A rep from local Apple reseller, Power Mac Center, sent a note informing me that the new batch MacBook Pros has just arrived. These are the ones that have the Thunderbolt technology (10Gbps port speed, formerly referred to as Intel Light Peak).
Continue Reading
The MSI FX400 is the first laptop we’ve tried out that features the NVidia Optimus technology which basically features a discreet graphics and an embedded GPU like the Intel HD Graphics. Click the link to see full review after the jump.
Continue Reading
Was looking to replace my walk-around laptop (an Acer Timeline 1810tz) with a more powerful one but still want the same form-factor, size and battery life.
Continue Reading
While talking to one of the computer manufacturers recently, they shared that they have a hard time selling premium laptops when it’s powered by an AMD processor. The issue might have to deal with market perception of the brand.
Continue Reading
Was checking all the laptop manufacturers if they’ve released their own Intel Core i5 laptops locally (turns out not everyone has). Check out our round-up of officially released Intel Core i5 laptops in the Philippines.
Continue Reading
Intel Philippines today launched a new series of Core i3, Core i5 and Core i7 processors for 2010 along with a host of new motherboards and laptops from several partner manufacturers.
Continue Reading
It looks like Red Fox has ditched AMD for an Intel Atom processor with their new Red Fox WizBook 1020i X2.
Continue Reading
Inching really close to the Php9,995 Blue H1 UMPC, the Neo Explore X1 gets some price cuts too — now down to Php11,998 from the original Php16,999.
Continue Reading
This Friday, Intel will be launching their newest mobile CPU in the Philippines — the Centrino 2. However, the Intel Atom usually takes center stage nowadays because of the heavy proliferation of cheap netbooks. Could the Atom be more of a headache rather than a blessing to Intel’s bottomline?
Continue Reading
Asus has unveiled a new member of its Eee family of PC – the All-in-One Asus Eee Monitor. This sleek and stylish Asus PC is obviously positioned towards the Apple iMac market.
Continue Reading
During our recent dinner over at Noem’s new home, she consulted me about getting a new desktop PC for her study/library. She already has a gorgeous white Macbook but she thought it would be better to get a desktop for those long-haul usage in the house. That should help ease the stress on the laptop battery too (since you won’t be using it that much when at home).
I saw her budget worth just over 50k and I thought I’d give her another option to look at. Here’s my recommended set up for the stay-at-home problogger and entrepreneur mom:
AMD Athlon 64 3800+ Dual Core (2.0 GHz) – Php4,250
MSI K9N Neo-F nForce 550 – Php 4,110
(Socket AM2, 4 SATA slots, 4 DIMMs, 1 PCI-E 16X; 2 PCI-E X1; 3 PCI; 10 USB, Gigabit LAN; RAID (0, 1 & 0+1); SATA2; ATA133, Realtek 7.1 CH HD audio)
2 x 1GB Corsair 667MHz DDR2 RAM – Php 3,840
320 GB Seagate Barracuda 7200 SATA – Php4,520
Lite-On 20x DVDRW w/ Lightscribe – Php 1,920
PowerColor X1550 256MB GDDR2 128-bit Dual DVI/TV – Php 3,430
2 x 19″ Samsung 940BW (1440 x 900) – Php 19,990 (Php 9,995 x 2)
Mars 722 Thermal Advantage 500 watts casing (with A4tech mouse & KB) – Php 1,720
Powercom Ace UPS 650 volt-amps – Php 1,770
Total — Php 45,550
The final set up should look like this:
The original quote to her by PCExpress was an Intel Pentium 925 3.0GHz and a 22″ AOC LCD screen. We skipped the Core 2 Duos entirely and I think the AMD Athlon x2 3800 still has the best bang for the buck. The dual monitor set up needed the x1550 for dual DVI support. Prices were taken from several sources including PCX and RSun Computers. I just love the mobo too — 10 USB 2.0 ports, 4 SATA2 slots and 4 DIMM slots of up to 4GB of RAM — lots of room for upgrades and add-ons.
Oops, I forgot the OS. You can get Windows XP Pro Home Edition for Php 4,580 or Windows Vista Home Basic at Php 5,250. Again, there’s always Ubuntu for free.
Was informed last week that there was an across the board price drop of all Intel and AMD CPUs. Just over a month ago, I bought a new desktop rig (AMD Athlon X2 3800 Dual Core) and comparing the prices I got then with the ones listed at PCX now, there’s a huge drop indeed.
