Best Places in Pattaya to BUY laptops

[mongo2]

I am hoping to buy a lower priced laptop for the lady who takes care of me.  She is Thai, intelligent, has excellent memory but little formal education. Understands some English and is rather adept in using Android smart phones to access the internet and find out what English she does not know.  she likes to watch YouTube and talks all the time to her family and friends.  Loves to share photos.  Does not do much documentation nor tables.

So, I have been hunting for suitable laptops for her in a low or moderate price range.  Am looking for advice as to where to find the best and most reliable deals.  Curious as to how the computer oriented BMs would rate Pattaya laptop sources, various Brand Names, minimum specs.  Am hoping to keep the costs under or close to 13000 THB.

Have never tried to use Linux so am wary about that.  Doubt she would need MS-Office.  Prefer to avoid AMD chips. 

Am considering:

Stores: Lazada, Power Buy, J.I.B., Liberty, Wattana.   Am I missing a good source?

Brand Names: Acer, Asus, HP, Lenovo, Dell.

Can anybody suggest something.

 

 

 

 

[GorGuy RIP]

7 minutes ago, mongo2 said:

 

Brand Names: Acer, Asus, HP, Lenovo, Dell.

Can anybody suggest something.

 

 

 

 

I have tried all of these, the one I have now is Dell and I am very happy with it.

[john marchel]

I am hoping to buy a lower priced laptop for the lady who takes care of me.  She is Thai, intelligent, has excellent memory but little formal education. Understands some English and is rather adept in using Android smart phones to access the internet and find out what English she does not know.  she likes to watch YouTube and talks all the time to her family and friends.  Loves to share photos.  Does not do much documentation nor tables.
So, I have been hunting for suitable laptops for her in a low or moderate price range.  Am looking for advice as to where to find the best and most reliable deals.  Curious as to how the computer oriented BMs would rate Pattaya laptop sources, various Brand Names, minimum specs.  Am hoping to keep the costs under or close to 13000 THB.
Have never tried to use Linux so am wary about that.  Doubt she would need MS-Office.  Prefer to avoid AMD chips. 
Am considering:
Stores: Lazada, Power Buy, J.I.B., Liberty, Wattana.   Am I missing a good source?
Brand Names: Acer, Asus, HP, Lenovo, Dell.
Can anybody suggest something.
 
 
 
 

Lazada

[Billy Shears]

I have a dell all in one 19" touchscreen that I brought here from the u.s. in June and used for a couple of weeks. I keep meaning to list it for sale, but haven't got around to it yet. I'll sell it to you for 13,000 if your interested. It's basically brand new.

[ex-pat]

http://www.invadeit.co.th/

Danish (I think) guy is the owner. Good man. Good service there. 

 

[mongo2]

2 minutes ago, WhiteThai said:

I have a dell all in one 19" touchscreen that I brought here from the u.s. in June and used for a couple of weeks. I keep meaning to list it for sale, but haven't got around to it yet. I'll sell it to you for 13,000 if your interested. It's basically brand new.

I might be interested in that.  Can you tell me the specs: Model No., OS, HDD, Processor?    Am curious as to why you brought it and so quickly want to sell it?

[ex-pat]

I would not burden her with Linux  especially if she will be using Thai language, so you should be sure that Windows will install okay - that all drivers are available. Actually that is a case for not buying online, but from a shop, with windows pre-installed. 

[Billy Shears]

16 minutes ago, mongo2 said:

I might be interested in that.  Can you tell me the specs: Model No., OS, HDD, Processor?    Am curious as to why you brought it and so quickly want to sell it?

It's a dell inspiron 20, model 3052. It's a good computer, but it doesn't have a HDMI out, my old laptop does. I bought the NFL package and needed a computer to watch it on TV. So I put it in the closet and have been using my old laptop ever since.

[mongo2]

1 hour ago, WhiteThai said:

It's a dell inspiron 20, model 3052. It's a good computer, but it doesn't have a HDMI out, my old laptop does. I bought the NFL package and needed a computer to watch it on TV. So I put it in the closet and have been using my old laptop ever since.

If it is what I believe it is, it is a All-In-One desktop, not a laptop.  I have a Dell Optiplex 3020 with the same issue- no HDMI.  In fact that is what I am using right now.   If so, I would not be interested.  The lady wants to be able to carry it around with her - so a laptop is preferred.

In your case, you can buy an Adapter (DVI to HDMI) at Power Buy or elsewhere.  Suggest you search this forum topic for the details. A BM whose name I have forgotten gave me the info and my problem is solved.  I watch the Samsung Smart TV in HDMI everyday now.

