Slybacon Posted August 1, 2011 I am contenplating purchasing a netbook. I have looked briefly and narrowed down a few of my requirements. I am looking at setting up an online workstation where I can keep all private and confidential information more secure and seperate from my desktop. I want to be able to take this workstation anywhere I go and securely join other networks without comprimising my data. I need something -Between 10 and 13 in with a usable keyboard. -Long battery life -Solid build -Clear screen -HDMI out -Prefer under $1000 -Light weight I have seen these new AMD chips designed for Netbooks. They seem to have very good reviews. I want to run Ubunto Linux, so Macbook airs are out, unless someone has some convincing arguments. Does anyone have any ideas on what way to go? Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Psylo Posted August 1, 2011 (edited) I can tell you what NOT to buy. About 9 months ago I bought two Toshiba NB305's due to the excellent reviews, and the "Netbook of the Year" award from a popular magazine. One of them has shit itself (this was my partner's one) and mine still going but is a pain to use, because processing ANYTHING is a big effort (such as photoshop edits, basic music file exports etc). The Intel Atom is shyte. Edited August 1, 2011 by Psylo Dread Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Slybacon Posted August 1, 2011 e processing ANYTHING is a big effort (such as photoshop edits, basic music file exports etc). The Intel Atom is shyte. Luckly I have a desktop for any major processing requirements. I kinda gathered that the Atoms were shit house. I have heard good things about the new AMD 350 chipset. Got good results under testing, even ran COD 4 without much trouble, not that I will be doing this stuff, Its more of an internet computer for making purchases and surfing the net securely. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Foo Posted August 1, 2011 (edited) Dont get a Sony Asus are good Edited August 1, 2011 by eatfoo Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
OpticalLight Posted August 1, 2011 (edited) I'm sure there's a lot of netbooks out there with better specifications than the computer I'm about to suggest, but I've been looking into tablets recently. Don't know whether the idea of a tablet is intriguing to you or not, but If I had the $ I would get the Acer Iconia W501 32Gb (3G) Tablet pc with attachable keyboard dock. Here's the specs. Acer Iconia W501 32Gb With Dock (3G) $999.00 Acer Iconia W501 Tablet PC (3G) •AMD Dual-Core C50 •2GB DDR3 RAM •32GB Solid State Drive •10" Multi-Touch HD LED LCD •ATI Radeon™ HD 6250 Graphics (256Mb) •2x USB Ports, HDMI, •802.11 b/g/Draft-N Wireless, Bluetooth •Built in 3G Antenna •1.3M Front & Rear Facing CystalEye Webcams •2 in 1 Card Reader •Iconia Tab USB Dock (Keyboard in-built) •Microsoft Windows 7 Home Premium 32-Bit •2 Year Pickup/Repair/Return Warranty by ACER It's probably a bit expensive for what it is at this stage, but in a year the price may have come down a bit. I think one review said they got (edit 7 , 6 hours of internet browsing) use with this device....battery life ain't that great compared to other netbooks.... but it's okay for a tablet There's also a version that comes with android with a longer battery run time, the acer iconia a501; but that doesn't come with an included keyboard dock. Edited August 1, 2011 by Chattest Hairpie Ever Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
dollarjuice Posted August 1, 2011 I would strongly advise you to stay away from netbooks. Though they seem like a good idea in concept they really aren't good when put into practice, very slow speeds for doing anything unless you keep them very minimal (and I mean VERY, like, you install a web browser and that's it) Deceptively their small size makes them seem semi-favourable but you will be paying for it severely. My ex used to have one that I'd would tinker with every now and then and fix it for her when it broke (about once a month) and in the end I just used my smartphone for browsing the net because it was faster for most basic tasks like searching the web, streaming media, etc. I'd suggest forking out the extra money and getting a full blown laptop. And for me the larger size/weight isn't too much of an issue as the increase isn't exactly drastic. Never fiddled with many tablets so cant particularly comment on the above post. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Slybacon Posted August 1, 2011 (edited) ^^^^ •AMD Dual-Core C50 Do you know if this chip is anygood. A few I have seen run with this. •2GB DDR3 RAM Not bad.... I hope you can expand tho. •ATI Radeon™ HD 6250 Graphics (256Mb) 500mb is the minimum these days, lots of sub $1000 with 1g even. What do you think of this, I know its an Atom processor but the price is pretty good for the specs. http://www.ebay.com.au/itm/HP-MINI-311-NETBOOK-11-6-LAPTOP-3GB-nVIDIA-BT-3G-WWAN-/360376887708#ht_6549wt_1007 Edited August 1, 2011 by Slybacon Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
