true, Apple MacBook Air has swept the Peninsula like no Apple notebook or laptop has, but still in conscensus it is ultimately for the sleekest look and rather expensive . for swift business and banking compatibility in South Korea, you need an IBM-compatible .
and after the immense popularity of NetBook, Ultra-Thin and now Ultra Book, you look for larger-screen faster notebook or laptop to do what iPad cannot .
and in the now-stable iPad age, it is futile to buy a laptop or notebook costing above W800,000, especially for re-sale value – even if your company is paying for it (Hello ? This is a Righteous BLog)
thus here introducing three from SamSung Electronics, HanSung and HP each priced well below W1,000,000 with enough power to play but the most extensive games .
[ SPEC COMPARISON INDEX ] in the order of ascending price
SamSung Electronics SENS NT-RV518-SD55 W597,000 introduced March 2012
intel Core i5-2450M 2.5GHz – LED backlight 15.6″ 1366×768 – 500GB 2GB DDR3 – DVD recorder without OS – NVidia GForce GT520M 1GB – 2.4kg 6 cell – 1Gbps LAN 802.11n wireless BlueTooth 3.0 HDMi D-Sub WebCam USB 2.0 multi-reader, number pad, block keyboard in silver
HanSung SPARQ M53S-G652 W672,000 introduced June 2012
intel Core i5-3210M 2.5GHz – LED backlight 15.6″ 1600×900 – 500GB 4GB DDR3 – multi-boost without OS – NVidia GForce GT640M & HD 4000 dual graphic 1GB – 2.4kg 6 cell – 1Gbps LAN 802.11n wireless BlueTooth 4.0 HDMi D-Sub WebCam USB 2.0 USB 3.0 e-SATA multi-reader, number pad, block keyboard in black
HP Pavilion G6-2024TX W760,000 introduced March 2012
Core i5-2450M 2.5GHz – LED backlight 15.6″ 1366×768 – 640GB 4GB DDR3 – DVD recorder 7 Home Premium – AMD ATi Radeon HD7670 1GB GDDR5 – 2.21kg 6 cell – 100Mbps LAN 802.11n wireless BlueTooth 3.0 HDMi D-Sub WebCam USB 2.0 USB 3.0 multi-reader, number pad in red or blue
and each in detail :
SamSung Electronics SENS NT-RV518-SD55 W597,000 introduced March 2012
intel Core i5-2450M 2.5GHz – LED backlight 15.6″ 1366×768 – 500GB 2GB DDR3 – DVD recorder without OS – NVidia GForce GT520M 1GB – 2.4kg 6 cell – 1Gbps LAN 802.11n wireless BlueTooth 3.0 HDMi D-Sub WebCam USB 2.0 multi-reader, number pad, block keyboard in silver
any electronics from SamSung are sought after for its easy access to support and repair centres throughout South Korea, especially for the laymen but its thin notebooks have been quite expensive even more than Apple – thinnest and utmost powerfull going well over double the bargain budgers listed here . and here in an unexpected move, without an operating system such as Windows 7 😉 but everything else is mediocre -_- still an attractive price for a SamSung .
HanSung SPARQ M53S-G652 W672,000 introduced June 2012
intel Core i5-3210M 2.5GHz – LED backlight 15.6″ 1600×900 – 500GB 4GB DDR3 – multi-boost without OS – NVidia GForce GT640M & HD 4000 dual graphic 1GB – 2.4kg 6 cell – 1Gbps LAN 802.11n wireless BlueTooth 4.0 HDMi D-Sub WebCam USB 2.0 USB 3.0 e-SATA multi-reader, number pad, block keyboard in black
from the maker that revolutionize large-screen monitors AND powerful notebooks with record-breaking low price : again the most powerful in this line-up yet with tinier pixels meaning the letters are flimsy to read . but no business executive will be caught lapping any from this maker, for the design and build is basic at most . still un-contested bang-for-the-buck . product-support-wise basic also, but more trustable as a domestic maker than MSI and Acer (which much earlier kept attractive and powerful laptop and notebooks at affordable price) which still has to prove customer-base in South Korea .
HP Pavilion G6-2024TX W760,000 introduced March 2012
Core i5-2450M 2.5GHz – LED backlight 15.6″ 1366×768 – 640GB 4GB DDR3 – DVD recorder 7 Home Premium – AMD ATi Radeon HD7670 1GB GDDR5 – 2.21kg 6 cell – 100Mbps LAN 802.11n wireless BlueTooth 3.0 HDMi D-Sub WebCam USB 2.0 USB 3.0 multi-reader, number pad, in red or blue
best of both Worlds (in design, power, price and support) from a long-time dependable maker with slightly lighter weight than its competitors here and pleasant color choice . HP has a long stance in South Korea with printers and copy machines, with support centers at least in the most concentrated cities in the Peninsula . and with enough power for ample resale value .
