Exploring Taiwan's LARGEST Tech Mall

[@iStar20]

Another video that makes me wish for teleportation portals. 😩

[@karthikvel1608]

Any where door from Doraemon

[@carlito99taiwan]

They have these new things called airplanes

[@rzpogi]

Ironically, where I live, it's cheaper to get a last minute roundtrip ticket to Taiwan and buy PC parts there rather than buy the same PC parts here (Philippines).

[@blami8]

@@iStar20 Not at all the world became even more a shole

[@stubbboss2402]

They have them! First class flight+sleeping tablets legit teleportation right there

[@yuchin338]

Support from Taipei. Great video as always! As a tech enthusiast, it's nice to see you guys enjoying the mall. I would say the best part of 光華商場 is that every time I went there looking for any specific piece of tech, in my mind I could imagine some scenes of old Taipei citizens shopping at the same place back in their time about 10 or 15 years ago. It's cool to see how technology, digital & analogue stuff have evolved through the years. Btw, 2008 is literately the year my older brother and I got the PSP as the first techy device we shared when i was in my first grade of elementary school. I like your PSP modding video so much.

[@notloki3140]

ATM = Austin! Transfer Money!

[@chiaohongcheng]

So more context, 光華 used to not just sell books It sells bootleg of other books and comics(manga) And then they started sells pc parts. Like really early pc because asus and acer used to sells direct copy of those computer parts. 光華 used to also sell pirated software in one big disks, we call them 大補帖 Another fun fact is that 光華 used to be underground since it was a mall under a bridge that goes over train tacks. So the new building was to house those old venders while they demolished the bridge

[@francohsu4245]

@@chiaohongcheng I was there when it was at the underpass buying fake CD 😭ay time passed almost got a tear in my eye

[@evl619]

You forget to mention the AV disks part :')

[@Strigon07]

“Country” - CCP anger intensifies.

[@carloschu7127]

@@Strigon07 🇹🇼✌️

[@ilphi08]

Social credits -9999

[@RandomUserX99]

2nd floor is what GuanHua used to be. It was just a bunch of used book seller underground of a bridge, and the place became the best place for PC tech in Asia. In thr 2000s the govt closed the place and forced everyone into this new tall building.

[@DejectedCat]

And porn.

[@genesishavic]

when linus and denki are in the same mall lmao

[@BayareaXotics]

Did you see Linus there haha both of you guys uploaded same video on the same day

[@Denki]

I didn't! Though we were both in town for Computex, I actually never saw the LMG crew all week 😂

[@linusmusic_]

I was there too lol guess there were 2 Linus there that day

[@chill2758]

"Do you want me to take it" poor Ken, his voice said, I want to be recognised too 😢

[@SciFiBrony]

And on his own channel nonetheless!!!

[@Jeannemarre]

To be honest I find this channel so underrated, I would have asked Ken for a pic before Austin haha, great video as usual

[@scottcol23]

Honestly how are you going to recognize Austin and not Ken? IF you watch the main channel you know the whole crew. But it can be weird meeting someone you watch online/TV. The guy might have just been too shy to ask.

[@PATroll_knocking]

I living in Taipei and go there almost every week, its a surprise for me many tech reviewer came and make a video for this place. There exist another undergrond mall called 光華電子商場 that confuse many people with the one on the ground, the underground one sells eletronic componet like arduino and adapter variants. Still ppl with tech knology in Taiwan who wanna built a PC usually go with "coolpc" or "sinya" which usually offer fair price with deliver service and detail information of the PC componet unlike some store in 光華.

[@spps5733]

whats the name of the underground one? im looking for eletronic componet like arduino, components etc I been to Guang Hua Digital Plaza they didnt really have too much, or do you know any electrical shops in Taipei

[@kaslofchen257]

@@spps5733 i haven't been there, but I suggest you ask for direction in simple English and show people the place's name in Chinese (光華國際電子廣場 地下室的). If they happen to know the place I believe they will love to guide you the way.

[@YankyTheTanky]

Woah taiwan, thats where ray is from

[@neemz0117]

🙄

[@pocks2101310]

❤❤❤🇹🇼🇹🇼🇹🇼

[@ViewportPlaythrough]

this kind of videos are honestly the main reason why im subbed to denki

[@bujo1104]

7:53 Doge PC is actually pronounced "Doh-Gee", it's "Which one?" in Japanese, we use 都幾 coz it sounds like it.

