Quote :

"not hard, they still use SATA connectors. most netbooks are about as hard to disassemble as other laptops. just get a smaller philips or torx screwdriver and have at it."

Nice, thanks. Any reasons I shouldn't go with the HP Mini 311? I have a desktop for the more intensive and everyday style use and I am really just looking for something that I can take on vacations and to class when I go back to grad school. I know I won't bring something with me that is big and heavy so a netbook seems like the logical choice and I like how the HP uses the NVidia card and how you can get 3 gigs of ram. Any other suggestions?

[Edited on November 22, 2009 at 9:35 PM. Reason : 9]

11/22/2009 9:34:47 PM

Lenovo Ideapad S12 is the most badass netbook.

11/22/2009 9:43:04 PM

just remember that you're buying for portability and cost, not performance.

11/22/2009 9:44:10 PM

Man this sucks. The VGA port is only operational once you're booted into an OS. So it's going to be a PITA to even turn this into a perma media center/extender without memorizing key presses and such.

I can't even get into winXP because of grub and user/passwords. heh.

woot, got in to XP. If only I could make a backup with acronis I would try to blast XBMC on this and the roommates would get a media center in the living room.

[Edited on November 23, 2009 at 3:20 PM. Reason : .]

11/23/2009 3:06:55 PM

http://sellout.woot.com
EEE 1000HE vs. 1005HA? $285 each in black or blue

12/5/2009 11:29:53 AM

^ HA model is gone now. but it'd be preferable, since it's lighter weight, and other specs seem to be the same.

12/5/2009 2:20:49 PM

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16834220659&Tpk=1201n

I want one. Anyone know how well the ion chips play higher bitrate HD?

12/17/2009 5:10:08 PM

AFAIK, they play 1080p w/out hiccups... from what I've heard, although no one is specific on which bitrate.

12/18/2009 11:08:51 AM

Man I want one of those.

12/18/2009 11:17:44 AM

Just ordered one. Sold my Samsung NC10 to someone to put towards that. My only concern is it feeling cheaper than the Samsung, but with those specs i don't care. One review actually played batman AA on it at 20-30 fps. Jeez.

12/25/2009 5:18:48 PM

My girlfriend got me a RunCore Pro IV SATA II 70mm SSD for my Asus EEE 901. Holy SHIT does this thing fucking FLY now. Wow.. I can't even believe it.

12/25/2009 11:18:47 PM

can you PM me her number so i can get at that once you two are through? thoughtful techy gift-giving is a trait i value highly in females.

[Edited on December 26, 2009 at 2:16 AM. Reason : . ]

12/26/2009 2:16:12 AM

my asus 1201 shipped!

12/27/2009 3:20:52 PM

What did you get for your NC10?

12/27/2009 4:58:37 PM

selling my gf's 904ha eee on craigslist, she just can't stand how small it is

apparently there is such a thing as too portable

12/27/2009 6:16:11 PM

^^275. Probably could have gotten more but it was a close friend. They're still going on amazon for $350 used.

[Edited on December 27, 2009 at 7:50 PM. Reason : ^^ not ^]

12/27/2009 7:50:13 PM

damn i busted the LCD on mine and let momma dukes give me 100 + 80 (LCD) for it so she could give to my brother. Whoops.

12/28/2009 6:46:35 AM

netbooks own

12/28/2009 12:24:23 PM

wooohooo Asus 1201 tomorrow via ups!!

12/29/2009 4:47:03 PM

Sorry for the double post. Wanted to make an update after using the Asus 1201n for a couple days.

Overall I'm really enjoying the performance increase over my old Samsung NC10. The dual core Atom and Nvidia Ion really make windows 7 rather snappy. I'm really loving the 12" 1366 by 768 LED display, and just for kicks I installed portal to see how it would run. Runs on full resolution at almost maxed out quality (didn't turn on AA) at 30fps. Very pleased with that. After upgrading to the beta version of flash (10.1) 1080p youtube videos run really smooth.

I tried out a couple 1080p h.264 mkvs I had and they ran perfect in WMC. The largest file I tested was a 16GB 1080p mkv and it ran perfectly. I haven't tried hooking it up to a HDTV yet with the hdmi output to see how 1080p works but I'm really looking forward to having a portable HTPC. The stock 2 gB of ram and 250 gB hdd are nice too.

The multitouch is also nice. It has the two finger scroll, three finger forward and back, zoom, rotate etc. Don't really even have to use the right/left button at all.

Only issues I have with it are the glossy case and display (at first). It looks really flashy but it does attract fingerprints. Once you get over that it's a really nice netbook. Battery life isn't that great compared to my Samsung NC10 or the new pinetrail netbooks but 4-5 hours on power saving mode is plenty for me.

