PC problems... selling and moving.

Hey everyone, I'm in the UK and I'm starting to prepare to move to Japan.

I won't live in the UK again but I've got a PC here. A label on the back reads 200-240v, so I don't think it's capable of running on 100v.

I haven't seen the right kind of voltage converter online and also the cost of shipping it to Japan would be pretty expensive. So I had a look at how much people bid on ebay. The spec is 3.4GHz, 1GB RAM, etc. Good enough for the games I play occasionally. I don't think it's worth much on ebay though.

Apparently it's cheaper to buy a computer in Japan. I'm not sure which would be cheapest... but both options seem involve a lot of hassle :'(

What should I do?

I haven't seen the right kind of voltage converter online and also the cost of shipping it to Japan would be pretty expensive.

A step up transformer would be expensive, bulky, and heavy. Generally it wouldn't be a good idea in this situation. But you could alway just buy a new power supply when you are in Japan and swap it out for the one that is currently in your computer.

Buying a new computer can be cheap (depending on what you are looking for and compared to where you are from) but you will have to work around a japanese operating system and keyboard.

Personally, I would either bring your current pc and swap out the power supply (cheapest option), or sell it and buy a new laptop BEFORE leaving for Japan (probably most expensive but my overall preferred option).

UK prices for PCs are usually a rip off.

But...would you be ok with a Japanese model ALL in Japanese language? Those pesky 'you have a problem' boxes popping up everywhere telling you to do or not do something crucial, but you don't know whether to click on 'yes' or 'no'?

If ok, I'd buy in Japan.

If you want to have English language OS etc., better buy in the UK.

I bought a UK Toshiba laptop with a worldwide guarantee and no problems.

If you do buy in the UK, remember to get a VAT exemption form, fill it in, and hand it in at the VAT desk at the airport when you depart. The VAT will be refunded to the bank account you nominate (maybe a month or so later)

Ah, thanks.

Buying a laptop here and getting the VAT back sounds like the best option. I had heard of a company that sells computers to expats but I forgot the name. So I searched around and found some websites that offer computers with the OS in English. The ones I saw were expensive.

Selling this thing won't be easy though.

Alternately, buy a Japanese PC then reinstall with English OS.

If you have a normal desktop than you can just switch the power supply unit for a Japanese version and it will work. Those shouldn't be expensive($25) but can be a problem if you have a big brand computer

k, thanks for your answers.

I bought a laptop on ebay just a while ago. I'll transfer some stuff when I get it and then sell the desktop on ebay. it was never going to be quick or easy, hehe.

remove the harddisk from the computer and put it in an usb harddisk enclosure. Then you don't need to move all your files