Buying a Laptop with only 40K pesos

I couple of my friends have been asking me what laptop can they buy with “only” 30-40k pesos as budget, so i decided to share my thoughts on which laptops (Non Macs) are considered as best buys at this price range. All the laptops shown were taken from reputable pc shops located around Metro Manila. Prices may change without prior notice.

My list:

MSI MegaBook S425 Dothan Notebook
Php 39,999.00
Main Features:
Intel® Pentium® M 725 (1.60GHz / 2Mb / 400MHz)
256Mb DDR2
14.1in WXGA (1280×800) TFT
nVIDIA® GeForce Go 6200 with 128Mb
40Gb Mobile HDD| DVD Dual-DVD DL | Built-in 10/100Mbps Ethernet LAN & Modem Module | 802.11 b/g WLAN card | PC Cards Slots PCMCIA 2.1, Type II * 1 | MMC/SD/MS/MS Pro/XD 5-in-1
Why? Dedicated Video. Sure, the 6200 doesnt wont push 3D as fast as its big brother, the 6600, but the 6200 is just wayy above integrated solutions like the intel gma series or even the admirable X200m, Dual Layer DVD Burner, DDR2 Memory, Wireless Connectivity, Excellent Wide screen. 8 Cell Battery.
Why not? Its still a Dothan Chip so youre getting “old” technology, “only” 40GB in storage.
UPDATE: Laptop King is now selling this for 10k more. Ugh.

Acer TravelMate 2441NWXCi
Php 34,777.00
Main Features
Intel® Celeron® M 410(running@1.46GHz / 1Mb / 533MHz)
ATI Radeon® X200m chipset
256Mb DDR2-533MHz
14.1in. WXGA TFT – Color LCD and Dual Display via Acer GridVista (Wide Panoramic)
DVD Recorder
60Gb Harddrive
56Kb Modem | Battery – Li-ION | 10-100Mbps Wired LAN | Atheros 802.11b/g Wireless Networking
Why? Yonah Technology. Excellent Screen, Nice Casing, Decent integrated graphics due to X200m, 60GB HDD, DVD Recorder, DDR2 Memory, Wireless Connectivity
Why not? Gamers will cringe at the X200m’s performance in GPU intensive games such as shooters, No speedstep technology
UPDATE: Get the Aspire Version for a brigther screen.

MSI MegaBook S260-V (Black) Dothan Notebook
Intel® Pentium® M 725 (1.60GHz / 2Mb L2 Cache / 400MHz FSB)
Intel® 915GM + ICH6-M
Intel® PRO Wireless 802.11BG
256Mb (Max: 2Gb)
Superb Glare 12.1 TFT WXGA Widescreen
Intel® 915GM, support Direct X9
(Integrated Graphics) 1280 x 800
40Gb Mobile Hard Drive
DVD Recorder
MMC/ SD/ MS 3-in-1 card reader | 3 x USB 2.0 | VGA Out x 1 | 1x TypeII PCMCIA | 56Kb modem | 10/100Mbps LAN | Headphone jack; Microphone jack | 8 cell battery up to 2.0 hours
Recovery Disc / Drivers | 303(L) x 225(D) x 26~28(H)mm | 1.8Kgs.
Why? 12 inches, Excellent Screen, Pentium M with speedstep, DVD Recorder, 8 Cell battery, lightweight
Why not? Intel GMA900, only 40GB HDD, Dothan CPU

Note that Windows Xp runs smoothly with at least 512Mb of system ram so you might need to spend a few extra to upgarde the memory of these units. Note that Windows Vista will need at least a X200M to run Aero glass.

PinoyGamer