Granite Bay in Japan?

[P4spooky]

I will going on a business trip to Japan on 1/18. Any chance I can get a Granite Bay board at sane prices over there? Any pitfalls to buying a board in Japan and bringing it to the US. I am assuming the manual will be in Japanese and the BIOS?

Anyone in Japan please help

 

[mechBgon]

Why not an i850E/PC1066 system?

 

[AndyHui]

Don't expect to get a Granite Bay board for cheaper than you would in the US. In Japan, most items are quite expensive, and not really worth it if you can get things locally.

Manual and BIOS will be in Japanese; warranty will apply in Japan only unless otherwise specified (not common).

Only buy things in Japan that you cannot purchase in the US.

 

[sniperruff]

and i thoughy TAIWAN makes most computer stuff?

i really can't think of a mobo company except INTEL that is not from taiwan

then again im only a noob

 

[chainbolt]

Originally posted by: P4spooky
I will going on a business trip to Japan on 1/18. Any chance I can get a Granite Bay board at sane prices over there? Any pitfalls to buying a board in Japan and bringing it to the US. I am assuming the manual will be in Japanese and the BIOS?

Anyone in Japan please help

I am living in Japan, and these are the boards you get here since around 2 weeks and their prices. All these boards are availbale over the counter at the major 20 vendors in Akihabara

MSI GNB 250 USD
MSI E7205 Master-F 200 USD
I WILL P4GB 230 USD
ASUS P4G8X DeLuxe 230 USD
Gigabyte 8INXP 240 USD
SuperMicro P4SAA 260 USD
AOpen AX4R PLUS 210 USD

The Asus is here regarded as the best choice, highest voltage options, Firewire, 1000-B lan and RAID and best in overclocking, second the Gigabyte. I don't know why the SuperMicro is so expensive.

 

[chainbolt]

Originally posted by: AndyHui
Don't expect to get a Granite Bay board for cheaper than you would in the US. In Japan, most items are quite expensive, and not really worth it if you can get things locally.

Manual and BIOS will be in Japanese; warranty will apply in Japan only unless otherwise specified (not common).

Only buy things in Japan that you cannot purchase in the US.

What you say is not exactly correct for PC hardware. (I am living since 20 years in Japan and reviewing hardware here since many years): at the current exchange rate of 1 USD = 120 Yen electronic articles are up to 20% cheaper in Japan than in US, because the competition is much higher here in Tokyo than at any other place. You have in Akihabara alone around 200 vendors and system integrators within 2 x 2 km.

Another thing is that you get many electronic items much earlier than in US. Intel CPU are regularly sold a few weeks earlier in Japan than in US or EU and they are definitely cheaper than in US.

The manual for boards is NEVER only in Japanese, and I have never seen a DIY board with only a Japanese BIOS. The newer Asus boards let you select which language you want, anyway.

Unfortunately though , if you compare the prices I have quoted for the around E7205 boards they are currently selling here, these are not cheaper than in US. I don't know why.

What has to be more considered is the warranty: unless you get a worldwide warranty for a "tourist model" (e.g Sony) I would not buy an expensive electronic item outside the US and take it home, anyway.

 

[chainbolt]

Originally posted by: mechBgon
Why not an i850E/PC1066 system?

because it's not cheaper, a little slower than dual channel, and overclocks less if you take a 32-bit RIMM 4200 system (Asus or Epox) you save the $$ for the second module, but I think you are aware about the problems with this RAM.

 

[mechBgon]

Slower? It seems to be a little bit faster in enough areas that I'd call it a wash until you bring overclocking into the picture. And if you want to OC then you have to consider the very considerable price premium of GB versus i845PE. Is it worth paying $100 to $150 more for the board instead of plowing that into a better CPU and heatsink?

Mind you, I'm not a P4 owner and not an especially big fan of RAMBUS but it does seem to unleash the P4. If anyone wants to unseat RAMBUS in my mind, all you have to do is run my UT Disc 1 / WinZip Maximum Compression benchmark and score below 1 minute 30 seconds, with a 2.53GHz P4 at the helm, and I'll be converted. A P4 2.4B with DDR333 was doing this benchmark at 3:40, so the RDRAM system was more than 50% faster with just 153MHz clock advantage. Can Granite Bay make up the difference? You tell me!

 

[P4spooky]

Chainbolt:

Thanks for the information. I lived in Japan for a couple of years (1997-1998). It is time to visit Akihabara on the 19th evening after work!! I am tired of waiting....

Thanks, Sri

 

[AndyHui]

Originally posted by: chainbolt

Originally posted by: AndyHui
Don't expect to get a Granite Bay board for cheaper than you would in the US. In Japan, most items are quite expensive, and not really worth it if you can get things locally.

Manual and BIOS will be in Japanese; warranty will apply in Japan only unless otherwise specified (not common).

Only buy things in Japan that you cannot purchase in the US.

What you say is not exactly correct for PC hardware. (I am living since 20 years in Japan and reviewing hardware here since many years): at the current exchange rate of 1 USD = 120 Yen electronic articles are up to 20% cheaper in Japan than in US, because the competition is much higher here in Tokyo than at any other place. You have in Akihabara alone around 200 vendors and system integrators within 2 x 2 km.

Another thing is that you get many electronic items much earlier than in US. Intel CPU are regularly sold a few weeks earlier in Japan than in US or EU and they are definitely cheaper than in US.

The manual for boards is NEVER only in Japanese, and I have never seen a DIY board with only a Japanese BIOS. The newer Asus boards let you select which language you want, anyway.

Unfortunately though , if you compare the prices I have quoted for the around E7205 boards they are currently selling here, these are not cheaper than in US. I don't know why.

What has to be more considered is the warranty: unless you get a worldwide warranty for a "tourist model" (e.g Sony) I would not buy an expensive electronic item outside the US and take it home, anyway.

Oh yes....I forgot about the drop in the exchange rate.

My Japanese reading is too slow so I give up easily whenever I go there. Working on it though.

 

[Doh!]

and i thoughy TAIWAN makes most computer stuff?

You're right. But the selling market & the mfg. market are totally different.