[@nexusyang4832]

20:59 - the OLD stuff is in the underground shops at the Taipei central train station. The stuff in there is so old and so questionable that the shop owners there usually will ask you not to take pictures. I saw some REALLY REALLY obscure stuff there. Fun fact, there are also a lot of great indonesian and malay restaurants down there. It's kind of 'racist' but they tend to stick a lot of south east asian type restaurants in the corner and off the main paths of tourists. When I was in Taiwan last year and visited Taipei and my cousin showed me around and there were a lot of very interesting stuff in that underground city/shopping center. Definitely worth checking out and if anything, you'll find a lot of great eats on the 2nd floor of the train station. :)

[@zxc930213]

second that, Y zone to be exact if you want some old video games. You get a better chance to find old games at local mom&pop shops or hardoff lol.

[@kuofenghuang6850]

there are also a lot of great indonesian and malay restaurants down there. It's kind of 'racist' but they tend to stick a lot of south east asian type restaurants in the corner and off the main paths of tourists. --------------- What are you talk about? Have you asked the restaurant owner the truth? That's because the rent in the corner is cheaper!

[@Allaluca]

Not racist at all, in Taiwan you'll often find similar foods or similar "genre" of food in one place, for example a beef noodle place I love near Ximending has other beef noodles and other types of noodles on the same street and some right next door to one another. The only reason I could think of that those Indonesian and Malaysian restaurants are off the main grid is rent prices, because the monthly rent of slots on the main grid is crazy high, and their business would have to be really good to just cover the monthly rent.

[@hirokokueh3541]

@@kuofenghuang6850 all restaurants are at the corner, cus it's easier to do plumbing if all the water, gas, and sewer users are close to each other, and the other half don't need them

[@Jorj57]

this is such a good vlog dude, you guys should do more of this type of vlog!

[@jjoebus]

21:00 "Dated vibes" is a great descriptor and part of what makes Taiwan so endearing to me. TPE airport has big "dated vibes". A throwback to the 00's. There are lots of brand new places in TW, but the island overall has a pretty old school aesthetic and I love it.

[@sushibot12]

So happy to see you visit one of my old stomping grounds when I lived in Taiwan so many years ago. It was great seeing you visit some of my regular shops there.

[@Nothing86620]

2008 is the day these stores moved into this building. The name "Guanghua" used to be the name of a land bridge right next to this building. These stores moved from the narrowed space under the bridge to the building after the bridge was teared down. "Going to Guanghua to buy computer stuff" is a thing almost more than 40 years (since 1985 according to wikipedia).

[@nexusyang4832]

22:22 - fun fact, some of TSMC's main building have fun shapes just like that on their main campus in Hsinchu. Difference being it's HUMONGOUS!!!!!

[@bcozimazn]

I grew up shopping here. It's my favorite place to walk around and see what's new in the market!

[@dannywinget]

Love this series!

[@cannotkazi]

Man this is so reminiscent of every tech-esque Asia-bound mall I've been to down in KL or BKK. Thanks for taking us along for the stroll through Ken. Really did hit the spot :')

[@ByteReview]

Loved this video! No chill on austins house damnnnn 🤣

[@LukePollack]

I couldn’t help myself 😂

[@Denki]

Never chill 😂

[@Treyorrrr]

I went here today because I'm traveling and needed a new laptop. Went to the first ASUS place I saw and was helped immediately. Everyone was so helpful and polite! Did some exploring afterwards and enjoyed it very much.

[@GamingNightsNeoMasaki]

Guanghua moved and completely changed into a mall at some point, which I appreciate since their old layout was just small garage looking vendors.

[@bcozimazn]

I'm so happy that more people are noticing the niche parts of Taiwan!!

[@97BuckeyeGuy]

I really enjoy the store walkthroughs. Thank you for sharing!

[@T3CHNOM4NCER]

10:48 was so uncalled for 💀

[@RafaelGarlan]

I remember watching that video when I was a kid, has he even recovered yet? bruhh

[@T3CHNOM4NCER]

@@RafaelGarlan yeah bro same, all KZbinrs helped him out by raising money etc but yeah it's Austin he's prob a multi millionaire so he would've recovered and he managed to get out unhurt he lost more memories photos etc than financial damage

[@CricketEngland]

Questions? 1. is it worth flying all they way from the USA to buy tech here? 2. What are the guarantees should anything break as soon as you get the tech back to the USA? 3. Is tech here really that much cheaper? 4. How much tech can you bring back without paying import duties?

