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Somnambulator
Gawd
- Joined
- Apr 13, 2008
- Messages
- 856
little background info:
I've been researching netbooks and small notebooks for a few months now. i was enthralled by the original Eee PC but never really had a use for one (or any laptop) until recently. With my new job @ a school i constantly need wireless access, but b/c of remote desktop and workstation management and deployment applications (Altiris) i only need something with wireless and a moderate screen size. i can remote into my office desktop which then does all the work. Also, we're replacing all our Dell D600 laptops next year and will be ordering the replacements over the summer. We may end up with 15.4" notebooks but we're heaviliy considering netbooks as well.
Ok, so here's my research and findings:
HP's original Mini, i think it was model 2130 or something (not 2140). it featured a mostly aluminum case, i think a 7" screen, the extended cell battery, 160GB 4200rpm drive, and a slow VIA C-7 cpu.
I had a hands-on with this little thing. it suited our needs very well but was a little less than ideal. we'd have prefered SSD over mechanical. Also the screen was very small and might not be very productive. there was a larger screen available but never made it to us. the touchpad was stupid. ive seen this design replicated on a few different netbooks now, where the click keys are on the sides of the pad. i couldnt stand it at all. the VIA cpu is slow. newer models use the standard Atom. (i wish they had a Nano model).
The keyboard was AMAZING. standard 92 or 95%, but it was basically all Aluminum just like the case itself. i couldn't pry off the keys even with a scredriver and some force! this was the sturdiest laptop ive ever used. felt stronger than a classic macbook.
pricing was along the lines of many Atom netbooks today, though had slower performance. i think it was offset by the aluminum, etc. i believe it was around $350 or $400 as configured with larger battery.
Dell Minis.
Mini 9 is an 8.9" standard 1024x600 display, N270 netbook. it's pretty standard in every way. has a traditional touchpad, 92% keyboard, 2 or 3 cell battery, and optional SSD or HDD. nothing exciting about it but very configurable, upgradable to 2GBs like most netbooks, and i loved the choice of hard drive type. the Mini 9 doesnt do anything wrong and is competitively priced with other brands.
Mini 10...i did a lot of preview and rumor research on this. it was very hyped and a lot of people were anxious to preorder them. i think Dell will be releasing the initial Mini 10 and then an updated version later on. the initial 10 features a 10.1" screen but with a very strange resolution for a netbook. i think it uses 1024x400 or something like that. it actually had a lower rez than the Mini 9. it probably uses 16:9 widescreen versus traditional PC 16:10, but a 10" screen with only 400 or 500 pixel height is unnacceptable IMO. Also the 10 uses the MID Z-series Atom which is less than ideal compared to the laptop Atom (N series). the MID Atom features a slightly different chipset with 1 total RAM stick...soldered onto the board. it is not user upgradable once initial configuration is selected (512MB or 1GB). it also maxes out at 1GB so there will not be any 2GB option available for purchase. on top of all this, it's considerably more expensive than the Mini 9!
Mini 12...basically the same thing as the Mini 10 but with a much larger footprint. the 12" display is decent, it's very birght, but thenetbook's footprint is significantly larger than the meager screen size upgrade might hint at. it's a MASSIVE netbook. 12" is obviously directly into laptop screen size terrioty, but the Mini 12's price doesnt even give it a big advantage over small 12" Hp or Dell laptops. it's a slow laptop...price is relatively high for a netbook and closes in on 12" laptop prices. Also the Mini 12 uses the MID Atom, just like the 10 above, and is likewise limited to 1GB RAM.
MSI Wind...most of the Wind models are solid. they mostly contain HDD drives and im not sure ive seen any with an SSD. there's nothing spectatular about the Winds but there's nothing wrong with them, either.
Asus Eee PC...
The default for most people, including myself. i like Asus as a company and i like supported the company that pretty much invented the netbook. (i know Intel's Atom was in development to become a netbook for years but still). all the Atom models (every Eee PC after the inital Celeron-M models) are very solid with largely HDD configurations. i've seen some with SSDs but they seem to becoming more rare with every new Eee PC model. the 1000HE is very promising as it features the latest and faster Atom CPU, but unfortunately still runs the current Intel 945 chipset that needs to be retired asap. Eee PC prices are generally higher than other brands' comparible models and besides the 1000HE generally do not offer much advnatage over an MSI Wind or Mini 9.
Acer One...
i have very little experience with Acer's One line. i do know they have the wacky touchpad button configuration which instantly turned me off. they are priced aggressively, though, and have the standard set of Atom 270 netbook features.
there are other netbooks out there, like model lines from Sylvania's G, but i didnt do much research on them as they arent traditional computer manufacturer's or as respectable as the current players.
My decision...
i wasnt in any kind of rush so i had 2 ideas for purchasing.
1-wait for newer models coming mid-year like the ION platform or hopefully some VIA Nano models (ION2).
2-while waiting, if i find a netbook that exactly matches my requirements goes on a major sale, i'd get it.
Well, the latter happened and that's why i bought...a Dell Mini 9.
Dell had a 1day only sale with the Mini 9 $50 off it's already on sale price of $250.
for $230 before shipping and tax, i got a Mini 9, 8.9" screen 1024x600, smallest battery (2 or 3 cell, i forget), 8GB SSD, no bluetooth, and a 1 year warranty. it had exactly the features i wanted and for an awesome price. i just couldnt pass it up
the only downside? it doesnt ship until March 20! oh well, i wasnt in a rush anyway
As an added bonus, we're in the process of becoming Dell certified so i can have any warrantied part overnighted without playing 20 questions with some Indian chick.
