bike-commuting student in need of lightweight laptop or netbook

L

Lengradde

Limp Gawd
Joined
Jan 16, 2011
Messages
189
I spend 30 minutes to an hour each day commuting on my bicycle, so I'm looking for a small laptop / netbook. Performance isn't a big issue. I'm mainly getting this because the quieter areas to study on campus don't have computers, and my current laptop is a lead brick.

Requirements:

1) Lightweight (less than 3.5 lb / 1.6 kg)
2) Less than $400
3) Windows 7 64-bit
4) Dual core
EDIT: 5) The ability to swap default hard drive for SSD!


Intended use:
Browsing forums / internet research / occasional youtube / freedom from my school's bloated and filthy computers
 
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Acer has the build quality of a Yugo. I've had one, and I always felt backwards using it, because it was bitching at me (instead of the other way around), lol. Horrible system... and the sad thing is that I've never heard anything better about 'em. They're a modern Packard Bell (PackTARD Bell, rite?)...

FWIW I'm typing this on an ASUS netbook... nifty little thing. I like it. The USB ports are dying from overuse, and it's got the infamous Left Click Button issue on the touchpad (I just tap instead), but overall it's a nice system. I've dropped it four times and it still has all its brain cells (or at least enough that I can't tell about the rest, lol)...
 
don't skimp on PC due to weight. I carry a 15" laptop with 9 cell + portable BD-Rom (full sized one) daily on my back during the summer when I ride 2 wheels to work. get a machine to do the job first and worry about weight second..... I ride a vino 125CC moto 57 miles round trip to work
 
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Er... YouEmMaiMai, no offense, but I'm pretty sure he's talking about the sort of 'cycle where the rider IS the engine ;)
 
I have a HP dm1z that I have been pretty pleased with. It's a little heavier than many other netbooks (around 3.5 lbs IIRC), but has a little bit more processing power and a 1366x768 screen.
 
Just ordered this Acer... http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16834215174&Tpk=AO722-0473

It's the Acer Aspire One AO722-0473

Nothing but generallt good reviews from the Egg and various places around the net. Great specs in general. They are selling it at Target for $329.99, but here in Florida with tax it would have been the same. I like the 11.6" screen, large HD, 2gb ram (i ordered 4gb for $20), screen res, and the full keyboard. I looked at it in person at Target today and was really impressed with the size.

I ordered it on Newegg with a external rosewill usb powered dvd burner, and 4gb of ram.

Netbook: $349.99
Dvd burner: $29.99
Ram: $19.99

Free 3 day shipping. I should be receiving it on Monday. Pretty excited. I did a lot of research and thoughts are really positive, specs are decent, and price is pretty good.
 
starhawk said:
Er... YouEmMaiMai, no offense, but I'm pretty sure he's talking about the sort of 'cycle where the rider IS the engine ;)
Click to expand...

doesn't matter really cause nothing is worse that getting a light machine that isn't even competent at completing average everyday computing tasks.......
 
YeuEmMaiMai said:
doesn't matter really cause nothing is worse that getting a light machine that isn't even competent at completing average everyday computing tasks.......
Click to expand...

I have my gaming machine at home for serious tasks...whether it be BF3, Autodesk, home theater stuff, etc. Sure, it would be nice if this netbook could play starcraft. However, it's really just so I can maintain computer access and browse forums/do internet research in the less-crowded areas on campus.



ONWARD! It seems like the HP Dm1z is the equivalent of the Acer Aspire One. However, the HP has configuration options which aren't available for the Acer. The HP is using 18w TDP Zacate, while the Acer is the slower 9w TDP Ontario for $45 less. I'm going to take a guess and say the extra weight of the HP is due to heatsinks required to cool the higher-clocked IGP and CPU.
 
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your best bet is to find something used from the Core 2 days that was dual core and a 12inch size.

See something like this. HP Laptop Add a nice 80GB Intel SSD and you got a great 400$ fully featured notebook
 
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YeuEmMaiMai said:
doesn't matter really cause nothing is worse that getting a light machine that isn't even competent at completing average everyday computing tasks.......
Click to expand...

FYI, my u230 netbook is about as powerful as the desktop PC i used for 3d rendering a few years ago. It and my earlier AAO are certainly powerful enough to handle light photoshopping, word processing, and flash development.