[@SomethingAzn]

Not worth flying over just to buy. Microcenter / random tech deals can probably get you better deals over time. Pricing was comparable to USA last time I went. Maybe like Austin mentioned, 10% cheaper because of sales taxes. It’s more worth if you’re moving to Taiwan, knowing you can rebuild there instead of shipping your rig

[@joesatchton212]

1. Quite a few years ago, there were generally bargains to be had in tech in places like Taiwan and Hong Kong and even Shenzhen, China. Nowadays, with practices such as globalized, largely consistent pricing, that is really no longer the case. In the USA or Europe, stick with your local shops these days. 2. Zero guarantees. In Asia, most shops like in tech malls like this, especially the mom and pop varieties will give somewhere between 7-14 days return for damage items. Beyond that, you are directed to the manufacturers or to any local authorized service centers. Be aware also that there may be differences in warranty and RMA procedures for things purchased outside of your local country. 3. See #1. Once upon a time, compared to USA pricing for tech, many places in HK would be about 10-15% cheaper than USA MSRP. for most all items As I said, no longer the case due to the net and global equalization of prices. Perhaps 5% can be saved for many items in Asian places like this vs. USA average prices - no tax for local purchases and usually discounts for cash transactions, because cash is and will always be king. 4. That depends on several factors, mainly your home country, luck at customs and how much and how well you pack/hide your purchases. All of the above are my observations as a NYC born native who relocated to Hong Kong about 10 years ago. And as a moderate tech geek. What you DO get in places like this in Asia are far more items like regional favorites. Waifu stuff, limited edition things that the Asian market gets in certain things. So again, generally now, if you're in the USA, stick to Amazon/New Egg, even MicroCenter, etc. You seem to be from England but I am not familiar with English/Euro major retailers for tech. There is pretty much no way you are going to save enough on retail consumer tech purchases in places like that in Asia to offset your travel and lodging expenses. Not unless you plan to buy in wholesale quantities and then you would be pursuing a very different approach. Cheers.

[@Dudewitbow]

would not be a good idea for pricing unless you're specifically buying a product or service that doesnt exist in your area if youre visiting, e.g there are many cases in china that never hit the western market, and usually those come from niche and boutique companies(many of which is itx or matx, refer to sites like caseend to find examples)

[@matthewadams1103]

Think it’s just so people can see that sort of store that they don’t have in their own county. I’m from the uk and buy most of my stuff online for convenience but all our stores are going now. Or downsizing

[@pppp3997]

You can just buy parts directly from China. Components sell there mostly imported from China anyway.

[@DionHaruno]

20:10 Miku plush spotted

[@Darr1071]

Taiwan is so important for our modern World

[@tacowaco-t7v]

I grew up in Taipei and when i was kid, there were many book store and the surrounding business were actually the original market place, also they were inside of an older building that looks totally different than today's. Later in the early 2000s they relocated to outside in a short of tent type of set up and the building was demolish not long before that. Fast forward you see now the new buildings. But you should check the shops that are outside in the area. I remember in the 90s used to browse those shops in the street with my dad. They were showing games, and movies playing on the computer.. in 1997. Sale of used computer parts were also popular back then.

[@closer76]

I think part of the reason why there are on rarely old stuff is the humidity in Taiwan. Gadgets can get rusted or mouldy easily if they are not stored carefully. Another reason is that Taiwan is small and storage spaces are precious. You can hardly find stuffs in an abandoned warehouse or someone's garage/basement.

[@geegigaga3370]

Wow brings in back so many memories going Guanghwa. Haven't been inside Syntrend so you guys will need to go back for a video tour!

[@PHARAOH_89]

That place was so cool!

[@boytheodore]

Almost all the shops in Guanghua Mall are open on weekends and during busy hours. However, since many of the stores are individually operated, some by senior owners, their hours can be quite irregular and self-determined.

[@satanlabsu3439]

Im currently working as a factory worker in taiwan wish i can go there and build my simple setup ❤️❤️

[@JBHuskers]

That was a fun video! Loved the tour.

[@carrioncrow8191]

That mall looks older than 2008. Maybe a refresh in 2008, but originally built in the ‘90s. Definitely want another field trip

[@crusher645]

that looks like a place you could spend hours in just looking at all the different shops

[@Rohirin]

The 4th floor reminded me so much of the old Tech TV days.

