In this
previous entry, I mentioned a few computer parts that were more expensive than what could be found in the U.S. These past 2 weeks, I've been asking for quotes for to put together computers for our office. It took a while but I finally found a local vendor who understood why I wanted specific parts (for example, I want SSDs with Indilinx chipset because SSDs with the Micron JF602 controller have bad stuttering problems). To compare, I went to
NewEgg for prices in the U.S.
CNY USD FX - NewEgg +S.Tax Diff%
AMD Athlon II X2 250 495 72.69 - 76.00 83.22 -12.66%
Asus M4A78-E SE 815 119.68 - 115.00 125.93 -4.96%
Memory DDR2 800 2G 283 41.56 - 31.00 33.95 22.42%
OCZ Vertex 30G SSD 1200 176.21 - 139.00 152.21 15.77%
Seagate 1TB HD ST31000528AS 620 91.04 - 90.00 98.55 -7.62%
Intel PWLA8391GT 350 51.40 - 27.00 29.57 73.84%
Acer 22" LCD 1160 170.34 - 150.00 164.25 3.71%
HannsG 28" LCD 2300 337.74 - 310.00 339.45 -0.50%
D-Link DES-1228 1050 154.19 - 160.00 175.20 -11.99%
Netgear WPN824 490 71.95 - 60.00 65.70 9.52%
TOTAL 1.48%
At first glance, prices looked lower across the board in the U.S. But then I remembered sales tax (9.5% in California). After factoring that in, the ending difference of 1.48% more expensive in China is data noise. The 3 items that are more expensive are:
- Intel PWLA8391GT +74%. This is a very specific item because I wanted guaranteed support and stability for a Linux firewall. Most of the other items, I gave generic requests and the vendor could fill in with the closest he could find.
- OCZ Vertex 30G SSD +16%. This is a bleeding edge product. I originally put down SuperTalent UltraDrive ME as my requirement as that's the cheapest Indilinx 30G drive at $113. Unfortunately, it is not sold in China so the vendor countered with a KingSpec 30G Micron JF602 SSD. However, after I googled up the specs (Pera-Kun translator for Firefox extremely helpful), I realized that was not a good drive. I queried back on a KingSpec Indilinx SSD but he could not get that drive either. I guess he then looked carefully at the difference between the 2 KingSpec SSDs, was able to find the closest thing with the OCZ Vertex.
- 2G DDR2 Memory +22%. I have no idea why the big difference for this product as this is just a commodity good. Oh well... let the vendor take a bit of profit I guess.
It looks like for regular commodity computer parts, buying in China is very competitive with buying in the U.S. As a theoretical exercise, I looked up a few laptop manufacturers and noticed Dell has a China sales presence. So I decided to do a quick price comparison. Luckily, the English and Chinese site versions have nearly the same layout.
USD/S.Tax CNY/ FX HKD/ FX
Dell Inspiron 15 $399/ $437 4499/ $660 3999/ $515
Dell Studio 17 $699/ $765 7999/$1170 7999/$1030
Alienware M15x $1499/$1641 14999/$2200 15888/$2050
To buy a Dell in China, it costs roughly 50% more for the base/midrange models and +35% more for the top-of-the-line Alienwares. I guess this is why laptops are a common request for travelers from relatives in China.
(Filed in china)
Computers in China Follow-up
Posted by Mossy
October 12, 2009 2:00 AM
At first glance, prices looked lower across the board in the U.S. But then I remembered sales tax (9.5% in California). After factoring that in, the ending difference of 1.48% more expensive in China is data noise. The 3 items that are more expensive are:
- Intel PWLA8391GT +74%. This is a very specific item because I wanted guaranteed support and stability for a Linux firewall. Most of the other items, I gave generic requests and the vendor could fill in with the closest he could find.
- OCZ Vertex 30G SSD +16%. This is a bleeding edge product. I originally put down SuperTalent UltraDrive ME as my requirement as that's the cheapest Indilinx 30G drive at $113. Unfortunately, it is not sold in China so the vendor countered with a KingSpec 30G Micron JF602 SSD. However, after I googled up the specs (Pera-Kun translator for Firefox extremely helpful), I realized that was not a good drive. I queried back on a KingSpec Indilinx SSD but he could not get that drive either. I guess he then looked carefully at the difference between the 2 KingSpec SSDs, was able to find the closest thing with the OCZ Vertex.
- 2G DDR2 Memory +22%. I have no idea why the big difference for this product as this is just a commodity good. Oh well... let the vendor take a bit of profit I guess.
It looks like for regular commodity computer parts, buying in China is very competitive with buying in the U.S. As a theoretical exercise, I looked up a few laptop manufacturers and noticed Dell has a China sales presence. So I decided to do a quick price comparison. Luckily, the English and Chinese site versions have nearly the same layout.To buy a Dell in China, it costs roughly 50% more for the base/midrange models and +35% more for the top-of-the-line Alienwares. I guess this is why laptops are a common request for travelers from relatives in China.
(Filed in china)
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