I didn't read through the whole thread, but I did search and no one has suggested a dell yet. Are dells not available outside the US?
If they are... take a look at the inspiron 1420s and 1520s. I have a 1520, I got amazing specs for only 960USD after a coupon (T7500, 1GB DDR2, which I upgraded to 3GB from ebay, 8600M GT, 160GB 7200RPM, etc)
I got the 1520 because I wanted an 8600MGT, but you can get the 1420 with an 8400GS. That, paired with a T7250 and 2GB DDR2 would be pretty awesome in my opinion, meet your requirements of being small, and meet your requirements of being fast.
I didn't go check the price, but if I got a 1520 with the higher specs for 960, I'd think those lowered specs are worth the 100 less.