Mobile Computing Buyer’s Guide: Entry Level Notebooks

Entry-level Notebooks, Rp. 4.000.000 – Rp. 4.999.999 (US$ 450- 550) Price Category

Acer Aspire 4738Z

This Aspire series comes with the Intel Pentium P6200 processor and 1 GB of DDR3 memory. Hard drive capacity is 320 GB. The notebook arrived at our test center some time ago and we had the chance to explore its capabilities. You can read the full review here.

Aspire 4738Z’s 14 inch screen has a native resolution of 1366×768, which is pretty decent in our opinion. The notebook’s processor, the Pentium P6200, is the fastest type in its series. All this can be had for Rp 4.500.000 (US$ 495), making the Acer Aspire 4738Z an excellent bargain in this price category.

Asus K42JE

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In our Gaming Notebook Buyer’s Guide article, the Asus K42JE was included as one of the top picks. The good balance between its price and performance has led the notebook into winning another spot in this entry-level buyer’s guide. The Asus K42JE is powered by an Intel Pentium P6100 processor coupled with 1 GB DDR3 memory. Its internal hard drive has 320 GB of space available. Interestingly enough, it is equipped with the ATI Radeon HD 5470M discrete graphics card. This addition should add some special appeals before the eyes of budget-minded mobile gamers, as it enables the user to run games more comfortably on the notebooks’s 14 inch screen.

We can’t say enough about Asus K42JE’s outstanding overall value at this price range. You can have it for just Rp 4.700.000 (US$ 515). It’s also available in a variety of enticing color options.

Dell Inspiro 14

Beneath this notebook’s colorful exterior, lies an Intel Pentium P6200 processor and 2 GB DDR3 memory. This combo provides enough processing power to tackle some multitasking scenarios. A 320 GB hard drive provides just about enough storage space. Like most other notebooks in its class, the Dell Inspiro 14 relies on the integrated Intel GMA HD graphics to drive everything displayed on its 14 inch screen.

The colorful design and higher technical specs (more RAM capacity compared to other notebooks in its class) might provide enough justification for some people to purchase the Dell Inspiro 14. This pretty notebook will only set you back Rp 4.600.000 (US$ 505).

HP Presario CQ42-459TU

The HP CQ42 is powered by an Intel Pentium P6200 processor, combined with 1 GB of DDR3 memory. Hard drive capacity is 320 GB. Its 14 inch screen has a decent native resolution of 1366×768. All these are pretty standard for a notebook of its class, but on the outside, the HP CQ42 appears more sophisticated compared to some.

The HP CQ42 will cost you Rp. 4.500.000 (US$ 495). That price tag is pretty attractive given the technical specification it offers. We have also received this notebook for reviewing purposes, so stay tuned to JagatReview.com for the complete test results!

Lenovo B460-233

The two visible screen hinges on this notebook give it some nice overall appearance. It uses an Intel Pentium P6100 processor and 1 GB of DDR3 memory. The 320 GB hard drive is fairly standard for the category to which this notebook falls into, so is the 14 inch screen driven by the CPU’s integrated graphics. We noted something unique to the Lenovo B460-233 though: a fingerprint scanner! This provides additional security and should come in handy for corporate users.

If you need a fingerprint scanner on your entry-level notebook, Lenovo B460-233 might just be the right choice. It currently retails for Rp 4.600.000 (US$ 505).

Acer Aspire 4552

Unlike its rivals, the Acer Aspire 4552 is armed with an AMD Athlon II P340 dual-core processor, coupled with 1GB of DDR3 memory. Thanks to the notebook’s ATI Radeon HD4250M graphics, you can play games on its 14 inch (1366×768) monitor, albeit with limited settings. A 320 GB hard drive serves as its storage media.

Acer Aspire 4552 can be obtained for Rp 4.995.000 (US$ 548). That price point puts it on the top of this category in terms of cost, but this notebook is well worth it.