1 edit | reply to watts3000
Re: looking to purchase netbook What is your priority? Battery life, ease of use, processing power? I'm also in the market for a netbook and here are a few things I've gathered:
The 'standard' for netbooks at the current time are specs of:
- 10.1", 1024x600 screen, most are glossy, a few have matt finishes
- Intel Atom N280 or N270 cpu
- 1 GB RAM, can be upgraded to 2 GB, but none in this class come standard with 2 GB
- 160 GB or 250 GB 5400 RPM HDD
- Windows 7 Starter
- With a 6 cell battery, 7-9 hrs of battery life
Windows 7 Starter can be upgraded to Windows 7 Home Premium for about $76 using Windows Anytime Upgrade (WAU). An additional 1 GB of RAM require replacing the 1 GB SODIMM with a 2 GB that costs about $40.
Windows XP Home is on a few 10.1" netbooks. It can't be upgraded to Windows 7 Home Premium as easily or as cheaply. Windows 7 is said to be faster and gives you better battery life. If you're satisfied with the restrictions on Windows 7 Starter, or would rather have the customizability of XP Home, then there's no reason you have to upgrade.
The next step 'up' are slightly larger 11.6" machines with more varied specs:
- 11.6" 1366x768 screen
- usually 2 GB RAM standard
- 160 GB or 250 GB 5400 RPM HDD
- Windows 7 Home Premium
- With a 6 cell battery, 4.5-7 hrs of battery life
The 11.6" generally have nicer keyboards and larger, 2 button touchpads because they have more room to fit them.
A great deal right now (the netbook that I'm leaning toward) is the Acer Aspire AS1410, for only $400 from several online sellers, with the following specs:
- 11.6" screen
- Intel Celeron SU2300 dual core, or Celeron M 743 single core
- 2 GB RAM
- 250 GB hard drive
- Windows 7 Home Premium (64-bit)
- great keyboard
Most of the latest generation 10.1" netbooks are $325-400. If the larger size and reduced battery life of a 11.6" is fine, this a no-brainer. The cost of the added RAM and Win7 upgrade alone are worth over $100. Then throw in the (much) faster CPU, bigger keyboard and larger screen and it's a gimme.
In the 10.1" class, the Toshiba Mini NB205-N325 would be my choice. $330 right now on Amazon with a 160 GB drive (the NB205-N330 has a 250 GB drive for $400). Solid build, nice keyboard, really large two-button touchpad. Most everything else is standard. |