I had one question. When I put my NC10 in battery saving mode it declocked the cpu from 1.6 to .8 according to my computer. When I put this in power saving mode it doesn't declock the cpu. I'm wondering if the Intel 330 just doesn't have the stepping the single core 270's do. Overall I'm very pleased. I could have spent another $250 and gotten a studio Dell with better specs, but 14" is a bit big for carrying around all the time and the cheaper laptops in this price range all have integrated video.

1/1/2010 10:36:11 PM

Lenovo is launching an S10 tablet tomorrow.

1/4/2010 3:18:32 PM

eagerly waiting on the MS tablet announcement tonight at CES...

[Edited on January 6, 2010 at 1:42 PM. Reason : .]

1/6/2010 1:39:31 PM

I really want the Asus 1201n as my new netbook.

1/6/2010 1:50:05 PM

it's just so pricey for a netbook IMO, especially for such low resolution (and probably low brightness as well)...i could get a full-featured laptop for that price, or I could get a hybrid laptop/tablet perhaps that would solve the issue

1/6/2010 1:55:21 PM

Quote :

"it's just so pricey for a netbook IMO, especially for such low resolution (and probably low brightness as well)...i could get a full-featured laptop for that price, or "

Low resolution? What are you talking about? Most netbooks are 1024 by 600. This one is 1366 by 768 at 12.1". That's the resolution of most 15.4" laptops. That's high. The led screen is also really bright and very crisp.

Quote :

"I could get a hybrid laptop/tablet perhaps that would solve the issue"

Depending on what you want the netbook/laptop for you'd have to spend atleast $700-800 dollars to get comparable graphical performance. The Nvidia Ion/9400m beats out all the CULV with integrated intel graphics at that price point. If you're trying to spend ~$500 for a computer that will play all HD 1080p and hold its own in gaming then i'd go with the 1201n. If you want to spend $300-400 more and get a larger heavier laptop with comparable performance than you're not in the market for the portability of a netbook.

I mean there's always options like this:

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16834115681

For a $799 powerhouse, but again you're paying for the portability, and in this case powerful graphical ability with the 1201.

[Edited on January 6, 2010 at 3:24 PM. Reason : .]

1/6/2010 3:16:06 PM

i kind of have a hard on for the lenovo hybrid right now so everything else is looking like shit

1/6/2010 3:25:59 PM

Yeah that does look pretty hot.

http://www.engadget.com/2010/01/05/lenovo-ideapad-u1-hybrid-hands-on-and-impressions/

1/6/2010 3:27:56 PM

Alienware M11x - comes out this feb

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OBrCWdxVNPQ

30 fps on games

2/15/2010 10:21:27 AM

i'm not up on the netbook scene...are there any 12" dual-core units that can handle some light photoshop for around $400?

2/15/2010 4:02:43 PM

i, too, am interested in this.

2/15/2010 4:36:12 PM

Quote :

" 30 fps on games"

I can get 30+ maxed out at 1366 by 768 on plenty of games with the dual core atom and the 9400m. Saying "30 fps on games" isn't really saying much. 30fps on 5 year old games? New games? Low settings? High settings? Crappy review. "sub $1000" isn't anything new for those specs. Still overpriced.

I would like that alienware though. $799 isn't bad for the CULV and nvidia 335m.

Quote :

"i'm not up on the netbook scene...are there any 12" dual-core units that can handle some light photoshop for around $400?"

Not trying to sell the Asus 1201n or anything but it's a 12" dual core nvidia ion at 1366 by 768 and i've done plenty of photo shopping and even some light cad on it and it works great. Little pricey at $475 but well worth it. Considering photoshop now has GPU acceleration.

[Edited on February 15, 2010 at 5:13 PM. Reason : vb]

2/15/2010 5:06:37 PM

Dad just got an Asus 1005PE. One of the new ones with the Intel Atom 450. Jesus it lasts for like 12-14 hours. He never has to plug it in. The Asus 1201n next to the Asus 1005. Sorry for the shitty photo.



Haha thought i'd post my 2004 Dell Inspiron. Funny how the 3.2 ghz Pentium 4 in that dell is still more powerful than the newer Atom in that asus.

[Edited on February 27, 2010 at 5:53 PM. Reason : ,]

2/27/2010 5:35:53 PM

Quote :

"Funny how the 3.2 ghz Pentium 4 in that dell is still more powerful than the newer Atom in that asus. "

Why exactly is that funny?

2/27/2010 7:29:21 PM

Just how a Pentium 4 chip from 2000-2001 in a laptop still has more computing power than a mobile chip from 2009. Take it the Atom chips use much less power and are far more efficient.

2/28/2010 12:45:11 AM

yeah but look at the massive dinosaur it lives in...

i wouldn't really classify that as funny

2/28/2010 8:48:21 AM

i think its funny when people plug laptops in , on the go

2/28/2010 11:58:03 AM

neodata686

Quote :

"Just how a Pentium 4 chip from 2000-2001 in a laptop still has more computing power than a mobile chip from 2009. Take it the Atom chips use much less power and are far more efficient."

