LebGeeks

A community for technology geeks in Lebanon.

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#1 February 12 2006

hisham88
Member

bad computer business in leb !!

hey guys ! im posting this topic to warn any body whos trying to buy a PC or simply a part from lebanon !
i dont mean to make a bad image of lebanon but its just that in here every one takes advantage of the huge gap of prices between similar parts !

any one who wants to buy anything concerning computers post here so we can discuss them together and get help from hardware experts like my self  haha or karim soubra !!   we'll research it together and by that every one can learn a thing or two about hardware if interested !
thxxx , ur friend hisham !!

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#2 February 12 2006

KingRhye
Member

Re: bad computer business in leb !!

Ok.. but first, what are your qualifications ?

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#3 February 12 2006

karim soubra
Member

Re: bad computer business in leb !!

i would be glad to help

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#4 February 12 2006

samer
Admin

Re: bad computer business in leb !!

im posting this topic to warn any body whos trying to buy a PC or simply a part from lebanon !

yeah, let's boycott them and see how the economy improves :/

i dont mean to make a bad image of lebanon but its just that in here every one takes advantage of the huge gap of prices between similar parts !

if you're not wise enough to figure out their ripping you off, then you deserve it :O

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#5 February 14 2006

hisham88
Member

Re: bad computer business in leb !!

oh plz samer give me a break " if you're not wise enough to figure out their ripping you off, then you deserve it " why wud any one think that ??   not every one is a computer geek !!

plus i cant believe so many ppl got the wrong idea !  when i said beware of the theft i didnt mean boycott , i meant go research or discuss what ur gonna buy so u can know wat to tell him b4 u go the store ! thats wat i meant
for example : u cant go tell a guy i want a 40 " LCD ... if u do he'll be like ok sure gimme 3000 $ and heres ur LG LCD mabruk !!  but if u researched it and knew that theres a 700 $ between the same TV but its SONY then he'll give u a sony for 3000 $ its a win win situation given that u have researched ur hardware first !!   and btw its just an example !! KAPISH ??

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#6 February 14 2006

hisham88
Member

Re: bad computer business in leb !!

KingRhye wrote:

Ok.. but first, what are your qualifications ?

KING i said we'll research all TOGETHER !! i didnt say u have to get permission from me !  anyways have a good day !!  :)

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#7 February 14 2006

KingRhye
Member

Re: bad computer business in leb !!

Ok lol.. we'll do that, cheers man :)

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#8 February 14 2006

hisham88
Member

Re: bad computer business in leb !!

sure thxxx

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#9 February 15 2006

rolf
Member

Re: bad computer business in leb !!

Lebanon is pretty cheap for PC parts. If you compare it to europe it has nowadays gotten to the same price level, if not cheaper. Compared to the states, you have a price difference from 10% to 50% (roughly) depending on the parts, with the biggest price difference being in expensive, rare and high-tech parts such as high level graphic adapters. AMD are considered "rare" items, since there's not much demand on them :(. Entry level parts usually are in the 0%-20% price difference range, nothing that will kill you :)
I made this estimate by comparing prices with online shops in the US. But I have to say if you shop around in the US, you'll sometimes see special offers, usually involving a mail rebate, that are simply incredible

Anyways to anyone wanting to buy stuff here, I usually recommend the following IN ORDER :
-1st step: check www.pcandparts.com online
-2nd step: call compuworld (i have the number), they can give you good prices if you discuss the price with them. If they give you a good price (compare with pcandparts.com)  and have what you want, then buy it from them. If not, you migh still try haggling on the price and asking them to order that part for you. There's nothing wrong with pcandparts, but I just like compuworld, because:
-You can talk with the boss (jack or williams) at any time, and they're always polite
-I know i can just bring back something that I bought the other day just because i changed my mind and they'll take it back no questions asked
-My company has a credit with them and they're pretty patient with check collection and never nag
-If you ask them they can order stuff for you
-They'll honour your warranty. You might even get a replacement the same day... Usually for printers and the such they'll want you to wait for them to send the printer for reparing, but if you nag and shout you can get a new replacement printer the same day... hopefully. it helps being a regular customer ;)

Anyway if you do the above you should be screw-proof. It's true that people get screwed pretty bad, a week ago a friend got charged USD 1600 for a computer that would have costed him USD 1000 on pcandparts. pffff! what can I do, he called me AFTERWARDS

Last edited by rolf (February 16 2006)

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#10 February 15 2006

hisham88
Member

Re: bad computer business in leb !!

Asus A8NE nForce4 w/Sound+1GB Lan+Firewire  costs 145 $  while you can buy it from other sites for 107 $ :S  that is like 50% more expensive ...
i am sorry but i'd rather to stick to my american friends for shipping  anyways take care guys ...

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#11 February 15 2006

LebaneseChiphead
Member

Re: bad computer business in leb !!

Okay, Here is my two cents worth: Computer parts have a shelf life if you like to call it that, what is the differnce between a computer that cost 100.00 and another one for 1000.00, it is like asking why a Caddillac is better than chevy, well they both have  tires , steering wheels and motors? hence why a Caddillac is more expensive then ? okay it all boil down to the MTBF (mean time before failure) a hard drive that cost $20.00 have a MTBF of 100 hours of use, meanwhile a hard drive that cost $500.00 have a MTBF of 2000 hours of use and so on, I hope you got my drift here , another thing is watch for the Revision of the parts, because you definitly want the latest revision of any part.
Chips IMR

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#12 February 16 2006

hisham88
Member

Re: bad computer business in leb !!

are you saying that lebanon parts are better than parts in the U.S ? because if you are saying that you must be high on something ...
i'd say check out huge shipping sites like www.excaliberpc.com or www.newegg.com and then you can change your mind about lebanese parts ... thank you

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#13 February 16 2006

rolf
Member

Re: bad computer business in leb !!

hisham88 wrote:

Asus A8NE nForce4 w/Sound+1GB Lan+Firewire  costs 145 $  while you can buy it from other sites for 107 $ :S  that is like 50% more expensive ...
i am sorry but i'd rather to stick to my american friends for shipping  anyways take care guys ...