AMD Athlon X2 3800 Dual Core – Php4,470 (about 9.8k at Villman)
AMD Athlon 64 3500+ AM2 – Php3,640
AMD Sempron 3200+ AM2 – Php2,130
Intel E6600 2.4GHz Core 2 Duo 4MB L2 – Php12,170 (still close to 19k at Villman)
Intel E4300 1.8GHz Core 2 Duo 2MB L2 – Php6,460
Intel 935 3.2GHz Dual Core 4MB L2 – Php4,780
Intel Celeron D 347 Single Core 3.06GHz – Php2,290
Prices of DDR2 RAM has also dropped by almost half.
Kingston/Corsair 1GB 667 DDR2 – Php2,440
Kingston/Corsair 1GB 533 DDR2 – Php2,390
SODIMM laptop memory also dropped to Php2,340 for 1GB.
However, RAM prices for the DDR almost remained the same with the 1GB PC400 DDR still at Php4,370. I am still checking some recent news on what caused these price drops.
Whenever somebody asks me which laptop to buy, I’d point them to the newer lines of MSI Megabook laptops. For the pricepoint, small sizes and lightweight, they seem to be a good deal. You also get two tones — one in black and another in white. Prices starts at Php35,999 to Php79,900.
Here are my recommended models:
Megabook S1012
Celeron M 350 1.3GHz
WiFi 802.11 G
256MB RAM (2GB Max)
40GB HDD
DVD + CDRW Drive
12.1″ TFT WXGA (1280×800)
Firewire, 10/100 LAN, 56k Modem
MMC/SD/MS/MS Pro Pro 4-in-1 Card Reader
3 USB 2.0 Ports, 1 PCMCIA Slot
1.8kg, 2Hrs Battery Life
No OS installed
Php39,900
Megabook S270
AMD Turion64 MT-30 1.6GHz
ATI Radeon X200 Video w/ 128MB Shared
WiFi 802.11 G
Bluetooth Built-in
512MB RAM (2GB Max)
40GB HDD
8x DVD+/- RW Dual Layer Drive
12.1″ TFT WXGA (1280×800)
Firewire, 10/100 LAN, 56k Modem
3 USB 2.0 Ports, 1 PCMCIA Slot
MMC/SD/MS/MS Pro Pro 4-in-1 Card Reader
1.8kg, 3-4Hrs Battery Life
Windows XP Home Pre-installed
Php69,900
Megabook S260-Pro
Intel Pentium M Sonoma 2.0GHz (2MB L2 Cache)
Intel 915GM + ICH6-M
Intel Pro Wireless 802.11 BG
512MB RAM (2GB Max)
60GB HDD
8x DVD+/- RW Dual Layer Drive
12.1″ TFT WXGA (1280×800)
Firewire, 10/100 LAN, 56k Modem
3 USB 2.0 Ports, 1 PCMCIA Slot
MMC/SD/MS/MS Pro Pro 4-in-1 Card Reader
1.8kg, 4Hrs Battery Life
Windows XP Home Pre-installed
Php79,900
The ones I listed above have the smaller form factors and weighs below 2 kilograms — makes them good for people who are always travelling.
All models available at Octagon Computers.
Last July, I pointed to a sub-Php30K ECS Laptop which is the cheapest I’ve seen so far in the local market. It was an ECS320 that runs on a VIA C3 (Nehemiah) 1GHz, 128MB DDR SODIMM, 14.1″ XGA TFT LCD, built-in graphics with up to 64MB shared memory, 40GB HDD, built-in speakers, modem and LAN, 4 USB 2.0, 1 VGA out, 4-cell Li-Ion pack battery.
Not bad for those looking for an affordable low-end laptop, although Migs suggested that a IBM/Lenovo Thinkpad R50e 1834 is a better alternative for another Php5k or so (of which I would agree).
Then, just tonight while looking for specs and prices for a new desktop for my assistant, I found PCX selling two new laptops priced just below Php30 thousand.
The first one is a n ECS G557S laptop wtih SRP of Php31,395.00 but is on sale P 29,995.00. Intel Celeron M 320 (1.3GHz), 14.1″ XGA TFT LCD, 256 MB RAM, 40GB HDD, DVD+CDRW combo, fax modem and LAN. Not bad at all.
Then, the Xmobile C24 Laptop is also on sale for P 29,995.00 with an Intel Celeron M Processor 350 1.3GHz. Same specs as above although the main difference is that this one only has a 6-cell Li Ion battery while the other one uses 8-cell.
For a laptop that’s priced below the Php30K level, these are already good ones.