Do you also think it's "funny" that a bicycle from 2009 is slower than a motorcycle from 2000?

3/1/2010 8:37:09 AM

You guys are taking this too seriously. I was just commenting on the fact that my old mobile Pentium 4 from way back when still has more computing power than an Atom chip today. Yes they're on a completely different level but I wouldn't say like a motorcycle and a bicycle. My netbook has a more powerful GPU, just a less powerful CPU. It's just interesting how so many newer games and programs are taking advantage of GPU acceleration rather than relying on the CPU that ones able to run photoshop, HD youtube (Adobe actually did something right with 10.1), CAD and a variety of other things that would not have been possible without the help of the video card with such an under powered CPU.

3/1/2010 2:04:42 PM

Powerfully tempted to grab a 1201N. It's probably too much gun, though. I pretty much just need something that full-color PDFs will be readable on. Something I can take to D&D sessions.

[Edited on March 2, 2010 at 12:30 PM. Reason : ...]

3/2/2010 12:23:19 PM

If you're only looking for a netbook that will display PDFs, browse the web, and doesn't have to be plugged in all day i'd get an Asus 1005pe or possibly one of the newer Dell minis with the Atom 450. The 1201n's battery life is 4-5 hours. I don't mind that much because i'm usually in an area where I can recharge it and positives outweigh the decreased battery life for me.

3/2/2010 5:25:07 PM

I pulled the trigger on that Acer AO532H this evening.

3/2/2010 9:18:20 PM

cool. i would have gone with the Asus 1005pe. It comes with Windows 7 instead of XP like the acer.

Also:
http://www.engadget.com/2010/03/02/nvidia-ion-2-now-official-acer-asus-and-lenovo-at-the-ready/

I'm kind of mad at myself for not waiting for the updated 1201 but the only thing i'd be gaining is longer battery life. The newer 1201 actually has only 1 gig of ram, 160 HDD instead of 2 gigs and 250 HDD. Battery life is better and the nvidia g210 is better than the 9400m but mine does everything i want it to. General performance might even be worse because they downgraded to the single core instead of the dual core atom, and the GPU cuts out most of the time compared to mine utilizing the dual core and gpu all the time in windows. Guess there's always going to be something new out.

3/2/2010 9:25:49 PM

Can any of them drive a 1080p signal yet? I don't do a ton of movie watching these days but I suspect in the nearer future that will change. I'd love to be able to use a netbook for this purpose until blu-ray players become commodity cheap.

3/2/2010 9:29:16 PM

Yeah mine has an HDMI output and I've tried around a 10mbit 1080p bluray rip and it played just fine. 1080p on youtube plays fine too. Pretty much a portable HTPC. One reason I got it with the Nvidia Ion. The newer Ion with the nvidia G210 will be even more powerful.

3/2/2010 9:30:49 PM

Ain't like I'm gonna be running Windows on it anyway.

3/2/2010 9:31:15 PM

^good point. I had ubuntu running in dual boot for a while but i never used it. Windows 7 works fine. I also installed photoshop and autocad which needed windows so that restricted me. Linux is just too much of a pain these days unless you specifically need a program or function you can't get for free on windows.

3/2/2010 9:33:07 PM

It's scheduled for delivery tomorrow, but I bet it'll be here Friday. Anyway, the price and form factor were right. It's actually got Windows 7 Starter installed, but I'll probably put Ubuntu on it. I've been using Ubuntu on my Dell Vostro 1500 as my primary system for a dog's age.

3/3/2010 8:15:29 AM

I read about a clever strategy where a laptop came with a dual core chip, one atom and one pentium on the same die. The trick was that when processing demand allowed, the pentium core would lose power, and you were left with a 12+ hour atom laptop. Does anyone know if this strategy has made it into production in any laptops or netbooks yet?

3/3/2010 11:58:41 AM

That's kind of what they've done with the Ion 2 and switching on/off the district graphics. As far as CPUs goes i don't think they've done that. Everything is becoming so GPU dependent much less emphasis is put on the CPU.

3/3/2010 1:31:54 PM

I've upgraded Windows 7 Starter to Professional, and I'm very impressed by how well the 532h runs. Despite having a "Windows Experience Index" of 2.3 out of 10, Aero is smooth and beautiful, even on the unimpressive Intel GMA 3150 graphics and 1 GB of RAM.

I'm struck by how well I'm getting on without powerful hardware or even something as basic as an optical drive. Between this netbook and a smartphone, I'm pretty well set. I'm not about to be doing any PC gaming, and I still need the dedicated media server at home for HD video and deep storage, but it's nice as hell so far.

3/8/2010 9:51:31 AM