[@creauspssrb627]

Ah yes this mall! I got so much out of my 500 USD budget here. Deadass tired after walking but so much worth it

[@SomeOn]

a "cheap vs pricy" building challenge would have been perfect in a place like this ! :D

[@user-Christine_Ya]

Many Taiwanese don't buy their PC or laptop else in Ghunghwa now. But the predecessor, Zhunghua mall, is a memory of a generation.

[@r.s.8336]

There are usually many stores on the first to third floors that can assemble computers according to your budget. After confirming the specifications and content and paying the checkout The store will ask you to come back in a few hours Then you will go to a store number above the fourth floor to pick up your computer. Many of the areas above the fourth floor are assembly rooms for stores on the first to third floors.

[@gutsncapture1376]

Ah Hotel California. A true classic to sing in a karaoke. Nice suggestion.

[@SomethingAzn]

Glad Syntrend was mentioned! That’s where more of the official stores are located.

[@Denki]

It was a bit more uptight and harder to film in some spots, but it's absolutely worth it's own look when I'm back!

[@4agin]

Hell yeah just two boys on a trip

[@gh0stm0nst3r6]

Nice to hear their real voices

[@Phin_Again]

17:13 Pekora just casually watching over the store from that display case

[@Musical.Holmes]

It's like a giant tech flea market with all the booths like that 😮

[@strapig]

i want to go to taiwan now omg

[@hyewon9524]

Man I have to finalize my solo trip to Taiwan next year. My last trip, I barely saw any electronics store. Guess this is where all of it at.

[@r.s.8336]

There are usually many stores on the first to third floors that can assemble computers according to your budget. After confirming the specifications and content and paying the checkout The store will ask you to come back in a few hours Then you will go to a store number above the fourth floor to pick up your computer. Many of the areas above the fourth floor are assembly rooms for stores on the first to third floors.

[@BonJoviBeatlesLedZep]

I'm more of a This Is kinda guy, but I love seeing the places Ken checks out

[@Denki]

Welcome back!

[@max3334441]

Haggling is actually part of the fun

[@_neddy_teddy_8048]

as an asian american that now lives in america for school I miss places like this a lot when I'm state side

[@ronaldchen2275]

is this the same place where linus dropped 5 grand and then gave it away to the first person who recognized him on the street?

[@Amin_2k]

Something about this feels so dystopian, maybe because i see soo few people there.

[@sasamiadachi]

It is interesting to see how much Guanghua Digital Plaza has changed since the last time I was there, but also how much they stayed the same. So many cool products that I wish we had access to here in NA. (I see Peko-chan. xD)

[@perdomot]

I totally get what Ken meant when he said about Japan feeling like home even though he lives in the US. Its exactly the same for me especially Akiba.

[@babyfreezer]

Was just here this week. You can probably haggle. What I do know is the Taiwan style of shopping is you get a discount if you buy more. Or hit a certain price for a discount as seen in many shopping malls. I asked for a GPU and when he tried to upsell me a PSU and memory they offered a discount.

[@Peterstarzynskitech]

I really wish we had tech stores like this in the United States.

[@martinsoppa]

definitely another tour in Taiwan :D

[@edgarang]

There's also an underground mall just across the street that sells more DIY stuffs

[@StSparky]

Am about to recycle 2 CRTs & will have an older Quadra Mac after the 4th of July - would you or Austin like it?

[@richardk6485]

When tge guy asked for a picture it reminded me of the scene in avengers end game where the kids came uo to Hulk and asked Ant-Man to take the picture

[@Leonlion0305]

This is so much fun to see the tour, where I grew up in Taiwan is rather far away from this place so I never been here. It definitely looks really cool and has a lot of interesting things. I would love to see a tour on Syntrend Strange things I noticed: 2:15 I honestly didn't know it is a thing and wasn't expecting to see a Taiwanese VTuber on the black PC case. Her name is 庫洛姆 Kuromu. 3:21 The welcome board is illustrated by Wet Elephant (仙界大濕), I don't even know how I was able to recognize his art. Make sense because it is in front of Wacom, a graphic tablet company. 17:13 If I get a nickel every time a Taiwanese earphone shop has Pekora in it, I'd have 2 nickels. The other one is Mr. Erji in Taichung, I went past it and saw they drew a pekora on a black board.

[@mclovin6537]

Whoaaaaaaaaa I am going to go there next time I’m in Taipei

[@Cupzero007]

Austin still using that BGVP DMG earphone nice

[@user-be3mk6cg4c]

Make me miss Korea, the Seoul electronics market was wonderful

[@badboyripp]

DENKI WEARING SOME FILA RETRO

[@mountednoble]

I used to frequent malls like this in Hangzhou and Nanjing in Mainland China. So much fun just walking around and looking at all the weird random shops!

