laptop advice

I am in the States now but expect to move to the U.K. for work within six weeks or so. I need a new laptop, but I'm not sure whether to buy it in the U.S. (which I'd prefer, so that I'd have it even before I head to the U.K.) or to wait till I'm in Devon? If I buy it in the U.S., do I need to buy adapter plugs or anything else? I'm a moron when it comes to electronics to begin with, but this U.S.-U.K. wrinkle is really confusing me. And does anyone have any recommendations? I basically want it for word processing, e-mail, and Web access.

Thanks!!

You can just get an adaptor. You'll be fine with it. My old iBook was bought in the UK but I took it home to the US all the time.

Cost-wise, it's better to buy in the US, since laptops are almost twice the price in the UK (e.g. the most basic Dell laptop here would cost at least $700, not including accessories and extra programs).
You should be able to use the laptop with a US-UK adapter, although I have had a couple of problems with using US electrial equipment in the UK - my external CD-RW/DVD player won't work here and occasionally smells of burning if I plug it in!

The difference in electronics is that here we run on a 240V supply, compared to 110V in the US - therefore an adapter is needed to lower the voltage coming out of the mains from 240V to 110V so that US appliances can work (I think that's the right way round).

I have a Dell Inspiron 6000 laptop and all I needed to run it in the UK was an adapter plug. The power adapter is already rated 100-240V so you don't need a transformer or converter to run it. One thing I recommend is to make sure whatever warranty you buy has international coverage and/or allows you to transfer coverage to the UK otherwise you'd have to send your laptop to the US for warranty repairs.

I have a laptop and I'm just going to buy a new plug for the outlets in the UK.

You can also change the settings for the keyboard on your laptop so you can use the UK configuration if you want.

I have a laptop and I'm just going to buy a new plug for the outlets in the UK.

You can also change the settings for the keyboard on your laptop so you can use the UK configuration if you want.

I did the same. Just popped a plug adapter on my US cord and it was fine!

Excellent. Thanks so much!

Just a heads up,

I'm currently creating a shopping list of various bits and pieces I want when the next family members flies to/from the US. I've noticed that if you compare 'exactly' like for like, the pricing differential isn't so great after all.

Over the weekend, I used the Dell comparator/spec tool for a XPS laptop and once I'd configured it for my particular needs the US total was $3984 (or thereabouts) the same on the UK site was £2089 or at todays rates $4135 which is a difference of 'only' $ 151 which is again 'only' £76.

£76 ($151) is STILL £76 ($151) and any saving's nowadays are worthwhile having - however on such an expensive product, it's not that much and I'd say it'd be better to buy a UK product to get as smooth as possible after sales as possible. Had the difference been say £200 or more, then definitley it'd make sense to buy in the US.

Of course, these are recommended retail prices, once you go 'bargain' hunting in the US and find the special deals etc then the savings really can stack up, I usually find the best items are those that are not available in the UK market in general (these can however present other problems such as radio interference compliance, operating standards etc etc)

One site I look at to see what my dreamlist is for the week is
http://www.dynamism.com/index.shtml

Seeing as there's so much choice, it can be difficult to compare 'exact' like for like - especially as laptops can have many many different technical features. There are some other examples I have been looking into, software mainly and although cheaper, currently, it's not by much, so I'm attempting to find reputable US discounter's to buy from to see if I can 'maximise' that pricing differential.

Overall, although the headlines make it sound that the US is 'always' going to be 'At least 50% less than here' - some digging around for actual pricing may well not be the case

To quote Ksand24 "Cost-wise, it's better to buy in the US, since laptops are almost twice the price in the UK (e.g. the most basic Dell laptop here would cost at least $700, not including accessories and extra programs)."  You can check for yourself that in actual fact the pricing difference upon 'buying' is only $40 difference.

Go to the Dell UK website and the 'most basic' laptop is the Inspiron 1501 and it says 'from £349' which is $690 USD. Go to the Dell USA website, click for the Inspiron 1501 and it says 'from $549 after rebate so thats $649 (there's the $40 difference). Even taking the $549 price (once you get the rebate) in Sterling thats £277 which is substantially less than 'twice the price' that alot of people automatically assume.

I'll shutup now, of course different products (clothes, perfumes etc etc) will have different pricing levels and the above may not apply so much

Good luck !
DtM! West London & Slough UK!

I suppose it does depend on what laptop requirements you have. I was going by the prices I'd heard of (last I knew it cost about £1000 to buy a UK laptop and only around $600 to buy a US one). I'm moving to the states next January and I'm planning on buying a laptop there because of the price difference.

I just had a look on both Dell sites as well and the laptop I would consider buying (after customisation) is $740 (after rebate) on the US site and about $920 on the UK site - for exactly the same spec - that is almost $200 difference, at least for me!

Hi Ksand24!

I wasn't having 'a go' or anything! merely pointing out the fact the pricing differentials have changed quite abit, especially in the latops market. Just to update you, you can get a decent brand UK laptop for £329 http://www.dealtime.co.uk/xPP-pc_laptops-cheapest_laptop--price_range_0_550

the cheapest Dell comes in only £20 more and this area of the laptop market has been doing really well as more and more people want a 2nd and 3rd machine at home without too much outlay.

I predict you'll be doing alot more bargain hunting on the web in your near future ksand24!

cheers! DtM! West London & Slough UK!

Most modern laptops come with power supplies which auto adjust to 120 or 240V (just check the label).  Auxiliaries such as printers, external disk drives, and so on might not be so equipped though, in which case you would need to replace the supply unit or run through a transformer.

If you have a regular dial-up modem you'll need an adapter to convert from the RJ11 American wiring to the British-style wall outlet, or a replacement cord with the appropriate plug.  Both are easily obtainable in computer stores such as PC World.

To also add on pricing with Dell. In the UK, they usually give free shipping whereas in the US it is usually at least $50.00 so you do end up saving. Everyone always thinks the grass is greener, but not always when it comes to deals

I generally recommend buying in the US because it usually is cheaper (though this is an interesting thread on that very point) but one other thing I thought I should mention is the warranty.  Sometimes...depending on where you buy, you can be locked into a 'regional' warranty.  For example, some stuff I bought in Hong Kong can only be fixed by a 'certified repair shop' in Asia, not the US.

I'm not sure of Dell's warranty policy in the UK vs. the US (I'm all Macs and custom linux boxes) but it might be worth investigating.  Laptops due seem to have a higher failure rate so I think your chances of a service call in the next 2 years is a bit higher than say a desktop.

One other point:  Laptops and flatscreen montiors are the only electrical items I buy with the 'extended warranty' because they are so prone to failure.  Some laptop screen replacements start to rival the cost of buying a new one.   Might make a difference in considering your purchase and how long you will be away.

This is a dead topic but I thought I'd make one last point, don't forget sales tax!

Dell will tack this on depending on which state you have it shipped to. 

.One thing I recommend is to make sure whatever warranty you buy has international coverage and/or allows you to transfer coverage to the UK otherwise you'd have to send your laptop to the US for warranty repairs.

Does any one know about this?  I am thinking of buying an HP in the US.