the best amongst the "cheaper" laptops

[Amihan]

I've been using a Neo 540 NX for the past seven months. Economics dictated the choice. Biglang bumigay yung Dell ko. Before the Neo, I used a Dell Inspiron 2650 laptop (circa 2003, bought in the US) which performed well for four years. Ok na ok yung unit ng Dell, ang weakness niya eh yung power adaptor at baterya. Una, sobrang mag-init ng adaptor (sticker says it was made in Thailand) tapos yung cord niya closest to the adaptor broke, exposing the wires. Wear and tear siguro dahil parati kong bitbit yung laptop at napunit yung insulation dahil parating nabe-bend. Pero when the problem first arose (yung overheating ng adaptor), I surfed the net for info and found out that it's a common complaint by Dell users. In fact, nag-recall dati ang Dell ng adaptors dahil may factory defects.

Seven months di nagamit ang bagong battery ng Inspiron. When my brother finally had the adaptor "fixed" (a technician cut off the black tubular thing and reconnected the cord to the adoptor), ginamit ko na siya. May problem number 2 na lumabas: the battery was already dead, as in hindi na talaga kumakarga ng juice. Seven months di nagamit yung baterya so baka normal yun. So, parang PC na ngayon yung Inspiron, although na-revive siya at na-save ko mga lumang files.

Anyway, one day, ginagamit ko yung Dell, ayaw nang magkarga ng power kahit kakapalit pa lang ng baterya. Usual suspect ang power cord. Ayun, biglang nag-spark. Pinatay ko na. I searched for seven months for a replacement. Walang available locally. Nagpahanap pa ako sa Singapore, China. Talagang wala.

Kaya napabili ako ng Neo. Got it for P36k, six months 0% interest. I'm not impressed pero it's a reliable work-horse at DVD player when I'm on the road. Mas magaan. May tendency na mag-init kasi manipis yung unit, ramdam mo yung release ng heat sa keyboard.
Silver ang finish niya. After seven months of use, at hindi naman ako abusadong gumamit, medyo faded na yung silver finish around the touchpad (where the heels of my palm rest) so hindi na siya 'pogi' kahit less than a year old pa lang.

Neo is a good buy if you're on a tight budget. Mabilis, mura, reliable at saka dahil pino-promote pa siya ng Neo dito sa Pinas, may mga credit card deals that ease the burden of payment.

Problema ko with US-bought laptop is that it's hard to source replacement parts, especially for Dell na though may local dealer na eh walang service center. Thailand is the closest service center ng Dell. Okay ka kung may contact ka sa US na pwedeng pakisuyuan bumili ng baterya, power cord/adoptor. Pero kung wala at nagtitipid ka rin, major hassle siya.

[akal]

Kung may kilala ka sa states na uuwi ngayon pasko, magpabili ka na lang ng branded. Nakapag-order na ako ng HP DV2500t customized: $1,325 lng compare sa price dito na P88,800. Dadalhin na ng auntie ko this 18 Nov.

Ito yung specs:

[SIZE=2]HP Pavilion dv2500t notebook[/SIZE]
[SIZE=2]- Genuine Windows Vista Home Premium (32-bit)[/SIZE]
[SIZE=2]- Intel(R) Core(TM) 2 Duo processor T7500 (2.20 GHz, 4 MB L2 Cache, 800MHz FSB)[/SIZE]
[SIZE=2]- 14.1" WXGA High-Definition HP BrightView Widescreen Display (1280 x 800)[/SIZE]
[SIZE=2]- 2GB DDR2 System Memory (2 Dimm)[/SIZE]
[SIZE=2]- 64MB NVIDIA GeForce 8400M GS[/SIZE]
[SIZE=2]- HP Imprint (Radiance) + Fingerprint Reader + Webcam + Microphone[/SIZE]
[SIZE=2]- Intel(R) PRO/Wireless 3945ABG Network Connection and Bluetooth(TM)[/SIZE]
[SIZE=2]- 160GB 5400RPM SATA Hard Drive[/SIZE]
[SIZE=2]- FREE Upgrade to LightScribe SuperMulti 8X DVD+/-RW with Double Layer Support!![/SIZE]
[SIZE=2]- No TV Tuner w/remote control[/SIZE]
[SIZE=2]- 6 Cell Lithium Ion Battery[/SIZE]
[SIZE=2]- System Recovery DVD with Genuine Windows Vista Home Premium (32-bit)[/SIZE]
[SIZE=2]- Microsoft(R) Works 8.0[/SIZE]