[@Denki]

Honestly that's one of the goals of this series. There are so many malls to look at there!

[@Ninetails94]

Seeing tech malls makes me jealous here in montreal quebec canada we only have microbytes and canada computer, so everytime i see japan or taiwan having nothing but tech stores in a single place makes me wanna go and travel to check these places out in person, surprise the mall is somewhat still very new, 16years ago isnt that long ago, which makes this 29/30 year old feel old. surprise you guys didnt find any niche stuff that wasnt hello kitty related unless you guys did but didnt record it.

[@nonyabusiness999]

The pixilated games were call of booty 😆

[@Acepilot8Gaming]

I think the funny thing to think about is how yhe austin/denki channel and linus are both in taiwan right now. I dont know if its the same shopping center though

[@amberchang6075]

@@Acepilot8Gaming same building

[@Acepilot8Gaming]

@@amberchang6075 yeah I was thinking that but I didn't wanna assume anything lol

[@nra092098]

That Austin guy seems cool, he should start a youtube channel

[@buda3d2007]

between 2010 and 2019 I bought all my gear here when I lived in Taipei or Taiwan in general

[@gazwj]

Ken absolutely disrespected by the autobuy guy 😂

[@Denki]

Nah, I always offer to grab the photo when I'm around the boss!

[@technocatdance]

Rocking the Donut shirt!

[@RosieBunny-wi9bf]

This is amazing compared to what u get in the uk I’m soooo jealous

[@Wynner3]

I haven't wanted to visit a shopping mal in years. If the mall was full of tech then I would be there monthly. I want one near San Francisco. 😁

[@zxc930213]

Me and my brother bought a MSI GL62 6QE 8 years ago there with haggle. I remember I got extra RAM for free and installed it on the spot.

[@zxc930213]

and also got my psv left stick fixed there.

[@ChristianBehnke]

Very Akihabara! Love it.

[@reeceroyce2159]

Yes please

[@pneuma6421]

Idk why but most iem have some sort of anime on the box, also typically accessories are double or triple the price of the iems itself(cords,DACs,dongles) 😊

[@guillaumep.7206]

Clearly this was filmed on a morning. Go on a saturday afternoon for a bit of fun. The previous video was 6 years ago? Damn, I met Austin and SuperSaf that day. I feel old...

[@blakehenderson8828]

Go team go!

[@michaelwang6125]

Hmm what kind of cable cost 200$ and yes; do a video on the new mall so there is a comparison between the old (retro but didn't carry much of the retro items) building versus the newly build one.

[@gunzjones]

Tripowin zonie iem cables, Austin. Amazon available and inexpensive while being somewhat premium feeling. Just an idea when your next iem cable goes out. 🤣

[@joesatchton212]

In many parts of Asia, haggling is kind of an unspoken yet expected activity, especially when cash is involved. However, the truth is haggling by foreigners, on balance, is generally far less effective than haggling by locals. Foreigners who speak the local language have far better success rates. Not quite fair, but that's the way it is in many parts of Asia.

[@Denki]

It makes sense! Travelers are more likely to spend money when on vacation/trip. But also, it can be more troublesome than it's worth for a merchant to bother. I try to imagine another, more typical American give it a go and the thought falls flat. American tourists can barely read the room as it is when in a foreign country, and there's an art to haggling like any other conversation and knowing how much to push/stop to respect a line....

[@Ezrollercool]

it used to be a mall under the bridge but they torn down the bridge and move all the store on the side of the road also used book stores And record stores used to be a big part of the mall only few left now

[@KayLi23]

And all the retro tech vibe has slowly gone since then.

[@pelago_]

Ooh that other mall looks like fun

[@jason620362]

Sadly Linus didn’t recognized by people in the building

[@volkiruski1221]

Is there a big difference with the markets in ShenZhen?

[@開個六給他-u3c]

I'm DogePC‘s seller. Good to see you guys come here If I have second chance. I want open shop early 😂

[@Denki]

Next time for sure!

[@NVKumanov]

This video should've been 3 hours long!

[@Rockkou]

Welcome!!!!!!

[@Allen-hb2th]

That's where I used to buy all my manga xD

[@eilegz]

the one on shezhen its really bigger than this one and have so many stuff that really get lost

[@Austin41300]

Welcome to Taiwan!