How much does computer cost generally cost in India?

I got to know someone in India who is looking for a computer so that he can have internet access to support his guesthouse business. He told me that a desktop setup cost about 400 Euros which is about 27000 INR.

In Singapore, the simplest desktop without monitor can cost down to about S$250 (9000 INR) and if i threw in some of my old parts to cut off buying new parts, it can be much lower. But delivery costs and the need to get a separate monitor is probably not worth the trouble.

Another possibility is a laptop. For basic email purposes, i think the cheapest laptop should do, and that may be the asus eee laptops.

http://www.gadgetworld.com.sg/produc...product_id=176
S$380 = 12000 INR. estimate delivery cost another 1000 INR.

How does that compare to India? I have no idea about the market and support in india. and apparently the person i know who have no internet access can only get the local price quotes. where can i find prices in india to see if it is a good idea to help my friend in this situation? i may be able to go to his place a few months later, and if that is the case, i would be able to bring him the laptop.

Rs. 27000 for a Desktop computer that's meant mainly for Internet access sounds way too expensive to me. Of course, the system specifications might be such that it would add up to that amount.

The following sites would help in getting the current indicative prices for greymarket/non-branded Desktops and that for individual components too.

http://pcprice.info/

http://www.helpingindia.com/

As for low-cost branded computers :-

http://www.esys.in/eSysPC.asp

http://infotech.xenitisgroup.com/products/desktop.html

The price for the Asus EEE 2G version out here is about Rs.13,000.

Hope this helps.

and ausee 4G is about 15.5/16k with another 4G external card thrown in. (in addition to the 4G it comes with)

Agree with 2cents on the desktop price

A basic system only for internet access, should be less than Rs.14k.

there was a India only dell system advertised in the paper here the other day for 14k I think. DOS operating system, 17inc CRT monitor, ridiculously small hard drive (40 gig I think) - but a pentium dual core none the less. Agree that 27k for a internet only desktop is way too much.

I like the idea of the Asus eee - but if its for public use I don't know how convenient it would be (not to mention hunching over the smaller screen and keyboard).

I did go to see one of those things, the small screen (and cramped keyboard) is a bit of a put off...

I think that more than a couple of hours a day of use would get a little tedious. But maybe I am wrong. Looks sturdy and all, otherwise.

If for internet use (As the OP says) less than that, I would say the auseepc is damn good.

XP too, if you want it

I would never buy a laptop unless you need portability.

Hard to upgrade, hard to repair, more likely to be an expensive throw-away item the day it dies.

Since my posh LCD monitor died, I'm using an old-and-battered NEC CRT monitor; probably couldn't do that with a laptop. Since my PC died I have got it going again by changing (and upgrading) the motherboard; much harder to do that with a laptop. The expected life of a laptop is less anyway, due to cramming heat-producing components in a small place, and their frequent misuse (eg on somebody's lap!) with the ventilation holes blocked. You can't open up a laptop and remove the thick layer of dust the fans have sucked in either! ---although a novice shouldn't do this anyway.

Finally, in my don't-buy-a-laptop political address --- it is a very easy item to pick up and walk off with. A full-size box is not.

Slightly related: do please explain to your friend that putting out his e-mail address and not actually checking and responding daily will do his business far more harm than good. See the "I've been trying to contact xxxxxxx" posts on this site.

thanks. nick. you bring up very good points. i like something that sustain for them too.

what do u guys think of small form factor barebone casings?

http://forums.hardwarezone.com.sg/sh...6#post30883216

You're going to experience similar problems with barebones cases. They are way too small to put much more than the absolute basics into.

I always prefer purchasing a tower case - better air circulation; more expansion for hdd's (I have 5); easier to work on the contents of the system; and more.

Cheers
Zoltan

One has to be careful to pass judgements on the type of computer based on the usage. If it is going to be used by multiple users, then a desktop is advisable. Laptops are for personal use and very useful for those traveling. I have my Toshiba laptop for the last 6 years, and it is still running well, although it is getting old.

I purchased an Apple MacBook last weekend (I have always wanted one and am very happy with it). As I will be at the IIT, and will keep it under my arms at all times (!!), I believe it will be safe. It is indeed a lovely machine, very fast and powerful. I will be giving presentations at conferences and this will be ideal for doing that as well as composing research data and publications.

Cheers

Nattusbs

Zoltan makes a good point about air circulation and cooling. Even in an air-conditioned environment a PC can still be subjected to some fairly high temperatures (and if its not air-conditioned, even more so).

In addition - any sort of modern tower PC is going to have a multitude of cooling fans which will suck in the dust. To give you an example - the system I'm using at present has 5 cooling fans (2 case fans, a fan on the power supply, one on the CPU and one on the graphics card). Even with an external air purifyer (dust filter) running in the room - I still have to open up the tower case and UPS and vacuum them once every couple of months (the build up of dust is impressive). Not doing so leads to the intake slots on the case getting blocked and the internal temperature raises significantly.