Low mega pixel Digital SLR vs High Mega pixel point and shoot camera?

Hi, i'm planning to purchase a Nikon D5000 but due to budget reasons I decided to go on Nikon D3000.

Now the question is. The Nikon D3000 has only 10.2 Mega pixel and other Nikon point and shoot cameras has 14.4 Mega pixel or better. So which one would have the better quality then? Shall I go fot the Nikon D3000 or the Nikon point and shoot.

there's a price difference of $100 though

Mega pixel has nothing to do with picture quality
you should start reading
kenrockwell.com

Megapixel is not a measure of quality at all.Mp is just a measure of how large a picture is. Most people don't even need 6mp

the real measure of quality comes from the sensor used inside the camera. The larger the sensor, the better the camera. A sensor in a point and shoot is very small. The sensor in an entry level DSLR is around 15x as big, therefore much better.

The difference between 10mpx and 14mpx is barely noticeable as both are huge image sizes. The Dslr will still have much better image quality because the lens is optically better and the image sensor is larger. A larger sensor picks up light better even if it is less megapixels. Pros pay $5200 for the 12mpx Nikon D3s because it has much better image quality than a 14 or even 18 megapixel point and shoot. It has better quality because it is much larger and can collect more light. Also if you are getting a camera at that price range I doubt you are printing larger than 16x24inches so you are fine…

http://en.wikipedia.org/...age_sensor

DSLR cameras are always better than any point and shoot cam. Megapixels are nothing but gimmick to sell cameras.

With more than 10 mega pixles, you can take print out larger.bt the quality of 5-6 mega pixels and 10-15 megapixels is the same.