Buying a laptop in japan?

[FuNT]

I'm going to japan for a year and was wondering if I'm better (in cost) to buy a laptop before I leave.. or get one there..

I'd have to assume they'd all be outfitted with foreign keyboards..

[asdfvcx]

From my limited experiences with electronics in Japan, the prices are roughly the same, maybe a bit more expensive in Japan. The models available will be slightly newer and have more features than available in Canada.

Once thing to think of, if you buy before you leave, is the warranty going to be valid in Japan? If you buy in Japan, you can frequently pay a bit more to get a worldwide warranty, or buy from a special selection that contains worldwide warranties.

And while I was over there working for a couple of weeks, all of the keyboards I dealt with on both laptops and desktops were QWERTY (sometimes with a second Japanese character on the same key). Some of the punction marks and special characters were in different locations though.

[YYZC2]

From my limited experiences with electronics in Japan, the prices are roughly the same, maybe a bit more expensive in Japan. The models available will be slightly newer and have more features than available in Canada.

Once thing to think of, if you buy before you leave, is the warranty going to be valid in Japan? If you buy in Japan, you can frequently pay a bit more to get a worldwide warranty, or buy from a special selection that contains worldwide warranties.

And while I was over there working for a couple of weeks, all of the keyboards I dealt with on both laptops and desktops were QWERTY (sometimes with a second Japanese character on the same key). Some of the punction marks and special characters were in different locations though.

There is also a huge used computer market in Japan... probably due to being a nation of gadget freaks combined with stringent tech waste disposal standards. The used models are usually in very good to mint condition and are heavily discounted. Like myself, the Japanese have a passion for ultralight models and there are lots to choose from. Something to consider...

[Pavel]

If you buy one there, you need to confirm and verify that it has an international warranty; otherwise, you are better off buying it here. But, chances are it will definitely more expensive than locally.

[p0rsche]

My buddy is in Japan now, he casually told me without going into detail about prices and specs that they are "overall cheaper." Take that with a grain of salt because I don't think he's too technically inclined, just my 2 cents. I can tell you however that buying a laptop in japan will definitely get you the higher end models you may not see otherwise in North American soil. :razz:

Like others have already mentioned warranty is pretty important if the laptop your purchasing is a huge investment. If it's a knock off deal, then no warranty is part of the price. Depends what laptop range you're looking at from low end celeron Ms to santa rosas. Mid-High end - get warranty. Low end, they'll be cheap anyways go as low as you can go, forget the warranty.

Language - there's some w/ english notebooks , quite a lot of japanese keyboard layouts. Just look around and compare to prices on the retail sites of the manufacturer, best buy, FS, tiger, etc.. if after conversion it's a good deal go for it.

So to answer ur question - if you're looking for high end or unique go to japan (i.e. ur looking for a laptop not normally sold here), low end just stick to buying here, you'll probably get a more stable warranty here anyways.

[FuNT]

hrm thanks for the replys,

I just wanted something midrange.. the new dells seem alright for the price..

I sorta wish I knew what the specs would be for sc2.. hoping the 8400 will cut it..

[thephenom]

hrm thanks for the replys,

I just wanted something midrange.. the new dells seem alright for the price..

I sorta wish I knew what the specs would be for sc2.. hoping the 8400 will cut it..
If you can tolerate 640x480 at low details, a 8400 will do. As much as it's a DX-10 ready card, it's the lowest spec card, so don't expect much. If you want to play at reasonable resolution and framerates, wait a bit for the back to school and Christmas lineup with a higher end card like the 8600 or the ATI Mobile HD 2600XT.

Haven't been to Japan myself, but looking at prices in Taipei and Hong Kong, prices are generally very similar to here, but you save the 14% taxes. :D

[FuNT]

does anyone know of japanese websites that list the prices?