Laptop from US?

chevelle · 29th July 2009, 06:22

Quote:

Originally Posted by kreddy

Hello Everyone,

My brother is coming down from US. My son wants to get a laptop from there. Basically he wants to use it as gaming platform. Is it worth getting it from there or buy a high end desktop here in Bangalore.

Please suggest how do we go about this?

Thanks in advance.

you can check some deals website that have offers for laptop. here are some of the website that will help you get the latest deals from there.

Deals2buy: Everyday hot deals and coupons
DealsOfAmerica.com-Hot Deals, Coupons, Online Shopping Deals & Special Offers!

also dell.com and hp.com has its own deal coming from time to time. you can check those too

hope this helps

14000rpm · 29th July 2009, 07:07

please also buy yourself an external hard disk too and take regular backup of all data. heavy usage cuold make the laptops prone to crashing. The recovery CD and an external hard disk absolute necessity if you buy a laptop for heavy usage.gaming for eg.

Abes · 29th July 2009, 09:55

Desktop would definitely be better, as it would be easier and cheaper to upgrade, replace the graphics card and has better cooling (the graphics card and cooling are very important for a gaming PC). Also you could get a 21" LCD monitor.

A laptop on the other hand comes as one piece, has its own battery backup and is easier to carry around. It would be wiser to invest in a good cooling pad and a wireless keyboard & mouse for the laptop.

If you are planning to get from the US, make sure that it can take our 230V supply, and has international warrenty applicable in India. Also make sure that there is atleast 4GB of memory.

And if the application is just gaming, why dont you get a playstation 3? It can also be used as PC. There is an article on how to install ubuntu on playstation 3 at ubuntu website, maximumpc website and lots of other websites, just google.

vinayvtec · 29th July 2009, 10:04

Being in this industry for 5 years my option for gaming will be always desktop (considering the cost factor also) if you need a really good gaming computer you need to get an Alienware or a XPS, but those computers is bit heavy. Also the option what you get on desktop cannot be matched with the laptop… Just plan up a good configuration drop into SP road and pick up the parts of your choice and build a cool gaming computer for yourself.

tsk1979 · 29th July 2009, 10:34

I suggest do not get laptop for a child. As compared to normal keyboards, laptop keyboards put more street on the fingers.
If your son is into games, he will be using the KB a lot, and it can cause problems.
So best is to get a comp assembled from here itself using quality parts, and invest in a good keyboard

kreddy · 29th July 2009, 12:42

Thanks everyone for your valuable suggestions. Going by the views I think I will go for local assembled desktop with good parts. I would like to have a good graphics card, a sound card and 5.1 speaker support. A DVD-RW and a LCD monitor would do.

Experienced gamers suggest a CRT monitor, what do you think?

My son is 13 years old and I have a acer travelmate 2300 series laptop with me. Recently both battery & hard disk have conked up. I do not want to repair it as wont run latest games or software.

Why I insisted on laptop was that both my children & father are used to convenience of laptop.

lurker · 29th July 2009, 16:45

Since you are based in Bangalore, you can safely go for Dell. Please do not go for 'local assembled desktop', you can safely go for a Dell desktop and take three year warranty. IN that case even if anything happens you do not have to run behind the assembler.

Dell has the one of the best Customer care amongst any Indian resellers, and you may already know this, being based in Bangalore.

tsk1979 · 29th July 2009, 17:07

Quote:

Originally Posted by lurker

Since you are based in Bangalore, you can safely go for Dell. Please do not go for 'local assembled desktop', you can safely go for a Dell desktop and take three year warranty. IN that case even if anything happens you do not have to run behind the assembler.

Dell has the one of the best Customer care amongst any Indian resellers, and you may already know this, being based in Bangalore.

As long as you buy reliable components like Asus/Seagate etc., there are no issues.
There are quite a few assemblers who help you get warranty replacement quickly.
For example I had motherboard issue(I damaged it accidently), the assembler told me to return motherboard to him, and after a week the replacement came from "Mercury".
If you buy a branded desktop you loose lot of benefits of a custom machine, and you have to run behind a nameless faceless corporation.

deepaktpatil · 29th July 2009, 17:20

Try computer warehouse in Barton Center on MG road. You will get best prices in Bangalore. He provides assembling services if you select the configuration.

You can check the prices using this URL Computer Warehouse Online - Buy Computers, Computer Parts, Computer Accessories, Laptops and Electronics

Regards,
Deepak

lurker · 30th July 2009, 13:39

Quote:

Originally Posted by tsk1979

As long as you buy reliable components like Asus/Seagate etc., there are no issues.
There are quite a few assemblers who help you get warranty replacement quickly.
For example I had motherboard issue(I damaged it accidently), the assembler told me to return motherboard to him, and after a week the replacement came from "Mercury".
If you buy a branded desktop you loose lot of benefits of a custom machine, and you have to run behind a nameless faceless corporation.

the main thing is that in case of corporates even if you fight/have differences/abuse/argue with them, they can still be held accountable.

In case of an assembler, he has the option of never backing up his committments in case any of the above happens.

tsk1979 · 30th July 2009, 13:50

Its not a question of backing up from assembler. This issue comes when you buy without bill. In Bangalore when you buy with bill and warranty, you get warranty from OEM like Seagate Asus etc.,
So if something goes bad, the assembler will directly contact the OEM supplier.
There are a few shady assemblers around, but there are quite a few very good ones also around.

lloydofcochin · 30th July 2009, 14:12

Quote:

Originally Posted by tsk1979

Its not a question of backing up from assembler. This issue comes when you buy without bill. In Bangalore when you buy with bill and warranty, you get warranty from OEM like Seagate Asus etc.,
So if something goes bad, the assembler will directly contact the OEM supplier.
There are a few shady assemblers around, but there are quite a few very good ones also around.

