Laptop parts?

[isaidc]

My ASUS laptop power cord just died, so now I cant recharge.

Does anyone know a shop in town that sells parts?

cheers!

 

[thebookcellar]

i need to replace my dvd drive in my sony Vaio... i hope someone can reply to this thread...

 

[stella-negra]

tried google?
http://www.google.com.ar/search?hl=...+segunda+mano+buenos+aires+reparacion&spell=1

 

[notebook.fix]

Hi,

My name is Ricardo & I specialize in all issues in regards to laptop servicing.
You could go to Galeria Jardin, on Florida near La Valle.

Good luck.

My ASUS laptop power cord just died, so now I cant recharge.

Does anyone know a shop in town that sells parts?

cheers!

 

[notebook.fix]

Hi,

I specialize in laptop repairs/upgrades/data recovery etc.
I may be able to help you with part replacements.

Some general info you may want to know about buying & replacing laptops parts..this would apply to your Sony Viao too, Sony parts may cost more if you buy them directly from Sony, this does not have to be so. The reason being that all their parts (in your case DVD ROM) are made by various different tech manufacturers/companies, LG , Samsung , Hitachi, etc etc but are covered over -so to speak- and given a unique Sony part number instead... and 'sometimes' making it more expensive & harder to locate.

So the exact same part , lets say in this case an LG DVD ROM writer/reader for example, will be given a Sony part number instead, the same will be done in the case of Mac, Dell, Acer - covering over the original part manufacturer's model number with their own company logo/part number. This is a common practice with tech companies world wide, not just here.

Take the case of a replacement part such as a 13.3 inch Mac LCD Screen that I had to replace for a customer, the same LG LCD screen inside that Mac will sell for US $240 here in BA if you DON'T buy it through Mac, this exact same part will be found inside an Asus, Dell, Acer, Toshiba, etc.. but if you did not know the true part number of the 'real' manufacturer then you'll end up paying the top price of US$600 & upwards for the exact same part but with a Mac price label over it instead.

The trick is to get to know the original part manufacturer's number, then you can have that part at a much lower cost & in turn avoid manufacturer proprietary lock-ins.

I would be happy to answer any further questions that you may have.

The link bellow is my post in the 'Services offered' section of BAexpats.com

http://baexpats.org/services-offered/4593-laptop-repair-specialist-ibm-apple-mac.html

Regards.

Ricardo Mardisich.

i need to replace my dvd drive in my sony Vaio... i hope someone can reply to this thread...

 

[HenryNisental]

There is one in Parana St and Rivadavia St right next to the Peruvian Consulate,It is an office inside a building, they will help you.
Good luck Henry

 

[ryanmpls]

Hi Notebook.fix,

I'm about a year away from my move down to Bs As and I do a lot of work online producing newsletters, blogging, and maintaining websites. My major concern is that I need to have a computer available to me and I'm having a big debate with myself whether to get a Laptop (for convenience, transportation, and to bring it as a carryon for the plane as I would imagine that packing a desktop tower for an international flight might be a bit risky.

On the other hand I'm considering the idea of getting a small tower like the one that are made by dell and buying a monitor in Argentina as I'm afraid the costs and risk of transportation outweight the simplicity of just buying a new one. Also if something goes wrong with a desktop tower it's easier and cheaper to replace the parts.

I was wondering if you could give me an idea as to how the costs of repairing a laptop compare to to the costs of repairing a desktop by yourself?

One last question... what kind of toll does the different wattages between US electrical outlets and the ones in Argentina take on Laptops and Desktops from the US?

In the next week here I'm hoping to order a new computer bc I have to upgrade to Adobe Creative Suite 4 & Windows 7 and my current computer is due for retirement. Any information and recommendations you can offer would be greatly appreciated and I would love to have myself a computer repair specialist to refer to when something needs fixing

Thanks nf!

Ryan

 

[captdave]

Hey there!

Here's my 2 centavos, if you are interested...

Laptops are expensive, delicate, hard (sometimes impossible, depending on the age and brand) to repair, and IMHO are for people who MUST have a portable computer.

My suggestion is to bring the parts that are MUCH cheaper in the US, (e.g. motherboard/cpu, memory, HD, DVD, and OS disk) and bring them with you. They won't take up much room, and will save you BIG bucks!

CompUSA is a great place to find good deals on these components, as is tigerdirect.com if you like to shop on-line.


You can buy a decent case here for about 150 pesos and assemble the computer fairly quickly once you are here.

If you have room for a monitor bring one, they also are much more expensive here. Look for one that doesn't need a transformer (for 110 v.) if you can - most don't.

In answer to your question about wattage, since laptops run on batteries the difference in frequency and voltage have little effect on the systems physical health. Practically every laptop currently being sold will run fine with either 110/60 or 220/50 - check the transformer to be certain but I guarantee it will say "input: 110-220"


Good luck...

David

Hi Notebook.fix,

I'm about a year away from my move down to Bs As and I do a lot of work online producing newsletters, blogging, and maintaining websites. My major concern is that I need to have a computer available to me and I'm having a big debate with myself whether to get a Laptop (for convenience, transportation, and to bring it as a carryon for the plane as I would imagine that packing a desktop tower for an international flight might be a bit risky.