P.S. when configuring a Dell netbook or laptop, make sure Bluetooth is unselected if you dont need it. it was checked by default for multiple models and at an extra $20. NOTHX
I've been researching netbooks and small notebooks for a few months now. i was enthralled by the original Eee PC but never really had a use for one (or any laptop) until recently. With my new job @ a school i constantly need wireless access, but b/c of remote desktop and workstation management and deployment applications (Altiris) i only need something with wireless and a moderate screen size. i can remote into my office desktop which then does all the work. Also, we're replacing all our Dell D600 laptops next year and will be ordering the replacements over the summer. We may end up with 15.4" notebooks but we're heaviliy considering netbooks as well.
Ok, so here's my research and findings:
HP's original Mini, i think it was model 2130 or something (not 2140). it featured a mostly aluminum case, i think a 7" screen, the extended cell battery, 160GB 4200rpm drive, and a slow VIA C-7 cpu.
I had a hands-on with this little thing. it suited our needs very well but was a little less than ideal. we'd have prefered SSD over mechanical. Also the screen was very small and might not be very productive. there was a larger screen available but never made it to us. the touchpad was stupid. ive seen this design replicated on a few different netbooks now, where the click keys are on the sides of the pad. i couldnt stand it at all. the VIA cpu is slow. newer models use the standard Atom. (i wish they had a Nano model).
The keyboard was AMAZING. standard 92 or 95%, but it was basically all Aluminum just like the case itself. i couldn't pry off the keys even with a scredriver and some force! this was the sturdiest laptop ive ever used. felt stronger than a classic macbook.
pricing was along the lines of many Atom netbooks today, though had slower performance. i think it was offset by the aluminum, etc. i believe it was around $350 or $400 as configured with larger battery.
Dell Minis.
Mini 9 is an 8.9" standard 1024x600 display, N270 netbook. it's pretty standard in every way. has a traditional touchpad, 92% keyboard, 2 or 3 cell battery, and optional SSD or HDD. nothing exciting about it but very configurable, upgradable to 2GBs like most netbooks, and i loved the choice of hard drive type. the Mini 9 doesnt do anything wrong and is competitively priced with other brands.
Mini 10...i did a lot of preview and rumor research on this. it was very hyped and a lot of people were anxious to preorder them. i think Dell will be releasing the initial Mini 10 and then an updated version later on. the initial 10 features a 10.1" screen but with a very strange resolution for a netbook. i think it uses 1024x400 or something like that. it actually had a lower rez than the Mini 9. it probably uses 16:9 widescreen versus traditional PC 16:10, but a 10" screen with only 400 or 500 pixel height is unnacceptable IMO. Also the 10 uses the MID Z-series Atom which is less than ideal compared to the laptop Atom (N series). the MID Atom features a slightly different chipset with 1 total RAM stick...soldered onto the board. it is not user upgradable once initial configuration is selected (512MB or 1GB). it also maxes out at 1GB so there will not be any 2GB option available for purchase. on top of all this, it's considerably more expensive than the Mini 9!
Mini 12...basically the same thing as the Mini 10 but with a much larger footprint. the 12" display is decent, it's very birght, but thenetbook's footprint is significantly larger than the meager screen size upgrade might hint at. it's a MASSIVE netbook. 12" is obviously directly into laptop screen size terrioty, but the Mini 12's price doesnt even give it a big advantage over small 12" Hp or Dell laptops. it's a slow laptop...price is relatively high for a netbook and closes in on 12" laptop prices. Also the Mini 12 uses the MID Atom, just like the 10 above, and is likewise limited to 1GB RAM.
MSI Wind...most of the Wind models are solid. they mostly contain HDD drives and im not sure ive seen any with an SSD. there's nothing spectatular about the Winds but there's nothing wrong with them, either.
Asus Eee PC...
The default for most people, including myself. i like Asus as a company and i like supported the company that pretty much invented the netbook. (i know Intel's Atom was in development to become a netbook for years but still). all the Atom models (every Eee PC after the inital Celeron-M models) are very solid with largely HDD configurations. i've seen some with SSDs but they seem to becoming more rare with every new Eee PC model. the 1000HE is very promising as it features the latest and faster Atom CPU, but unfortunately still runs the current Intel 945 chipset that needs to be retired asap. Eee PC prices are generally higher than other brands' comparible models and besides the 1000HE generally do not offer much advnatage over an MSI Wind or Mini 9.
Acer One...
i have very little experience with Acer's One line. i do know they have the wacky touchpad button configuration which instantly turned me off. they are priced aggressively, though, and have the standard set of Atom 270 netbook features.
there are other netbooks out there, like model lines from Sylvania's G, but i didnt do much research on them as they arent traditional computer manufacturer's or as respectable as the current players.
My decision...
i wasnt in any kind of rush so i had 2 ideas for purchasing.
1-wait for newer models coming mid-year like the ION platform or hopefully some VIA Nano models (ION2).
2-while waiting, if i find a netbook that exactly matches my requirements goes on a major sale, i'd get it.
Well, the latter happened and that's why i bought...a Dell Mini 9.
Dell had a 1day only sale with the Mini 9 $50 off it's already on sale price of $250.
for $230 before shipping and tax, i got a Mini 9, 8.9" screen 1024x600, smallest battery (2 or 3 cell, i forget), 8GB SSD, no bluetooth, and a 1 year warranty. it had exactly the features i wanted and for an awesome price. i just couldnt pass it up
the only downside? it doesnt ship until March 20! oh well, i wasnt in a rush anyway
As an added bonus, we're in the process of becoming Dell certified so i can have any warrantied part overnighted without playing 20 questions with some Indian chick.
P.S. when configuring a Dell netbook or laptop, make sure Bluetooth is unselected if you dont need it. it was checked by default for multiple models and at an extra $20. NOTHX