+1 to that. I work for Dell and it is great to know that we have a good reputation on Team-bhp.

It is your choice on what system to buy. What tsk1979 said is absolutely right. If you buy with a bill from say SP Road you definitely get a warranty on the components. In most of the cases the shop guy will check with his tech and if the issue is with the Hardware they will arrange to get it replaced for you but like someone said it might take a week or so.

Sometimes if you are in a hurry they will ask you to get in touch with the respective company's service center for speedier service.

kbk_75 · 1st August 2009, 03:31

No doubt a desktop will make a better gaming rig than a laptop. Don't bother with a CRT, they just take up space, use more power, generate more heat and (if you're at 21" or more) the image is nowhere near as sharp as a decent LCD.

29th July 2009, 07:07	#17
14000rpm Senior - BHPian Join Date: Dec 2007 Location: Helsinki Posts: 2,342 Thanked: 5,564 Times View My Garage	please also buy yourself an external hard disk too and take regular backup of all data. heavy usage cuold make the laptops prone to crashing. The recovery CD and an external hard disk absolute necessity if you buy a laptop for heavy usage.gaming for eg.
	() Thanks

29th July 2009, 09:55	#18
Abes BHPian Join Date: Jan 2009 Location: Muscat Posts: 201 Thanked: 60 Times	Desktop would definitely be better, as it would be easier and cheaper to upgrade, replace the graphics card and has better cooling (the graphics card and cooling are very important for a gaming PC). Also you could get a 21" LCD monitor. A laptop on the other hand comes as one piece, has its own battery backup and is easier to carry around. It would be wiser to invest in a good cooling pad and a wireless keyboard & mouse for the laptop. If you are planning to get from the US, make sure that it can take our 230V supply, and has international warrenty applicable in India. Also make sure that there is atleast 4GB of memory. And if the application is just gaming, why dont you get a playstation 3? It can also be used as PC. There is an article on how to install ubuntu on playstation 3 at ubuntu website, maximumpc website and lots of other websites, just google.
	() Thanks

29th July 2009, 10:04	#19
vinayvtec BHPian Join Date: Apr 2008 Location: Bangalore Posts: 390 Thanked: 10 Times View My Garage	Being in this industry for 5 years my option for gaming will be always desktop (considering the cost factor also) if you need a really good gaming computer you need to get an Alienware or a XPS, but those computers is bit heavy. Also the option what you get on desktop cannot be matched with the laptop… Just plan up a good configuration drop into SP road and pick up the parts of your choice and build a cool gaming computer for yourself.
	() Thanks

29th July 2009, 10:34	#20
tsk1979 Team-BHP Support Join Date: Feb 2005 Location: San Jose, CA Posts: 23,717 Thanked: 22,825 Times View My Garage	I suggest do not get laptop for a child. As compared to normal keyboards, laptop keyboards put more street on the fingers. If your son is into games, he will be using the KB a lot, and it can cause problems. So best is to get a comp assembled from here itself using quality parts, and invest in a good keyboard
	() Thanks

29th July 2009, 12:42	#21
kreddy BHPian Join Date: Oct 2008 Location: Bangalore Posts: 86 Thanked: 36 Times	Thanks everyone for your valuable suggestions. Going by the views I think I will go for local assembled desktop with good parts. I would like to have a good graphics card, a sound card and 5.1 speaker support. A DVD-RW and a LCD monitor would do. Experienced gamers suggest a CRT monitor, what do you think? My son is 13 years old and I have a acer travelmate 2300 series laptop with me. Recently both battery & hard disk have conked up. I do not want to repair it as wont run latest games or software. Why I insisted on laptop was that both my children & father are used to convenience of laptop.
	() Thanks

29th July 2009, 16:45	#22
lurker Senior - BHPian Join Date: Jun 2006 Location: Tura Posts: 1,592 Thanked: 1,423 Times	Since you are based in Bangalore, you can safely go for Dell. Please do not go for 'local assembled desktop', you can safely go for a Dell desktop and take three year warranty. IN that case even if anything happens you do not have to run behind the assembler. Dell has the one of the best Customer care amongst any Indian resellers, and you may already know this, being based in Bangalore.
	() Thanks

29th July 2009, 17:20	#24
deepaktpatil BHPian Join Date: Dec 2006 Location: KA 05, MH 10 Posts: 303 Thanked: 128 Times	Try computer warehouse in Barton Center on MG road. You will get best prices in Bangalore. He provides assembling services if you select the configuration. You can check the prices using this URL Computer Warehouse Online - Buy Computers, Computer Parts, Computer Accessories, Laptops and Electronics Regards, Deepak
	() Thanks

30th July 2009, 13:50	#26
tsk1979 Team-BHP Support Join Date: Feb 2005 Location: San Jose, CA Posts: 23,717 Thanked: 22,825 Times View My Garage	Its not a question of backing up from assembler. This issue comes when you buy without bill. In Bangalore when you buy with bill and warranty, you get warranty from OEM like Seagate Asus etc., So if something goes bad, the assembler will directly contact the OEM supplier. There are a few shady assemblers around, but there are quite a few very good ones also around.
	() Thanks

1st August 2009, 03:31	#28
kbk_75 Senior - BHPian Join Date: Jan 2005 Location: Bombay Posts: 1,233 Thanked: 388 Times	No doubt a desktop will make a better gaming rig than a laptop. Don't bother with a CRT, they just take up space, use more power, generate more heat and (if you're at 21" or more) the image is nowhere near as sharp as a decent LCD.
	() Thanks