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PC prices in England?

G

GoCanucks

Member
My brother's moving to London England in a few months and I'm wondering if I should build a system for him here and ship it or just get him to buy a system there? Anyone know how the prices over there compare to North America? Thanks!

Nick
 
PS are dual aren't they? There usually is a switch so as far as I know that shouldn't be a problem. Correct me if I'm wrong though 🙂

Nick
 
I'm with Seb, prices are not that much higher if you look in the right places... if he wants to he could go hunting at the wholesalers and get them for even cheaper, pretty much about U.S or cheaper price... The PS is no problem as there is that switch at the back, but remind him to double check before plugging in or smoke will bellow out...😛

And one last thing is the cable has to be the 3 pin type we have here which does not cost alot, few £ or $... He will be all set 🙂

Hope that helps,

Albert.
 
Hmmm, in terms of prices, definitely build it in the US, but if you are gonna ship it, make sure it arrives in one piece.

Also if anything failes, RMA is gonna be a bit of a problem.
 
Thanks guys! Exactly what I was looking for. I checked out the sites Seb posted and seems prices are pretty similar, and with shipping the total cost will probably be very close. So it just depends now on whether or not my bro will have the time, or wants to, build the system there or if he wants to take a ready to use system for when he moves.

RMA is another consideration, so we'll make a decision with that in mind too. Thanks again 🙂

Nick
 
I have just brought all the parts to build a new PC, I live in the UK.

here are some of the prices, someone can convert to dollars

1.4Ghz Athlon £204
IBM gxp60 40GB £123
Radeon DDR rp £130
Stick crucial pc2100 256Mb £48

If you want the best prices go to www.dabs.com
 
Just a word of caution! Whenever I've looked at prices from this side of the Atlantic (UK) and compared with Anandtech recommended sites over there! the best I've seen have been parity £ to $. At todays exchange rates that corresponds to a 30% saving if you buy in the States as opposed to here. I agree with the previous comment that Dabs is the place to go here but if it were not for the worry about returns and the freight and customs duties getting it over here I would always go for the 30% discount I could have by buying in the States.
 
Well if he REALLY wants to save alot of money and get a brand name package, which do not relly perform as well as self built, but don't mind then chooseing something like a Dell/Compaq system or heaven forbit Tiny system then they chuck in Printer, Scanner, desk even... at roughly the same price as a self build... Well from what I have seen in thsoe magazines anwyay... the prices are competative as alot of companies know that people are turning to self builds... so they lower price and chuck in a heck of alot to get people back... and also when abouts is he coming over? if he can wait til X-max, which is long shot, then there would be X-Mas savings and sales...

But its your money and we can only suggest what to do with it, you have the final choice...

Albert.
 
Check out

www.pcindex.co.uk

and

www.computerprices.co.uk

These sites list up to date prices from several big online distributors. Dabs are excellent, as are Insight and Simply. Scan have customer service problems (when things go wrong).

If the PS is switchable then no problem there, but check the monitor for the same.
 
1) With the current premium exchange rate of pounds sterling over US dollars, I can't imagine anyone saying that it's easy to find comparable prices on components in the UK -- even here in Ireland, wholesale prices are exorbitant by comparison

2) So take my advice and build your system in the US (with the best quality components you can afford). You can RMA some North American compents (harddrives, frinstance) to European tech support for repair and replacement. The good news is that good quality power supplies will work fine with the European 220 watt voltage -- you just flip the ps switch and swap the power cord. However, I'd advise you to get a serious power converter in the UK so you can run North American appliances with integral cords and fixed wattage. I've got a 400 watt ps that handles a lot.

3) Get a really good quality surge protector or line conditioner in the US to run North American components off of -- connect it between your convertor and the compents.

Finally, be canny when you take computer stuff through customs. You are allowed to take a max of £275. (bout $400) into the country before you will be charged heavy Value-Added tax and duties. Thus:

A) Take all components that are separate (including printers and monitor) out of their packaging and boxes. Driver disks and manuals go into ziplock bags that get put all together in some piece of stow-on luggage. I usually repackage individual components (kept in opened and resealed antistatic bags) taped up and carefully packed in one onboard bag -- that way, I know nothing's going to get smashed by a handler.

B) Once a computer or component has been taken out of its packaging, it's used. You should set your own estimation on the value of used computer equipment. Most people at customs do not have a clue; however, if you ship or mail material by courier, and you insure it for it's full value, Customs will appraise the product's value by this figure.

C) If a customs officer asks you at the airport what 'this' is, it's not enough to explain that it's your 'personal' computer: 'Its value is around $1000.' you say, 'But it's only for my use -- not for resale.' 'Well' they'll reply, 'There's a $400. limit on what you can import over here, so, if you'd care to step aside with your cheque book, we'd like you to indemnify this against any future resale.' Hence, you should say, 'this is an old used computer my Uncle gave me, when it got so archaic that his office couldn't even use it any more. It's got a combined value of about $200.'

I have paid through the nose, and, with experience, I have avoided payment. Good luck.
 
An example: your brother decides to buy a 'bargain' pc for £700. in the UK. That's £700 + 21% VAT = £840. Which converts with today's rate to $1752.48 Canadian!
 
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