[Billy Shears]

54 minutes ago, mongo2 said:

If it is what I believe it is, it is a All-In-One desktop, not a laptop.  I have a Dell Optiplex 3020 with the same issue- no HDMI.  In fact that is what I am using right now.   If so, I would not be interested.  The lady wants to be able to carry it around with her - so a laptop is preferred.

 

Yes, it's a all in one desktop. Ok, no problem. Anybody else want it for 13k, send me a PM. Thanks

[rhodie]

Just as a reference for you possibly or anyone, Imperial Mall in Bangkok at BTS Samrong station has a great computer/smart phone shops setup on the top floor that is really worth a look if you are ever in the area. They have a good range and lots of competition. Tukom in Pattaya has become a bit of a joke IMHO. 

[CyberPro]

If Ebay is an option, the two Lenovos I bought there recently are working great. The X120e is a bit CPU limited but excellent for portability. 

LENOVO Thinkpad T400 Intel Core 2 Duo @ 3.06GHz 4GB RAM LAPTOP COMPUTER no hdd US $58.77. This laptop records and renders videos as fast or faster than my mid tower computers. 

Lenovo ThinkPad X120e Laptop AMD E-350 1.60GHz 4GB RAM 320GB HD Windows 7 US $65.00. Battery replaced for another US $24.99

[awinkl]

I also want to ask a question to some of the iT Folk's here: I have a HP Pavillion Notebook - about 4-5 years old and I now lost a lot of Battery charge capacity....... now it only gives me about 50 Minutes of Battery - after it was fully charged.

I spoke to some people at Tukom, but they said that NOTHING can be done - and I should consider buying a new PC. Of course, maybe they were only concerned to get me to buy a new one from their Shop?

Is there "some" other alternative? Can the battery be replaced? ... at what cost?

Thanks for any suggestions.

 

[GreyMan]

1 hour ago, awinkl said:

I also want to ask a question to some of the iT Folk's here: I have a HP Pavillion Notebook - about 4-5 years old and I now lost a lot of Battery charge capacity....... now it only gives me about 50 Minutes of Battery - after it was fully charged.

I spoke to some people at Tukom, but they said that NOTHING can be done - and I should consider buying a new PC. Of course, maybe they were only concerned to get me to buy a new one from their Shop?

Is there "some" other alternative? Can the battery be replaced? ... at what cost?

Thanks for any suggestions.

 

 

Are we supposed to guess as to which machine it may be or do you think that all HP laptops are exactly the same?

[GreyMan]

If it doesn't have to be new, you can buy a second hand machine in good condition at Tesco North Pattaya for around 5000 baht. You can spend a further 2000 baht on a solid state drive. Not difficult to install Genuine Windows 7 Ultimate and the Thai language interface and to upgrade that to Windows 10 Pro if wanted. Both no cost options.

The main caveat here is battery life. New machines will have much better battery life.

 

If new, you'll need to sift through the specifications. Problem is that if you buy a Linux machine, they will almost certainly offer to install a Hooky copy of Windows 10. But if you buy with Windows 10 pre-installed, the specification will suffer.

So you need to decide which functions are the most important to her. For instance HD webcam as opposed to VGA webcam. AC wireless, as opposed to just B/G/N. Core i3 CPU as opposed to Pentium etc

 

[CyberPro]

21 hours ago, awinkl said:

I also want to ask a question to some of the iT Folk's here: I have a HP Pavillion Notebook - about 4-5 years old and I now lost a lot of Battery charge capacity....... now it only gives me about 50 Minutes of Battery - after it was fully charged.

I spoke to some people at Tukom, but they said that NOTHING can be done - and I should consider buying a new PC. Of course, maybe they were only concerned to get me to buy a new one from their Shop?

Is there "some" other alternative? Can the battery be replaced? ... at what cost?

Thanks for any suggestions.

 

If your notebook is 4-5 years old I'd say it's overdue for a battery replacement. 

I buy mine on Ebay after checking reviews for sellers. Some offer batteries with greater capacity than the one that came with the laptop when new, so you may end up with even more battery life than when you bought the laptop. $25-30 or so USD is a likely price. Again read the seller reviews. 

[CoffeeDon]

Not difficult to install Genuine Windows 7 Ultimate and the Thai language interface and to upgrade that to Windows 10 Pro if wanted. Both no cost options.

That's the way to do it. Free and you end up with a legit Windows 10 installation.
There's a catch with newer laptops that only have USB 3 ports, which Windows 7 doesn't support "out of the box". But there's Win7 install DVD/USB images out there which can get it going.


It really pains me when people get dud advice from shops. It's very possible to change batteries on laptops - even when they're hidden inside the laptop case. Check eBay for pricing options... and never buy the cheapest battery you find. For well known / widely sold laptops there's often well made videos on YouTube that will show you step by step how to change batteries, swap hard drives and upgrade RAM.