[ WHERE TO BUY LAPTOPS AND NOTEBOOKS ]
explained many times-over on this BLog, you have largely four choices :
- local supermart such as eMart, HomePlus, Lotte Mart and MegaMart (in order of my favourite) (yes, CostCo sometimes have nice models but since they are few and located afar, nope for the purpose of this subject) is the best place for expats and visiting strangers, for its double-support system : from themselves and through the manufacturer . but they carry limited models although sometimes hit jackpot with a popular one .
- shopping around electronics-dedicated malls such as YongSan or TechnoMart . one plus here is that because they have to sell a lot, sometimes will let you open the box and check for dead or bad pixels – to which Koreans especially the young are very sensitive to, thus will affect resale value . minus is that they won’t be able to match rock-bottom on-Line prices -_-
- on-Line shopping malls run by mammoth Korean conglomerates such as CJMall, HMall, SamSungMall, ShinSeGae, LGEShop, LotteiMall, Lotte, and NSeShop (again in order of my favourite) offer substantial discount especially with their regular designated-credit card sale (changes every Week or so) and with monthly installment payment . but the real reason here, is customers ability to insist exchange or refund, although the knack for feeble electronics (especially on bad or dead pixel on laptop, notebook, monitors and digital cameras) is diminishing .
- the cheapest price of anything including electronics can be had at independent on-Line malls like Auction, GMarket, 11st and interPark . because they are sold by individual stores virtually located within these shopping portals, many offer a few-hours delivery paid-on-receipt . and understandably yes, you will have to go to manufacturers’ support centre to get a ‘bad’ verdict for exchange or return and refund .
onto ShangHai and Taipei,
– Korea Tech BLog, before the storm 2012 –
( August 29th 2012 Update on the trails of Typhoon Bolaven )
after careful consideration, I have opted to leave-out SamSung SENS and HanSung SPARQ above and recommend price variations (two cheaper than 2024 and two expensive) of HP instead, depending on how much you want to spend for power :
- SamSung Electronics SENS NT-RV518-SD55 : taken out due to mediocre positioning on um everything, despite dependable product and customer support – unless you are a donkey and really need full support (especially if you live/work in remote areas where only Korean conglomerates reach)
- HanSung SPARQ M53S-G652 : out because of flimsy design looks and questionable durability, here unless you prefer the most power-for-the-buck no matter what
HP Pavilion G6-2019TX W545,000 introduced April 2012
Pentium B960 2.2GHz – LED backlight 15.6″ 1366×768 – 1TB 4GB DDR3 – DVD recorder 7 Home Premium – AMD, ATi Radeon HD7670 & HD Graphics Dual Graphic, 1GB GDDR5 – 2.47kg 6 cell – 100Mbps LAN 802.11n wireless BlueTooth 3.0 HDMi D-Sub WebCam USB 2.0 USB 3.0 multi-reader, number pad, in Winter Blue (with model 2038 in red and 2039 black)
great price for sufficiently powerful set-up, short of the most extreme games .
HP Pavilion G6-2042TX W688,000 introduced April 2012
Core i3-2350M 2.3GHz – LED backlight 15.6″ 1366×768 – 750GB 4GB DDR3 – DVD recorder 7 Home Premium – AMD ATi Radeon HD7670 1GB GDDR5 – 2.23kg 6 cell – 1Gbps LAN 802.11n wireless BlueTooth 3.0 HDMi D-Sub WebCam USB 2.0 USB 3.0 multi-reader, number pad
one notch-down from the 2024 model recommended above, this would be your choice if short-of-dough but still want to conten along the powerful, with enough resale value .
HP 4540s B8Z67PA W737,000 introduced July 2012
Core i5-3210M 2.5GHz – LED backlight glare resistant15.6″ 1366×768 – 640GB 4GB DDR3 – DVD recorder without OS – AMD ATi Radeon HD7650 1GB GDDR5 – 2.51kg 6 cell – 1Gbps LAN 802.11n wireless BlueTooth 4.0 HDMi D-Sub WebCam USB 2.0 USB 3.0 multi-reader, number pad
pick this if you want powerful, but for business instead of games . with mature design alure to fit dark-grey suits .
HP Pavilion G6-1004TX W859,000 introduced July 2012
Core i5-3210M 2.5GHz – LED backlight 15.6″ 1366×768 – 750GB 4GB DDR3 – DVD recorder 7 Home Premium – AMD ATi Radeon HD7670 & HD 4000 Dual Graphic 2GB – 2.4kg 6 cell – 1Gbps LAN 802.11n wireless BlueTooth 4.0 HDMi D-Sub WebCam USB 2.0 USB 3.0 multi-reader, number pad, in silver
lastly this would be it, if you have enough to spend for power, only short of the most thin-and-powerful SamSung territory, before which ofcourse Apple Macbooks reside .
– the above recommendations would last a good three Months to six –
and remember : the second year is the best time to sell your laptop or notebook before it becomes junk horse in a good four -_-
