Recently a friend of mine ask me which laptop should he buy for budget of RM 3.5K with priority on gaming. I browse through a number of laptops and found out that Benq Joybook S42 offers the best specifications for it's price. But my friend tells me that he doesn't like the brand and prefer other more known brands such as Asus, Dell or HP Compaq.

Consider this, Benq Joybook S42 (RM 3499):

• Intel Core 2 Duo P8600 (2.4GHz)
• 2GB RAM
• 320 GB HDD
• Nvidia Geforce 9600 GT 256MB
• Windows Vista Home Premium
• 2.35kg

And Dell Studio 14 (RM 3599):

• Intel Core 2 Duo T8100 (2.1GHz)
• 2GB RAM
• 250GB HDD
• Intel GMA X3100
• Windows Vista Home Premium
• 2.4kg

Both have the same screen size (14.1 inches), Wifi, Bluetooth, DvD-Drive and 1 Year international warranty. I think most will buy the Dell because it's more well-known!

What do you guys think then? Having almost the same price but with better specs, will brand name affect the choice of your laptop?