No, Contiboard is a real wood veneer, Contiplas is the melamine one.
They're both horrible. If you're planning this level of work, go to Ikea instead. They'll be cheaper than buying the raw materials. Ikea are also experts in making the best possible furniture from materials at this bottom-scraping level. IMHO, veneered chipboard is OK for getting things off the floor with Ikea's help, but it's not worth putting real time or effort into.
If you want a paint finish, go with MDF. You can work this with your circular saw, so long as you get a fine-toothed blade for it. Ideally a good jigsaw too (or else not - but don't cut corners with a cheap one). You can also use a biscuit jointer on MDF, whereas it's not a good technique for chipboard.