dollarjuice Posted August 1, 2011 •AMD Dual-Core C50 Sorry I can't really comment as I don't know too much about netbook CPU's The RAM is good, and the video card is a surprisingly good model for a netbook. But I'd be cautions about what OS it is running/you intend to run on it. If it's windows 7 I'd suggest to get the 500+mb videocard otherwise you'll be noticing a significantly sluggish performance. But a few netbooks these days are actually running a revised edition of XP. If this is the case those parts should be great. And basically any linux based OS will run better than anything unless you really feel like going overboard of the eye-candy. The eBay link you provided looks pretty good for the price, but I'd be careful. Most of the time you get what you pay for... (not necessarily saying it's bad just to be cautious) Ultimately with things like this the best thing is to just shop around and don't rush. Go into your local dick smiths, harvey norman, office works, all those kinds of places that have a good tech section and just have a good look around and maybe even speak to some of the employees. Shopping around is the best way to figure out what's good value for money and what isn't. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Slybacon Posted August 1, 2011 (edited) http://www.anandtech.com/show/4023/the-brazos-performance-preview-amd-e350-benchmarked AMD is confident we will see Brazos based systems deliver well beyond 6 hours of battery life. AMD's goal is to deliver Atom like battery life and form factors, with a real GPU and hopefully better than Atom performance. We spent our time in Austin trying to find out if its goals were realistic. Edited August 1, 2011 by Slybacon Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
dollarjuice Posted August 1, 2011 http://www.anandtech.com/show/4023/the-brazos-performance-preview-amd-e350-benchmarked Actually looks very nice. Depending on your price range I'd obviously get the E-350 but if that's a bit too expensive for what you're looking for I'd prefer the C-50 over the E-240, and it would probably be better for what you're intending to use it for. Mind you all of this is just educated guess-work based on specifications and what I'm reading online, having never used any of these CPU's. Sorry. As for AMD I prefer them over Intel any day of the week. Always seem to have more problems on Intel systems. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Alice Posted August 1, 2011 I would avoid all the 10 inchers, I consider 13 to be the minumin practical size. 10 inches is just too small. The tiny ones may fit in your bag better and be lighter, but I see people at work struggle and curse with them everyday because the screen and keyboard is just too small. But it depends what you want to do with it I guess, might be ok for you if you are only using it an hour a week. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
C_T Posted August 1, 2011 i got a macbook air and its freaking unreal! best laptop ive ever owned and ive had about 7 in my lifetime. i got the 13" but the 11" has full size kboard too. A new model just came out last week too! Faster cpu's and cheaper. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Slybacon Posted August 1, 2011 i got a macbook air and its freaking unreal! best laptop ive ever owned and ive had about 7 in my lifetime. i got the 13" but the 11" has full size kboard too. A new model just came out last week too! Faster cpu's and cheaper. What do you think the chance of hacking one to run linux would be? Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
dollarjuice Posted August 1, 2011 What do you think the chance of hacking one to run linux would be? About 100% You don't have to 'hack' them. Just install it, either in a separate partition or over-ride the OSX completely. My brother uses a Macbook that he has installed windows on alongside because it's better to use for some of his work stuff (sheesh bankers, right?) Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Foo Posted August 1, 2011 While Macs will run Linux, why bother. Its well stated how over priced they are. A more common idea is to buy a non Mac netbook and install OSx if you enjoy limited functionality OS's. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
