Author: Robert Hyatt
Date: 11:32:38 03/29/01
Go up one level in this thread
On March 29, 2001 at 12:51:37, Albert Silver wrote: >On March 29, 2001 at 10:45:53, Robert Hyatt wrote: > >>On March 27, 2001 at 23:57:02, Albert Silver wrote: >> >>>On March 27, 2001 at 22:43:28, Christophe Theron wrote: >>> >>>>>>You are very lucky to live in a place where you can get all kind of high tech >>>>>>stuffs for a fraction of your monthly salary, but in other countries a dual >>>>>>represents a huge amount of money. >>>>> >>>>>A dual represents 500 bucks for 2x800 or so. I don't know what the exchange >>>>>rate is, but that can't be huge... >>>> >>>> >>>> >>>>Where I live you need much more money to buy a dual. >>>> >>> >>>Same here. I just upgraded my computer and even considered a dual for a >>>laughable two seconds. One look at the 4 digit prices and I began choosing >>>between my single CPU options (T-Bird 1Ghz + Asus A7V = US$ 500-550 here in >>>Brazil). Ordering from abroad is no solution as the import tariffs will quickly >>>balance things out. In theory, you'd think that this would be to help >>>incentivate Brazilian technology to develop on its own and be able to compete, >>>but as it is, its only purpose is to make computers expensive to get. >>> >>>Of course, I don't live here because of the availability of high-tech. :-) >>> >> >> >>why can't a local store there buy a dual MB and put the machine together for >>you? Obviously no one in Brazil is actually manufacturing motherboards, so >>they are imported anyway. And since the price between a dual MB and a single >>cpu MB are so close, you ought to be able to find someone that can make you a >>good deal? > >Problem is that a 'good deal' is very relative. Importation drives the price up >_considerably_. As that price means that even fewer people will be able to >afford it, the demand for such products is low (to say the least), so dual >boards are pretty much only available by special order. Keep in mind also the >question of relative incomes. I won't quote the ridiculous figures of minimum >wages here as that isn't a fair criteria, and nor does it have anything to do >with my income, but at the same time any income is certainly proportional to the >cost of living and that is the case here in Brazil. The numbers of what >constitues a comfortable income, low income, etc. are very similar to the US's >with a slight hitch: the currency. The Real, the Brazilian currency, is >currently at a little over 2.1 Reais /reh-ice/ (Reais is the plural of Real) to >the US dollar. As a consequence, this means that a medium income bracket is >about half that in the US, which in turn means that that nice imported equipment >marked up 60%+ on average costs much more than an extra 60% to a Brazilian >buyer. If I told you to take that same machine, add 60% to the price tag and >then multiply it by 2.1 would it still be as good a deal? That's the reality >faced here. Another quote to help put it in perspective: a top manager (though >not the General Manager) at GameWorks (the US franchise) here earns what is >considered a very comfortable 2800 a month.... Reais of course. See what I mean? > > Albert Sure... but no matter, if you try the dual box, it should still cost roughly 25% more for 100% more computing power. If 25% more is too much, that ends that. But for many, it isn't... many buy the fastest thing out, just to have the fastest thing out. And when you compare a dual 1ghz machine (MB + 2 cpus at 500 bucks total in the US) vs a 1.5ghz PIV machine, the dual 1ghz is much cheaper (the PIV at 1.5ghz costs more than the dual MB+2 cpus. And a PIV 1.5 ghz mb starts at 200 bucks and rises... Given the choice of a PIV at X+800 bucks, or a dual PIII/1ghz at X+500, the dual is both faster _and_ cheaper.
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