Netbooks: are they rad or bad?

[able]

I've been thinking about buying a netbook.
Does anyone on here have one?
Do you like it? Does it load web pages slow or fast?
Does it play video well?
Is it good for lurking SLAP?

I appreciate any comments.
also, I made a poll cause I think polls are fun (no homo)

[Commercial D]

They're pretty sick. I recommend getting one with a solid state drive (so fast) and preloaded with Linux (save $100).

[tysj!]

It takes you to the internet. It does Office stuff. May be able to watch some video on Hulu and the like (more quality with Asus NJ10 since it has an Nvidia 9300 GS which is actually capable of doing some VERY lite gaming). I wouldn't recommend unless you want and have the money to have some dedicated couch laptop for while watching TV or something.

[Commercial D]

Yeah not recommended for gaming. But you can do pretty much anything else, including watching flash vids, download from irc, etc.

Basically the best combo is like a 3.5" 1TB external in an enclosure with a 16gb solid state drive—you get speed and storage. Linux is not only cheaper but virus-proof. Fact.

[able]

They're pretty sick. I recommend getting one with a solid state drive (so fast) and preloaded with Linux (save $100).

I'm pretty clueless over here. I'm not sure what a solid state drive is or how I would go about looking for one.

It takes you to the internet. It does Office stuff. May be able to watch some video on Hulu and the like (more quality with Asus NJ10 since it has an Nvidia 9300 GS which is actually capable of doing some VERY lite gaming). I wouldn't recommend unless you want and have the money to have some dedicated couch laptop for while watching TV or something.

That's pretty much it right there.
I want something that I can use to casually lurk SLAP, watch youtube videos, and check my facebook with.
I'm moving in with my girlfriend and her daughter in a couple of weeks and I'd like to remain connected
without being a recluse (sitting in front of a desktop) while everyone else is chillin on the couch.

I do want something with decent speed.
Today I talked to a guy who worked at Best Buy
and he had me all worried, cause he was telling me that some
web pages that have a lot of graphics would take forever to load.
The example he used was pretty extreme
so it almost makes me wonder
if he was just trying to get me to upgrade to a laptop...
well, I don't know...


Thanks for your advice yall

[popeyesfriedchicken]

how would it handle downloaded videos?  like 700mb to 1gb .avi files?

[able]

I'm curious of that myself. I've got mindfield saved on a memory stick

[tysj!]

It's capable of playing some really good video, but I wouldn't expect toooo much from it since most are still powered by intel atom processors and do not have discrete graphics.

[grimcity]

I bring a little Acer Aspire One ($300 -US) with me wherever I go:


It's perfect for surfing, vids, and pretty much anything an office-level laptop is capable of. Video playback is fine, and if you want an optical drive (dvd burner, etc) you can just get one that plugs in via USB. The resolution is 1024 x 600, which is perfect for its size. I have the 160 gig drive with XP preinstalled (last netbook they had and I bought it out of emergency). As mentioned, no gaming or anything, but I have managed to run Photoshop CS4 on it... slowly.

If you use it in public, you're almost guaranteed to get someone to stop and ask you about it.

[grimcity]

Here's another one I just took for a sense of size:

[able]

Thanks Grim City! You know, after reading what you and others have wrote
I almost ordered an Acer Aspire One off of the Best Buy website today.
Even though they are sold out and I'd have to backorder it, I'd be pleased as long as
I can get it by early January.
The only thing that made me apprehensive about purchasing it
is that the netbook came with Windows XP.
I don't know if that is so big of a deal though.
I've really got my mind already set on it because it comes with
a graphics accelerator.
"Intel® Graphics Media Accelerator 950
For lush images. 2 built-in stereo speakers with high-definition audio support and Dolby headphone technology"
^ That shit sounds pretty cool...
Here's the link to the one I almost bought
http://www.bestbuy.com/site/Acer+-+Aspire+One+Netbook+with+Intel%26%23174%3B+Atom%26%23153%3B+Processor+-+Diamond+Black/9633067.p?id=1218134612774&skuId=9633067

[tysj!]

Intel Graphics is nothing to rave about. Without it you wouldn't have display. I mean it works but yeah it's integrated.

[Faggotry Police 2.0]

GET THE LENOVO IDEAPAD S10E. ACERS SUCK -- THE LENOVO HAS SOLID SPECS ALSO, AND PLAYS VIDEOS, WRITES DOCUMENTS, AND SURFS THE WEB JUST FINE.

[Commercial D]

I agree with FP2.0. Lenovos are sick.

A solid state drive like a compact flash card—it reads & writes MUCH faster than a regular magnetic HDD. For storage, get a 3.5" 1TB external.

I don't recommend getting a netbook with Windows XP or Windows 7 installed. Linux is cheaper, faster, completely virus-proof, and all the apps are free and easy to install with the built-in package manager. It's a different way of computing but much better overall.

[able]

Intel Graphics is nothing to rave about. Without it you wouldn't have display. I mean it works but yeah it's integrated.

You're probably right! I'm completely non-tech savy when it comes to computers
I'm just one of those "stupid consumers" who are easily impressed by bullshit slogans when it comes to them.
I'm like a clueless dad at a mall skate shop "yes, I WILL purchase those tail gaurds and copers"
That's why I've come for yalls help. And yall have been real helpful
I've asked around at work and I think I've decided on either the Acer or the Asus
but I'm leaning more toward the Acer...
Linux probably is faster and virus proof, and the Levenos might just be so good that it'll kick my dick in the dirt
but I'm just gonna keep it simple.
Who knows, I'll probably come back in a couple of months
saying ya'll were right

[tysj!]

I personally always go with Asus. I take the risk have dealing with shitty customer support but use quality products. Their newer netbook models are fucking sexy as well. For netbooks, almost all of the specs are completely the same. Only things that are typically different are CPUs (there aren't that many different ones used in netbooks at da mo), amount of RAM, hard disk drive or solid state drive (which is a really shiny penny), and battery life. So you're usually just looking for whose gonna give you da best bang for your monay and battery life I'd say.

And for reference although I don't know how "reliable" it is. Usually everything I could buy that's Asus is what I get (motherboards ALWAYS, my own laptop, monitors). Nothing has failed me yet. I'd invest in more but I'm still a kid in college.

http://gizmodo.com/5406415/laptop-reliability-study-asus-and-toshiba-come-out-on-top

[grimcity]

Yeah, Asus is definitely the shit... it's my #1 mobo choice and now I'm running an Asus medium form factor desktop that I started modding out the day I bought it... desktop wise, super easy to get in the guts and fuck with.

Having said all that, with some laptop brands, it's a lot like boards where one manufacturer makes laptops for multiple brand names (back in the day a Taiwanese company called Clevo used to make Alienware laptops, but the desktops were built in Miami, pre Dell takeover). Most of your really notable brands are manufactured in house, but if you search you might find even cheaper deals with off brands made by the same people. It's like the blanks of portable computers.