Yeah, sorry, I should remove the "most" in my post (edited it). I did a little too much speculation.
BUT if you check prices of intel boards for example, they cost the same price here and in the US.
The key is how much demand the item will get. Items like "intel original" (I hate when they say that) boards and cpu and cheap ram will be mass-shipped to lebanon and hence can be sold at low prices, close (and sometimes lower) then those in the US. Items which will be imported in smaller quantities will see their price rise. The smaller the quantity the higher the price difference. AMD, despite their reputation for being cheap, will not be a good deal in lebanon because unfortunately they did not take foot in the Lebanese market and they are being imported in small quantities because people prefer "intel ORIGINAL" (ehh original, mesh te2lid, huh?)

Last edited by rolf (February 16 2006)

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#14 February 16 2006

LebaneseChiphead
Member

Re: bad computer business in leb !!

What make that part at newegg better than the part the Abu staif sells at dowrah? is the part that abu staif is selling manufactured in Lebanon? or where are these part that neweagg sell manufactured at ?

Rolf, you got a point on the service issue ,  when the store is there locally you will get a lot better support  and warranty than a mail order company.

Chips IMR

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#15 February 16 2006

rolf
Member

Re: bad computer business in leb !!

I think he meant that you get better deals in the US then here :)

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#16 February 16 2006

hisham88
Member

Re: bad computer business in leb !!

well first of all no parts here are as cheap as outside and i am 99 % sure ...
second of all , all i said FROM THE BEGINNING was in here ,lebanese stores ( most of them at least ) are not very honest  :
ill give a 100th example  : when a customer goes in the place and asks for a 256 MB RAM  , the guy gives him the cheapest goddamn RAM on earth that has 100-100-100-100 latency ( example ) while there are rams with 2-2-2-3 latency that are costier ... not every one understands the difference between all sorts of RAM ... all i am asking from these people is that whenever they wanna buy something , any part related to computer , let him post a message here so we can all discuss what he really wants and give him all the advise he needs so he won't get ripped off ... PERIOD  how did it come to coparing stores in the US and LEB ? :S  its just that in here they are not customer friendly they're just pocket-friendly   
peaceZzZ

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#17 February 16 2006

hisham88
Member

Re: bad computer business in leb !!

and yes rolf you always get better deals outside rather than here  :)

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#18 February 16 2006

karim soubra
Member

Re: bad computer business in leb !!

i liked the pocket friendly note

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#19 February 17 2006

hisham88
Member

Re: bad computer business in leb !!

what a comment !!

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#20 February 17 2006

darkstar
Member

Re: bad computer business in leb !!

Rolf post the number of compuworld.
Any ideas if they sell notebooks?
Thanks

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#21 February 18 2006

rolf
Member

Re: bad computer business in leb !!

Compuworld: 01-484847
The bosses are Jack and Williams. You can ask to speak with them if you want.

I dont know if they sell notebooks. pcandparts.com has a pretty big choice of notebooks online.

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#22 February 21 2006

LebaneseChiphead
Member

Re: bad computer business in leb !!

some parts whether they sold in the USA or Lebanon are made by the same manufacturer with  the same specifications " U went off on the spec of the part assuming they are not the same part". so many companies in the states uses subcontractors, that mean the same part is manufactured by the same factory with two different brand names for two different suppliers, the brand name is  different but the gutts are the same, that what I meant when I asked you if Lebanon manugfacture any parts  lebanon had to import that part from somewhere, and no I am not comparing stores between lebanon and USA, if you have a local vendor you definitly have a better chance for service even though the part might be more expensive in lebanon, but you do not want to be on hold for 3 hours to get to talk to some one in Tech support at your overseas vendor till he gives an RMA number, and besides pray that you have a credit card to use as deposit in case you do not return the old part, and with a great delivery system that we have in Lebanon, do you think you will see that part :)
people can build computers for pennies whether in USA or Lebanon, Please read back what I wrote about the MTBF for any part.
and  if you do have any questions about DRAM please let me know
Chips IMR

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#23 February 22 2006

hisham88
Member

Re: bad computer business in leb !!

did i say that lebanon made their own parts ? :S i'm sorry if i did but all i said was that lebanon have more expensive prices ... and they'll rip yu off if you don't have a clue of what you're buying ... sorry i'm being honest

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#24 November 23 2006

hj88
Member

Re: bad computer business in leb !!

hey hicham88

since you proposed to give advice on buying a new pc, can you give me the best possible specs if my budget is 1300$ + or - 10 %  ( without the screen )

and another question what is the difference between "sapphire ati 1900 xtx" and "ati 1900 xtx"

and thank you so mush for your help

Last edited by hj88 (November 23 2006)

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#25 April 7 2007

aboowissam
Member

Re: bad computer business in leb !!

Buying pcs is a nice experience.
Buy only at good shops never from internet cafes.
Talk and discuss everything with sales man to discover if he's expert or not.
Ask for Branded nemes and look for Manufacturers website and fully read all about.
Start from Case specs and compatibility to power supply and even cooling fans built ins and if not how they should be mounted(intake and exhaust).
Go to the end of the subject and tell what you intend to do on the pc ie. office and internet  only,home use with some Games,home for powerfull games, graphic design,music production(not just listeng or playing) and finally Video Production and the real ones in this case are rare to find in normal PC stores they should be specialised.

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