

[LeeFisher3]

In Fushun you will find 2 different ways to buy a computer, a brand name store and the computer geek.

 

There is a market area just for computer stuff where they have about anything a person could want with a computer. Didn't spend much time looking at it, but it seemed they knew what they were doing and I would imagine she will see someone she knows there who can point you in the right direction.

 

The only downside is you will find the price is not so good if you are involved in the deal, they see American and the price is not so negotiable.

[jim_julian]

Yes, you can buy a very reasonably priced computer in China. I wouldn't even consider bringing one from the US.

 

Yes, if you are seen involved in the purchase the price will be higher.

 

So, you either want to help your SO specify what she wants (I would think you don't need bleeding edge performance) and let her go bargain for it by herself, or

 

Find someone in her family (or alternatively a friend, but family is usually better) discuss what you want and send that person out to buy it.

 

Unless you know Win XP intimately you'll also need some help in configuring. It's surprising how hard it gets when everything is in Chinese and your SO doesn't have the specialized English vocabulary to translate for you. It makes it much easier if you have a laptop with you running XP in English so you can cross check the right selections in Chinese, thank goodness evrything is in the same place!

[Joanne]

Believe or not, the laptop I am using now is purchased in Hawaii while we had our vacation there. For the newer models, the price in US is about 2/3 or less than that in China. On top of that you get reliable software and service (under condition that you can carry it back to the State when service is needed). However, if the configuration doesn't matter much, you can easily find a reasonably priced computer in China. They usually come along with whatever software you choose to have with no additional charge, but most softwares installed are pirated editions.

Edited October 20, 2005 by Joanne (see edit history)

[Zingaro]

I bought my SO a factory refurbished IBM Thinkpad laptop on eBay and brought it to China with me. I had installed Chinese fonts and input method editor (IME) and some Chinese translation and word processing software.

 

She still wanted a Chinese interface, so she took it to a computer geek friend of hers and he installed Chinese Windows 2000.

 

IBM (now Lenovo) and Toshiba computers are readily available in China. They're good quality and software is easy to come by. I'd suggest:

 

1. Buy a laptop in the US (eBay, retail, whatever) and bring it with you. If you do this, get an IBM or a Toshiba, as those brands are readily available in China. Then take the computer to a local guru in China to install a Chinese version of Windows.

 

OR

 

2. Buy the computer in China. But do it this way - have your SO do a bit of scouting and you do some scouting in the US. Do some homework and pre-select the computer you want, then she can go buy it on her own. Without a foreigner in the picture, she is likely to get a better deal.

[HanLi]

Roger that..... the ladies there are the best bargainers in the world, I stand in awe as I watch the action.......

[david_dawei]

In the Northeast area, I did not see great prices on new computers.. they certainly were not necessarily cheaper.

 

But my SO ended up buying a used desktop that came with Chinese XP and enough memory to do basic stuff like chat with me. This was only about 1000 yuan.

[cosmiclobster]

I know 2 people that bought computers in China. They paid a lot more then what I thought was reasonable and they got machines that were slow and unreliable.

 

I would go with getting a laptop here, even a used one, but make sure it has Win XP. She can learn how to use it when you are there and she can bring it back with her easily when she gets the visa!

[david_dawei]

I know 2 people that bought computers in China. They paid a lot more then what I thought was reasonable and they got machines that were slow and unreliable.

 

I would go with getting a laptop here, even a used one, but make sure it has Win XP. She can learn how to use it when you are there and she can bring it back with her easily when she gets the visa!

161814[/snapback]

This is what I would do as well. I brought my laptop to china twice and once for two months.

 

I recently saw a Dell flyer for an Inspiron 1200 notebook, for $ 449.. a printer to go with it. So, I think good deals can be found here in US.

[lars]

Especially on laptops.

[wpc76180]

I know 2 people that bought computers in China. They paid a lot more then what I thought was reasonable and they got machines that were slow and unreliable.

 

I would go with getting a laptop here, even a used one, but make sure it has Win XP. She can learn how to use it when you are there and she can bring it back with her easily when she gets the visa!

161814[/snapback]

www.deals2buy.com

[Zingaro]

Roger that.....  the ladies there are the best bargainers in the world, I stand in awe as I watch the action.......

161770[/snapback]

How right you are. Watching my SO and her sisters bargain for just about anything and everything could be the next big global spectator sport - except that my SO and her sisters make me go hide someplace while they do the bargaining.

 

Actually, my soon-to-be brother-in-law just rolls his eyes when his wife (my SO's younger sister) starts bargaining to shave a few kuai off an already inexpensive item.

[Zingaro]

I know 2 people that bought computers in China. They paid a lot more then what I thought was reasonable and they got machines that were slow and unreliable.

 

I would go with getting a laptop here, even a used one, but make sure it has Win XP. She can learn how to use it when you are there and she can bring it back with her easily when she gets the visa!

161814[/snapback]

I second that ... The computer hardware I've seen in Guangzhou, Shenzhen and cities in Hunan province were equal to or more expensive than comparable computers in the US, at least the name brands like IBM or Toshiba.

 

I'd suggest buying the computer in the US, then getting a Chinese version of Windows in China. The reason I suggested getting an IBM or Toshiba, rather than a Dell, etc., is that service is available in China for IBMs and Toshibas. Don't know about other brands.

 

You can find good used/factory refurbished computers on eBay. When I bought my SO's Thinkpad, IBM still had their own eBay store. Best Buy and CompUSA still have their own eBay outlet stores. That's just one resource, of course. Thinkpads are still selling on eBay for decent prices, for example.

[cosmiclobster]

I'll second the bootlegged unlicensed copys of software out there. It took me 2 days to download my copy of Chinese Win XP Pro from the net! :D

If anybody wants to have the fun of trying in install Chinese Win XP Pro, send me an IM.

[Joanne]

I'll second the bootlegged unlicensed copys of software out there. It took me 2 days to download my copy of Chinese Win XP Pro from the net! :D

If anybody wants to have the fun of trying in install Chinese Win XP Pro, send me an IM.     

161877[/snapback]

I am determined to keep my computer clean, to stay away from un-authorized softwares. I would rather pay more or use less functions in order to maintain the stability of my system.

Edited October 20, 2005 by Joanne (see edit history)