Once, everyone had to go Pantip Plaza to get their computers. The longtime IT shopping mall (with Buddha amulet market on the ground floor) near Pratunam known for its many computers stores, gadgets and, of course, pirated pornography was closed for renovation for a time, and its reopening was one of tech highlights of 2016.
Pantip Plaza remains one of the most popular locations to visit for computer or gadget shoppers. With brighter lighting, the complex offers all the little components, wires and screws you need to put together your own computer from scratch.
However, though many of the dedicated brand stores you expect to find at Pantip Plaza are still there, many of the well-known custom CPU stores have moved to the nearby Palladium World shopping mall. As such, those of us looking for a custom-assembled CPU will probably have to look down the street towards the Pratunam intersection, while laptop users can still expect to find brand-specific stores from the likes of HP, Dell, Lenovo or MSI at Pantip Plaza.
But this is 2016-2017, and there are online alternatives for computer shopping that save you the trouble of going to Pantip Plaza (which remains rather labyrinthine in comparison to many other department stores and malls) or Fortune Town and other IT hubs.
These days, stores like Busitek or JIB Computer even offer online made-to-order CPUs, delivered via courier. Simply message them your preferences (via Facebook or their website), being either specific or as vague as "give me a gaming PC capable of running XXX", and wait for your newly assembled CPU to arrive at your door. Costs for a decent monitor, mouse, keyboard and potentially speakers aside, CPU computers are generally cheaper than laptops of the same specifications.
These days, you can even get a CPU with an HDMI port, so you can use your big 40-plus inch 4K-TV (that your loved ones hopefully bought for you this holiday) as a monitor. Find yourself a wireless mouse and keyboard set, and you're golden.
Back to the physical store. In terms of gadgets and games, the Digital Gateway shopping mall in Siam Square is a good place to start your search, offering a good variety of both in one contained space.
Deal-hunters should also consider places like the Mega Plaza shopping mall (basically the new Sapan Lek, located on the same intersection as the old one), which offers a healthy selection of video game stores, along with a plethora of figurines, toys and collectors' items. But, as always, the internet is your friend, and a simple search on Google or Facebook should point you in the right direction.
Mega Plaza shopping mall. Panupong Changchai
