The cheapest netbook around:
Asus
Eee PC X101CH, Atom N2600 + Intel GMA3600@RM959, 2GB, 320GB(5400rpm); FreeDOS@RM799

But I suggest you look for this as well:
Toshiba
NB520-1065/Q/N/G/B, Atom N2800 + Intel GMA3650@RM1049[harman/kardon][1.32kg], colors: brown/Turquoise/copper/lime green/blue (can get it pretty cheap, has seen it selling at RM8xx)

MS Word? Netbook usually has a starter version, but it has limitation

But why don't you consider cheap 14"? At least these have normal size keyboard if you type a lot:

Dell
Inspiron 14, B820 + Intel HD@RM999[2.1kg], 2GB, 500GB(5400rpm), W8 (come with trial version of MS Word)
Lenovo
G480, B830 + Intel HD3000@RM999, 2GB, 500GB (5400rpm), FreeDOS

This post has been edited by nexus2238: Jan 10 2013, 11:25 PM

May I ask why you need 15"? With same resolution, you are seeing more or less the same picture as in 14" though

With your RM1.2k budget, you could go for sandy bridge i3, which run photoshop much better than Pentium B8/9xx.

Acer
E1-471-32322G50L, i3-2328M + Intel HD3000@RM1299, 2GB, 500GB, Linux
Fujitsu
LH531-MYE0100348, i3-2350M + Intel HD 3000@RM1299, color: red, freeDOS
HP
1000-1201TX, i3-2328M + Intel HD3000@RM1299, 2GB, 500GB, freeDOS, no USB3.0
Lenovo
G480, i3-2328M + Intel HD3000@RM1299, 2GB, 500GB (5400rpm), FreeDOS

How many instance? Normally 4G for each is quite ample

Don't forget the brick (adapter)

This post has been edited by nexus2238: Jan 10 2013, 10:43 PM

TJ, don't put me on the spot lah
The tricky part is the VGA in 13" As TJ mentioned, to find VGA in 13", you more or less has to go business class laptop now since all the consumer class 13" have gone thin and light and remove lots of legacy port
Closest alternative I could think off (err ... I just get its bigger sibling E6430 recently )
Latitude E6330, i5-3320M + Intel HD4000@RM4380[1.65kg], W7P (32-bit), 3 years Pro support; [CPU options: i5-3320M-i7-3520M]
You have your required DVD ODD, VGA, miniHDMI, 2x USB3, 1xUSB 2 eSATA, SD card, 750G HDD.
Seems like over your budget. But the other day, I saw it in LYP selling at RM3k with 1 year warranty The upshot is this is more commonly found than R930, and it's possible for you to find some good deal if you do some leg work

This post has been edited by nexus2238: Jan 10 2013, 11:14 PM

Errr ... from the usage you describe, doesn't seems like you type lots of numbers

same resolution (1366x768) in 14" & 15" >> same number of pixels, same picture just slightly larger screen. At the distance that we normally sit in front of laptop, I just don't find it any different

The choice is between something which you could find easy solution (external numpad) vs something that very hard to replace (CPU)

Aiyo, so embarassing I am just contributing lah

How come you are looking at lots of 15" when your prefer size is 17"?

Not many choice for 17" in Malaysia (not popular, brands don't bring them in).

Fujitsu
NH751, i7-2630QM + Nvidia GT525M + (1920x1080, anti glare) + Bluray RW@RM4899[3.7kg], 8GB, 640GB (prev gen CPU / GPU, but the spec is sufficient for your usage)

HP
HP Pavilion DV7-6c00TX, i7-2760QM + AMD HD7690M XT + (1920x1080 Anti-glare) + Bluray@RM4499[Beats], 8GB, 2TB(5400rpm) (prev gen CPU)
Envy 17-2001TX, i7-2630QM + AMD HD5850M + (1920x1080)@RM6999[3.35kg][Beats], 2TB HDD (out of your budget, unless you go for grey import, which is cheaper and has latest spec, but usual caveat on warranty apply)

Lenovo
Ideapad G780, i5-3210M + Nvidia GT630M + (1600x900)@RM2399[3.0kg], 4GB, 500GB(5400rpm); W7HP/750GB@RM2499 (interesting, but i5 may be slightly underpower if you do heavy multimedia rendering)

MSI
GE70, i7-3610QM + Nvidia GT650M (2GB) + (1920x1080; anti-glare)@RM4599, 8GB, 750GB(7200rpm), W7HP, 2 years warranty, gaming mouse & backpack, free SteelSeries QCK Mass Mousepad (you should look at this rather than GE60 which is 15" )
MSI CX70 [0ND-030MY], i7-3610QM + Nvidia GT640M + (1600x900)@RM2999[2.7kg], 4GB, 750GB(5400rpm), W7HP (another interesting choice)
Both MSI is skinny for the power they carry within. Make sure you have good external cooling solution.

Sager www.illegear.com
NP6370, i5-3210M + Nvidia GTX660M + (1920x1080)@RM3099, 8GB, 500GB(7200rpm), freeDOS [CPU Options: i5-3210M - i7-3840QM]
NP6175, i5-3210M + Nvidia GT650M (2GB) + (1920x1080)@RM3599, FreeDOS [CPU Options: i5-3210M - i7-3840QM]
Configure for i7 and you should be ready to go.