inpsyght Posted August 1, 2011 my thumbs up for the lenovo s10-3! for the price, they're a great little unit. ebay link no probs with net surfing, reasonable res screen (for a 10")- no hdmi out though, build is solid and about 1kg, works fine with the 2gb upgrade, handles watching a dvd+ quality file, decent sound for the size, comes built with linux/win7 dual boot and very tweakable, keyboard is 95% size of normal so pretty good to use, touchpad is absolute shit -needs a usb mouse, battery life is approx 5-7hrs with 4hr recharge. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Slybacon Posted August 1, 2011 WOW.... that is soooooo cheap. I will put that on my list for value alone! Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Slybacon Posted August 1, 2011 (edited) MSY Notebook prices These are topping my list so far- EeePC A1215B-BLK053M AMD Fusion Dual Core E350 1.6GHz CPU *2GB DDR3 Ram *500GB SATA *12” LED Monitor *WiFi N * Windows 7 Home Premium *Bluetooth *HDMI * USB3.0 *Card Reader *6 Cell Battery *ATI HD6250 Integrated VGA *1 Yr Warranty $509 TOSHIBA Satellite Pro T130-3G CPU: Intel ULV SU7300 1.3GHz OS: Windows 7 Pro RAM: 2GB DDR3 HDD: 250GB SATA Graphic: Intel GS45 Graphics Media Accelerator Screen: 13.3” LED Screen * 3yrs Warranty * 1.3MP Webcam * HDMI 6 Cell Batt * eSata * WiFi N * 1.72kg * Built in 3G Mobile Broadband * BT $749 X350-476AU Intel SU7300 1.3GHz CPU *2GB DDR2 Ram *320GB SATA *WiFi N * Windows 7 Home Premium *13” LED (1366*768) Monitor *Bluetooth *HDMI *2xUSB2.0 *6 Cell Battery *1.3kg *2 Yrs Warranty $499 Edited August 1, 2011 by Slybacon Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
ubza_1234 Posted August 1, 2011 if you want something good and cheap, try looking into refurbished computers. I picked up an acer 2GHz dual core something with 2GB of ram, 250GB hdd for $300. I know your down for specs and that but if you look into it, you will see how cheap they are. when it comes to bang for your buck you cant go wrong and when at the time, a good netbook was the same price. (roughly 6-9 months ago?) my 2c ;) Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
naja naja Posted August 1, 2011 (edited) scored a free toshiba NB100 with a TV ages ago, it's been treated like crap, carted around in the bush to doofs and left in car for ages, been really good throughout. Has good battery life I rekon, little fan seems too work overtime when processing video. But it's fast and reliable, never been anything but impressed that such a tiny unit is capable of so much. If only the inbuild modem was adsl2 capable...... o, I know it's old and out of date now, but if u could find the modern equivelant it would be good. or atleast it should be. Edited August 1, 2011 by naja naja Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Darklight Posted August 1, 2011 What do you think the chance of hacking one to run linux would be? Format the whole disk and clean-install Ubuntu or Linux Mint. It's totally simple. I've done it twice without breaking a sweat, it's way faster than Win Or you can do pre-test by running Ubuntu booting from a USB to see if all your stuff that needs drivers is compatible. I had a sound card prob with Ubuntu on my old laptop and it took me an hour to sort it https://wiki.ubuntu.com/LiveUsbPendrivePersistent Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
C_T Posted August 1, 2011 (edited) What do you think the chance of hacking one to run linux would be? i have parallel desktop which means you can run any os you want, backtrack 5 64-bit but osx lion is also quite good. edit: once you use a computer with a solid state hdd you'll never look back! Edited August 1, 2011 by C_T Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
mac Posted August 1, 2011 (edited) Prefer under $1000 Stay away from anything with a atom cpu & dont bother with Toshita & netbooks in general you can pick up a leader companion 339 full size laptop i7 quad core with 4gb 1333mhz ddr3, dvd burner intel HD3000 graphics hdmi out HDD 2 yr warranty windows 7 64 bit for $999 http://www.leadersystems.com.au/ download the latest catalogue & have a browse remember you get what you pay for so its best to spend your maximum for something that wont end up headache or paperweight Edited August 1, 2011 by mac Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Slybacon Posted August 1, 2011 Thanks for the link mac. I'm not really interested in a full size dang for a couple of reasons- -Weight -Size -Heat -Battery Life I know they have more funtions but the are not designed to be used on the go as much as a netbook. I have looked at some 13 in full functional laptops but again the battery life is poor and they are shit to use on your lap. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
C_T Posted August 1, 2011 macbook air is seriously the best laptop out, the aluminium case is awesome for keeping temps down, even when using on a bed or your lap. battery life is unreal, thin, light, glass screen with good res and with ssd it takes all of 3 seconds to bootup. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