I spent a year using the AAO for real work just to try it out. Of course, i had the quad core right next to it any time the AAO couldn't handle the work, which turned out to be pretty rare.

If you really do intend to do actual work, even a full sized laptop isn't comfortable enough to work on for hours on end compared to a desktop.

To insist that the netbook can't handle it would imply that MS Office uses more resources than 3D Studio Max!
 
The Asus EeePC 1215B sounds nice. AMD C-60 (1.33GHz), Dual Core, 12.1" TFT, 2GB DDR3 (1x 2048MB), AMD Radeon HD 6290, 1.46kg. Battery should last a few hours (officially 8 hours, but manufacturers are liars lmfao). Should go for about $350.
 
I updated post with a couple new requirements: I need the ability to swap the original drive for SSD, and the laptop will need Windows 7 64-bit. Is this just a straightforward process of installing the OS to the new drive and adding in drivers, or is Asus/Acer/some other company known to be easier/more difficult to do this with?

Yikes! One more thing I'm wanting is the best graphics I can get out of this lightweight (less than 3.5lb/1.6kg) laptop. I'm a bit confused as to how the Ontario AMD Fusion APU differs from the "bigger brother" Zacate. How much difference would there be running...let's say...starcraft? I know it's no gaming laptop, but are the Radeon 6310 or the seemingly harder-to-find 6320 Zacate models that much faster than the 6290-equipped Ontario?
 
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YeuEmMaiMai said:
doesn't matter really cause nothing is worse that getting a light machine that isn't even competent at completing average everyday computing tasks.......
Click to expand...

I have a five-year-old tablet with 1.6GHz C2D processor and 2GB of RAM, and it does everything I ask it to except play video games. And it weighs 4lb.

When I try to carry my 15" bruiser places, I hate myself. It rarely moves from my desk.
 
Lengradde said:
How much difference would there be running...let's say...starcraft? I know it's no gaming laptop, but are the Radeon 6310 or the seemingly harder-to-find 6320 Zacate models that much faster than the 6290-equipped Ontario?
Click to expand...
You mean Starcraft 2, right? Even if it were double the speed of a 6290 series IGP, it would be too slow to run Starcraft 2 - or any other game with a little eye candy after 2008 for that matter. If you intend t do some light gaming, the bare minimum that actually makes sense (low-res, low-settings) would be an HD 6470M/6490M and you won't find that in a netbook.

If you want everything in a small package, you need to up your budget to about $1000 and take a look at the Sony VAIO VPC-SB3S9E or something similar. It's a 13.3" ultra mobile laptop with an Intel Core i5 2430M (2.4GHz), 4 GB DDR3 (upgradable to 8 GB), an AMD Radeon HD 6470M with 512MB and magnesium chassis. It's only 1.72kg and contains everything you'll ever need. You could even get something better, but it's going to cost you an arm and a leg at that size and weight.
 
Vengance_01 said:
your best bet is to find something used from the Core 2 days that was dual core and a 12inch size.

See something like this. HP Laptop Add a nice 80GB Intel SSD and you got a great 400$ fully featured notebook
Click to expand...


I just had the realization that I prefer a matte screen on a laptop. I hadn't realized that both of the choices I was previously considering...the DM1z and the Aspire One, both have glossy screens.

What choices do I have now? I don't mind using ebay to get a used laptop, I just don't know what options there are for matte. Whatever model I get, I'll be purchasing a SSD for it.

Vengeance_01, I'm leaning towards what you suggested because based on pictures I've seen, the HP 2530p looks like it has a matte screen. Downside is that I think it uses a 1.8" drive, heavily restricting my SSD choices.
 
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Get a used x200. It's C2D, small, matte screen. They're around $300ish on ebay right now, or if you browse the FS/FT forum they pop up on occasion. It's a 2.5" hdd, so you can throw in a regular SSD. If you get a 9cell battery, it can have some pretty amazing battery life.

Only con I can think of is that it's trackpoint only (the nub). It doesn't have a track pad. I'm not huge on the nub, but I don't mind it, so I wouldn't find this a problem (plus an external mouse is like $7). After getting used to the nub, it's like second nature, but it's not for everyone.
 
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