This post has been edited by nexus2238: Jan 11 2013, 11:39 AM

4G RAM ~ RM80. 2G ~ RM50.

No FHD
Acer
V3-571G-73614G1T, i7-3630QM + Nvidia GT640M@RM2699[2.6kg], 4GB, 1TB, W7HP
Asus
N56VZ-S3151H, i5-3210M + Nvidia GT650M@RM2799[2.7kg][B&O], 4GB, 750GB, W8; color: black
HP
Pavillion M6-1110TX, i7-3632QM + AMD HD7670M@RM2999[Beats], 4GB, 1TB(5400rpm), W8

With FHD
Dell
Inspiron 15R (Special Edition), i7-3612QM + AMD HD7730M + (1920x1080; anti-glare) + 32GB SSD + 1TB HDD(5400rpm)@RM3199, 8GB,backlit keyboard optional, W7HP/W8
Lenovo
Ideapad Y580, i7-3630QM + Nvidia GTX660M + 1920x1080 @RM2999[JBL], 4GB, 500GB(5400rpm), W7HB/W8, backlit keyboard, 2 yrs warranty

Price is RSP, negotiable.

+1.
I have seen grey import Y480 going as low as RM21xx.
But please read this thread to understand the kind of risk you are taking on buying grey import:
http://forum.lowyat.net/topic/2647407 post 12 onward.

This post has been edited by nexus2238: Jan 11 2013, 10:29 PM

Y500 Malaysia spec come with the ultrabay GPU
Y400 Malaysia spec come with the ultrabay ODD

Errr ... have you read the link given to you earlier?

If you can wait until March13 (Intel indicate, but you never know for sure ).
I am interested to look at the performance of Y series Ivy Bridge CPU
http://www.theverge.com/2013/1/9/3856050/i...ridge-marketing

Don't be confused
Easiest is to go out and look at the real thing
Components (GPU, HDD, ODD, cooling fan ... ) that come in ultrabay form factor is very easy to swap in / out the laptop. No screw. The release lever is very similar to normal laptop battery.

Y500 and Y400 each has 1 ultrabay slot.
When Lenovo Malaysia released Y500, the ultrabay slot is filled with a ultrabay GPU (another GT650M). If you check out some foreign sales site, you could find Y500 which ultrabay slot standard spec is filled with a ultrabay ODD).
When Lenovo Malaysia released Y400, the ultrabay slot is filled with a ultrabay ODD. (As far as I know, so far, no where in the world you can find a ultrabay GPU for Y400. Lenovo is expected to release ultrabay GPU and other ultrabay accessories for Y400 this year).

Ultrabay slot is nothing new. Thinkpad has it for a long long time. What is new is GPU in ultrabay that can run in SLI

Bro, are you in software development doing OS backward compatibility testing?
Don't tell me you are playing classic games that can only run in old OS

errr
1. Linux (or most unix based OS) memory management (caching)
2. Virtual Machine(s)
3. RAMDisk
4. Proxy (caching)
5. (Hollywood standard) 3D animation production
6. Insane multi-tasking
.... sifus can think of anything else?

7200rpm HDD is slightly faster than 5400rpm HDD, it will impact any disc accessing activities (OS boot, program launch, swap file, ... )

SSD - solid state drive, inside is NAND flash. Relatively expensive (128G ~ RM250+). Compare to HDD:
run (very much) faster
quieter (no moving parts)
cooler (generate a lot less heat)
help laptop getting better battery performance (use less power)

All the high end ultrabook use full SSD.

Lenovo keyboard is good. The touchpad in Y580 is up to personal taste (you go and try it to find out).

Dust? Blow them away (seriously, use compressed air or brush)

Important to keep laptop clean. You do heard about the research which found keyboard is dirtier than toilet seat?

Yes, there are 14" laptop for < RM1k, and they can handle your brother usage requirement

Acer
Aspire E1-431-B822G50, B820 + Intel HD@RM1099, 2GB, 500GB, FreeDOS

Dell
Inspiron 14, B820 + Intel HD@RM999[2.1kg], 2GB, 500GB(5400rpm), W8

Lenovo
G480, B830 + Intel HD3000@RM999, 2GB, 500GB (5400rpm), FreeDOS

FreeDOS means need to get OS yourself. That's why the Dell is a good deal, you get W8.
MS Office not included in RSP. If your brother open a few Words or Excel files simultaneously, good idea to upgrade RAM (4G is ~RM80), maybe can ask re-seller to give it as free upgrade

This post has been edited by nexus2238: Jan 13 2013, 03:11 AM

Intel mobile CPU in the market right now is either Sandy Bridge (2nd gen) or Ivy Bridge (3rd gen) i core.
B8xx is the "Celeron" brand under Sandy Bridge architecture.
B9xx is the "Pentium" brand under Sandy Bridge architecture.
They are supposed to receive a revision to Ivy Bridge by Intel around March13.

http://forum.lowyat.net/Notebooks&Tablets
Go here to look for 2nd hand laptop.
Please exercise usual caution dealing with someone you meet online
You can probably find someone letting go of their laptop with sandy bridge i3 or i5 (i3/5-2xxxM) CPU within the budget
Important thing to keep in mind is that if you go 2nd hand, most likely the laptop will not be under manufacturer warranty anymore