Feb 13
2009New HP Pavilion Entertainment Notebook PC
Filed Under: Lists, Living in China, Software & Tools
2711 visits, 1 today
I just got a new HP laptop! The IBM ThinkPad T40 I had been using is almost 6 years old and still running quite well, but I’m afraid it’s going to die any moment. Computers and laptops are so much cheaper in the U.S. than they are in China. I got a HP dv6-1053cl Entertainment Notebook PC for only $800 USD from Costco in the U.S. The same laptop costs almost twice as much ($1500 USD) in China! The funny thing is, HP laptops are manufactured in China and shipped to the U.S. from Shanghai!
Product Details
Processor & Memory:
- Intel® Core™ 2 Duo Processor P7450 (2.13GHz)
- 4MB L2 cache
- 1066MHz front side bus
- 4GB DDR2 SDRAM
Drives:
- 320GB (5,400RPM) SATA Hard Drive
- LightScribe 8x DVD±RW drive with double layer support
Graphics & Video:
- 16.0" diagonal BrightView widescreen display; 1366 x 768 native resolution
- Intel Graphics Media Accelerator 4500MHD (shared)
Communications:
- Intel Wi-Fi Link 5100AGN WLAN
- Integrated 10/100 Ethernet LAN
- 56K modem
Audio:
- SRS Premium Sound
Windows Vista 64-bit
The only unfortunate thing about this laptop is that it has Windows Vista 64-bit Home Premium installed on it. I couldn’t find any laptop that had Windows XP or Vista 32-bit installed. This will be my first Vista computer, and I’m not too thrilled about using Vista 64-bit. I’ve heard so many negative reviews about all the compatibility issues with Vista 64-bit. Fortunately, I’ve been able to install most of the software that I wanted. The only thing I couldn’t install is my work VPN software, which sucks big time because I want to work remotely from my new laptop. Oh well…
Must Have Software
Here’s my must have software installation list:
- AVG Anti-Virus—One of the best and free antivirus software.
- FreeCommander—Free Windows Explorer replacement that supports dual pane and multiple tabs.
- Picasa 3—Best (and free) photo organizer.
- Google Chrome—Free, fast, and simple web browser. I decided not to install Firefox as Chrome is faster and easier to use. Pages that don’t render correctly, I’ll just use IE 7.
- VLC Player—Simple (and free) video player that supports most video formats.
- Witopia PersonalVPN—A private VPN connection to bypass the Great Firewall of China.
- CCleaner—Free utility to clean up all the crap on the computer.
- Audacity—Free audio editor that I use to edit audio files.
- Windows Live Writer—Free blogging software that I use to write blog posts offline.
- Windows Live Messenger—Free online messaging software that practically everyone in China uses.
- SnagIt—Best screen capture program!
- NotePad++—Free and excellent replacement of the default Windows Notepad application.
- IrfanView—Free, fast, and simple image viewer application.
As you can see, almost everything I installed is free or open source. The only applications that aren’t free are PersonalVPN and SnagIt!
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Hi – my husband and I are moving to China in a few weeks. I
but hopefully the kinks have been worked out). But for a week now I’ve been searching for must-have downloads to equip the computer before coming. I asked folks on a popular forum, but got nadda – but you answered all my questions with your download suggestions, and you also confirmed the need for a VPN. I’m also coming with skype already downloaded. Thanks again…I’m glad I stumbled upon your blog. I’ll be a regular.
We just each purchased a HP pavilion dv7 (mine had to be returned for repair already
[...] got a new HP laptop recently. It becomes with a built-in webcam and a software to record silly videos like this [...]
Hi there, I need to buy a new laptop in Shanghai (/Ningbo) as well, and what I want is a DELL Adamo, that is roughly 13.000 RMB if purchased in US or 17.000 RMB if purchased in China. My question is, the way you did it (e.g. via Cosstco in US), is there a way to get a chinese fapiao entering such a purchase in the china mainland company accounting. Maybe I could even just “buy” an fapio for the actual amount, seems they go at 7% rate.. problem is also that DELL China cannot even deliver US/English OS in China (not for Adamo, now, anyway)!
Your input would be appreciated!
Havard
@Havard, if you buy a laptop in the U.S., you won’t be getting any Chinese fapiao unless you buy them off the streets like you suggested. However, a U.S. receipt should be sufficient for getting reimbursements in China. Check with your company’s accounting department. I’ve used U.S. receipts to get reimbursed in China many times before.
Dear susan
Sorry for all the bother, but after checking Costco s website they didnt exactly look like a first mover in terms of taking in new products.
What other shop can you recommend, or even better do you know any companies that helps people order things to a US address, and they ship it in the mail internationally thereafter (i have heard some rumors of those).
This HP looks good:
http://www.gadgets-reviews.com/hp-redesigned-pavilion-dv3t-notebook.html
@Havard, you can check out Slickdeals for some good laptop deals or just deals in general. I don’t do much shopping in the U.S. since I live in Shanghai most of the time.
Unless you hand-carry items to China, you increase the likelihood of losing your package or having to pay exorbitant import/custom tax.