I am going to the US next week and was planning on buying my first laptop. Could any one recommend any shops or sites with good prices on laptops. The only shop I've checked is Walmart which have reasonable prices but unsure of the make. Are there any I should avoid or aim to purchase?

Any help given is greatly appreciated

 

Two things come to mind which you should be aware of.

If it breaks down, it will not be too easy to take it back to the shop, thump the table and ask for a refund or replacement.

Also, when you bring the thing into the UK, Customs and Excise will be very interested in extracting VAT from you, so factor in a further 17.5% above what you pay in the shop.

JimB

 

They might also want you to pay import duty, as well as VAT! - so be aware of potential costs.

Also, make sure that the power unit supplied is suitable for 230V, although it's probable that you will have to use a horrible adaptor to make it fit a UK socket anyway - which always looks really terrible!.

__________________
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http://www.winpicprog.co.uk

 

I haven't had much experience with laptops but don't they usually come with a power supply so wouldn't it be a simple task of replacing it with a UK alternative?

 

yes, but you may not be able to get a uk alternative, and even if you can find a a similarly rated psu, it may well invalidate the warrenty.

 

It shouldn't make any difference, particularly as your warranty will be in the USA!.

However, you might try checking the price of a replacement charger/PSU, I suspect you may well be horrified at the cost!.

__________________
PIC programmer software, and PIC Tutorials at:
http://www.winpicprog.co.uk

 

how are customs going to know that he didnt bring it with him in the first place..

 

WalMart is horrible for its electronics section. They mainly sell stuff from a year or two ago at prices they wouldn't have had on the shelf even back then. And as noted, they have no ability to stand behind that equipmen- I guess you don't care since you're going to take it out of the country though, right?

IMHO Fry's Electronics is the best, Best Buy the second. Since they're totally based on electronics they're much more competitive.

 

The PSU rating may not be an issue, all my laptops have universal 100 to 240 volt PSUs.

On the question of Customs knowing whether it originated in the UK or not,

1 it will look nice and shiny, very new, and he will probably have all the handbooks a software original discs with it.
2 They will ask a few questions, if he looks a bit on edge, they will ask some more, and some more.
3 They (probably) have a database of serial numbers of equipment which have been legitimately imported into the UK, if it is a laptop which is not manufactured/assembled here, they will become suspicious.


He could of course dress up smartly, and look like someone respectable, dont look shifty, and chance his luck just walking straight through the "Green Channel".
If he can get away with it - OK, if not prepare to be taken apart and examined in fine detail and if you are lucky, just have to pay the VAT.

Note - I am NOT RECOMMENDING this as a good course of action to take!

JimB

 

I've always been against buying computers at retail stores. Anything you buy there has been sitting on the shelf without dropping in price at all. My company has had good luck buying computers at trade shows - new tech at low prices, but you get a machine that hasn't been tested very much. I'd look at just getting your laptop through Dell. With laptops especially if something burns out you're out of luck if you can't get it serviced.

Brent