My 2c on laptop specs - don't go too low on CPU or even the lightest user will find it obsolete very quickly. For my money it's Intel only and i3 at a minimum. The Intel Atom's have got better recently... but try to step up if you can.

Also, screen size is not a case of bigger is best. Some people find 15" screens too large and too heavy to carry around. 13" screens are good. 11" is getting too small... unless you really want ultra portable and light.

I like how they sell laptops in DOS or Linux configurations to get the cost down. That's what I'd be buying. Even if the laptop had Win10 on it I'd format it and re-install (which is a lot easier in that scenario) anyway.

[CoffeeDon]

Am considering:
Stores: Lazada, Power Buy, J.I.B., Liberty, Wattana.   Am I missing a good source?
Brand Names: Acer, Asus, HP, Lenovo, Dell.
Can anybody suggest something.

I did the trip around Tukcom earlier this year and found the offerings slim. There's some models there I'd buy but only if I needed one in a hurry.
I'll put another vote in for InvadeIT. Excellent range, best pricing I found and they often have deals including a carry bag, mouse etc. Those extras will be on the simpler side but they're better than nothing when starting out.
I like all the brands you're looking at. Historically I've ended up with a bit of HP kit and think they make a solid laptop. I've got a soft spot for Acer.
Just note that they all make the occasional duds, and hit the occasional sweet spot. The trick can be finding which model is which end of the spectrum.
When you narrow down whats available in your price range just pause your search and start looking for reviews online. Unfortunately the exact model numbers in Thailand don't always match the bigger markets where the reviews are found, so you might need to interpret them a bit. Often the model number differences are just due to keyboard and software options.

[awinkl]

On 9/18/2017 at 19:20, GreyMan said:

 

Are we supposed to guess as to which machine it may be or do you think that all HP laptops are exactly the same?

It's a HP Pavillion - that's all I know. As I stated before, I am just an OLD Man with little iT knowledge, so I might be easy PRAY for any Salesman in TUKOM.

[mongo2]

Yesterday I went to Power Buy and bought an HP Laptop, 14-bs543TH

for 12490 THB.

Main Specs:

OS : Windows 10 Home

CPU : Intel Pentium N3710 (1.6GHz)

HDD : 500 GB SATA

RAM : 4 GB DDR3 SDRAM

Optical Drive : DVD =/- RW

Display : 14.0" Diagonal HD LED

Connectivity : WLAN & Blutooth 4.2

Many thanks to all who have provided input.  The lady is happy - but now too busy to make my breakfast.

 

 

 

 

 

[mongo2]

PS:  For me the screen is a bit small.  Is it possible to connect a second larger screen via USB or some other means?

[CoffeeDon]

31 minutes ago, mongo2 said:

Yesterday I went to Power Buy and bought an HP Laptop, 14-bs543TH

for 12490 THB.

Well done mate. You might have a typo in that model number - 14-BS543TU .

 

29 minutes ago, mongo2 said:

PS:  For me the screen is a bit small.  Is it possible to connect a second larger screen via USB or some other means?

Absolutely. That machine has HDMI and VGA ports which will allow that. VGA is yesterdays hero and will be a cheaper, analog (i.e. lower quality) way of connecting the laptop to a TV / monitor. You might know HDMI - it can connect directly to HDMI monitors and TVs (as you'd expect), and also DVI  monitors and TVs.

So you'll need:

1. A cable. VGA to VGA, or HDMI to HDMI, or HDMI to DVI.

2. A monitor or TV that supports VGA or HDMI or DVI.

 

HDMI is the best option (because it also carries audio) with DVI being a very close second. The manual for that laptop states that after connecting cables you'll need to:

3. Press f4 to alternate the computer screen image between 4 display states:
● PC screen only: View the screen image on the computer only.
● Duplicate: View the screen image simultaneously on both the computer and the external device.
● Extend: View the screen image extended across both the computer and the external device.
● Second screen only: View the screen image on the external device only.

 

You'll probably want "Extend" mode to use both screens, or "Second screen only" just to use the monitor/TV.

 

The lady is happy - but now too busy to make my breakfast

5555. What have you done?!?!

[mongo2]

555 Busy surfing the net and dancing around the kitchen to YouTube videos.

 

[Bazle]

Don't forget that if you are buying for a Thai, you should get one with a Thai keyboard. 

[mongo2]

New question:  The guy at Power Buy help setup the HP laptop.  He did a good job.  He entered a name for the Laptop and the lady gave her name and a password.  When we got it home she went to YouTube and happily danced around to the clips for a while.  Then she shut it down.  This morning when she booted it up it posted her name and asked for a password.  She entered something but I don't know what.  The laptop claimed it was inaccurate to try again.   Repeat.  Then tried another PW.  That did not work either.  So, now she cannot access the computer.  What to do?

How to reset it to scratch and start over?