On the other hand I'm considering the idea of getting a small tower like the one that are made by dell and buying a monitor in Argentina as I'm afraid the costs and risk of transportation outweight the simplicity of just buying a new one. Also if something goes wrong with a desktop tower it's easier and cheaper to replace the parts.

I was wondering if you could give me an idea as to how the costs of repairing a laptop compare to to the costs of repairing a desktop by yourself?

One last question... what kind of toll does the different wattages between US electrical outlets and the ones in Argentina take on Laptops and Desktops from the US?

In the next week here I'm hoping to order a new computer bc I have to upgrade to Adobe Creative Suite 4 & Windows 7 and my current computer is due for retirement. Any information and recommendations you can offer would be greatly appreciated and I would love to have myself a computer repair specialist to refer to when something needs fixing

Thanks nf!

Ryan

 

[notebook.fix]

Hi Ryan,

Sorry but I missed your post & only just saw it now.
Very valid questions, especially when you rely very heavily on your computing equipment.

If you decide to bring a desktop tower down to BsAs, then
my advice, like David's, is bring the most crucial/expensive parts only
like the motherboard, processor, RAM & hard disk (you'll have to bring them with you as carry on items). The DVD-rw can be carefully packed into your main baggage. The tower case & the LCD screen you can buy here, the difference in costs could range from an extra US $120 to $150 for both items. Then once here, you can decide to either assemble it your self or pay a technician to set it up, this should not cost more than US $50 extra in labor costs.

Note that I just did a quick price check/comparison on 23" LCD Monitors of identical specs -buying in the USA vs buying Argentina for example, the purchase price of a Samsung P2370 widescreen 23" LCD monitor on ebay in the US can range from around US $270 to $290 http://cgi.ebay.com/Samsung-P2370-2...emQQptZLH_DefaultDomain_0?hash=item439b7db571


While here in BA on mercadolibre.com they sell for around US $370 http://articulo.mercadolibre.com.ar...msung-p2370-wide-500001-2ms-full-hd-nuevo-_JM

On the other hand I'm considering the idea of getting a small tower like the one that are made by dell and buying a monitor in Argentina as I'm afraid the costs and risk of transportation outweight the simplicity of just buying a new one. Also if something goes wrong with a desktop tower it's easier and cheaper to replace the parts.

Here I would advice that if you do decide to bring in a Dell desktop PC from the US that you make sure that your warranty is active/covered while here in BA, very important. You may need to pay extra for an international warranty cover.

Having said this, when faced with purchasing a desktop PC my personal choice is to avoid brand name PCs such as Dell or HP etc. I prefer going the generic route instead, buying all the individual parts separately then assembling it myself. This gives me the added freedom of being able upgrade/change internal parts at a later date should I need to without the proprietary controls/restrictions, you usually end up getting higher quality components at a lower cost but with the added choice over parts & upgrade options. I'll do the opposite when purchasing a laptop though, I'll look for top brand names like Asus or Toshiba etc. Generic for desktops, top brand names for laptops.

I was wondering if you could give me an idea as to how the costs of repairing a laptop compare to to the costs of repairing a desktop by yourself?

When it comes to service fees, laptop or desktop PC, I charge the same per hour for either. Over all, labor fees for repairs generally in BA will always be lower than in the US. However, the cost of purchasing spare parts for laptops here in BA differ significantly to buying in the US. Generally, every US$100 spent in the US is US$150 spent here. Half of the original US market price will be added on top as import taxes over here.

One last question... what kind of toll does the different wattages between US electrical outlets and the ones in Argentina take on Laptops and Desktops from the US?

Laptops are designed & made to be carried across international borders & plugged into different AC voltages without the need for voltage transformers, no problems there. When it comes to desktop tower PCs, as long as they are plugged into power with the correct adapter/transformer, their life span will be the same as back at your home in the USA . But it is essential that you are always plugged in using a surge protector, both laptop or desktop computer, regardless, ALWAYS!

Bottom line- here in Buenos Aires, if my life depended on it & I had to rely solely on using a laptop for all my essential computing needs, knowing what I know about technology & hardware, I would definitely make sure I owned two of them at all times. These two laptops would be different models (just in case there is a hardware design fault that you don't know about till six months after purchasing your new laptop). I would set them up with identical copies of all the programs & settings so that I can have a back up system ready to go in a moments' notice. The other laptop will also double up as a data backup storage device too.

So far (six times) I have not been stopped at BA customs for carrying my two laptops into the country. Obviously these two particular laptops have been my 'personal tools of trade' & I still use them daily. I even managed to carry three laptops into BA three months ago without being stopped. I decided to purchase another one while in Spain. I would not recommend that you try this as I think I was just plain lucky. Ordering & waiting for laptop parts to arrive here in BA can take way too long. On the other hand, I would not do the same with a desktop computer, there are plenty of readily available new spare parts for those here.

Please don't hesitate to ask any further questions, I'll be more than glad to help.
Best of luck with all your planning.

Ricardo.

 

[ryanmpls]

Thanks for the great reply Ricardo! The more I've thought about it the more I was leaning towards settling for the laptop... But one idea I hadn't considered was having two laptops incase something were to happen I could recover and not miss a beat in my professional life.

I guess it's about time to start looking around at laptops now, so I can get used to working off one screen again.

Thanks for answering my giant list of questions I'll be sure to keep intouch with you for any of my computer hardware needs because that is one thing I'm totally ignorant of.