I know that this is a kind of frequently asked question, but I've
checked the archives and still have doubts. Well, basically I want to
buy a cheap, new, fast notebook. :-)

Seriously, I don't care much for brand names but of course quality
matters. The cheapest seems to be Sotec. A friend bought one some
months ago, still no problems... but it's not very reliable, right? I
gather that there are some Sotec "fans" here, but has anyone here
bought a Sotec notebook?

My first choice would be Yodobashi. I've been told I could get a
better price in online shops, but I checked PCDepot and the prices are
exactly the same as Yodobashi. What are some good online shops? Do
they have point card system? Do they have good technical support in
case something goes wrong (with the hardware)?

For what is worth, I want a 15-inch screen (or bigger), at least
512MB, DVD/CD-R. The processor speed doesn't matter much.

thanks in advance,
 Rafael Caetano