Looking for a Notebook(Netbook).

[KJamesJR]

Was looking for a Notebook, or Netbook >$300.

Features I'm looking for:

- Can run basic word editor applications.

- HD Video for on the go photo viewing.

- Comfortable form factor.

- Lightweight, compact, easy to clean.

- Under $300 not including upgrades.

- Upgradable.

- Decent Audio playback through headphones.

- Dual Core.

I'm intending to format the HD and install Windows 7. After which I will upgrade the RAM to 2GB - 4GB, whichever I feel the need I'll use. Also I may upgrade the factory HD.

These are the upgrades I'm looking to do:

- Newegg.com - Western Digital Scorpio Black WD2500BEKT 250GB 7200 RPM 16MB Cache 2.5" SATA 3.0Gb/s Internal Notebook Hard Drive -Bare Drive

- Newegg.com - G.SKILL 4GB 204-Pin DDR3 SO-DIMM DDR3 1333 (PC3 10600) Laptop Memory Model F3-10600CL9S-4GBSQ

- Newegg.com - Microsoft Windows 7 Home Premium SP1 64-bit - Operating Systems

These are my prospect Netbook buys:

- Newegg.com - Acer Aspire One AO522-BZ465 Diamond Black AMD Dual-Core Processor C-50 (1.00GHz) 10.1" 1GB Memory 250GB HDD Netbook

- Newegg.com - ASUS Eee PC 1015PN-PU27-BK Black Intel Atom N570(1.66GHz) Dual Core 10.1" WSVGA 1GB Memory 250GB HDD Netbook

I'm not a big fan of Acer. My Fiancee had an Acer Aspire and it was really junky I thought.

My questions:

- Will my above mentioned upgrades be compatible with the above mentioned machines?

- How does the NVIDIA ION graphics compare to the AMD Radeon HD 6250?

- Will my selections earn me the best "bang for my buck", or with these upgrades, can I aim for a cheaper machine?

Thanks.

 

[MindoverMaster]

Acer has a 1GB limit. ASUS has a 2GB limit. You will be able to run Win 7, but not well. It will be slow, I know, I once had a Netbook. You will not get above 2GB, mostly, in Netbooks. Any laptop you can get at $300 will not be worth it.

Why not skip the updates, and just get a laptop that has these features you want? You can get a laptop under $500 with those features you want.

 

[KJamesJR]

Acer has a 1GB limit. ASUS has a 2GB limit. You will be able to run Win 7, but not well. It will be slow, I know, I once had a Netbook. You will not get above 2GB, mostly, in Netbooks. Any laptop you can get at $300 will not be worth it.

Why not skip the updates, and just get a laptop that has these features you want? You can get a laptop under $500 with those features you want.

I'm fine with 2GB. If the option were there for 4GB I may have taken it. The memory is cheap, why not get the most out of it. The reason for not going laptop is, although compact, if I can go with something more easily manageable I will. This is also impart to budget. I'm finding a laptop with CPU speeds of up to 1.66GHz< being over $300. Also, this will simply be a secondary PC. Given the performance of my primary PC, a legit laptop just isn't feasible to me.

If I can find Windows XP to put on a Netbook I will do that over Windows 7. Or worse, Windows 7 starter full of bloatware.

EDIT: Also the RAM on the Acer Aspire One seems to be upgradable to 4GB with a compatible OS. Or so says the reviews. I would imagine more heat would become an issue.

 

[MindoverMaster]

Your $300 plus your upgrades = $470

You can get all those upgrades in a laptop. And 14.6" isn't heavy.

Actually, I would much prefer Linux. It is more secure than XP, faster processing than 7.

 

[strollin]

Instead of that A0522 Acer, look at this netbook: Acer Aspire One AO722-BZ454. Comes with 2GB of RAM (expandable to 4G) and comes with 64-bit Win 7 HP. It costs $325 but pretty much eliminates the need for the upgrades you were planning.

 

[MindoverMaster]

Yeah, that is what I meant. I had to leave quick, so I didn't get around to finding any examples.