Need some netbook advice...


elysabet's avatar
Hi everyone! :wave:

I want to buy a 10" or 11" netbook for internet browsing, text editing and storing the occasional music or video file. But I'm on a budget and I'm not sure about some specifications...


Battery: how long does a 4-cell vs. a 6-cell battery last?
Memory: is 320GB enough for text and PDF files, and some music and video files? or should I choose 500GB?
RAM: would 1GB be enough for the reasons I need it, or would 4GB be better?
Ethernet (Gigabit vs. fast): what is it for? is it relevant? :p
Brand: do you have any experience with HP, Acer or Asus Eee?
Screen: is there a big difference between 10.1" and 11.6"?


I know it's quite a lot, so thank you already so much for your advice! :blowkiss:
~elysabet
Comments15
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CloudsdaleCompanion's avatar
Don't get a netbook. Trust me, they aren't worth it. For the same price you can get a used Lenovo ThinkPad X200.

It has a 12" screen (so it's still very portable) with a much higher res (1280x800 instead of 1024x600), WAAAY more power under the hood (2,4GHz Core 2 Duo), can take up to 8GB of RAM and lasts around 6h with the 6c battery.

You can also opt for a 9c battery which lasts 9h.
elysabet's avatar
Too late, already bought one ;) And the problem is that I live in Belgium and all of the things that people suggest aren't available to me. And I was on a tight budget, so netbooks were the only way for me. I settled on a Asus EeePc 1011cx with 1GB RAM which I can expand to 2 and the battery lasts up to 10h. And it's only 10" so it's the perfect size for me, having to take it to the library by foot along with a bunch of heavy books and a binder.

But thank you for the advice anyway!
Scnal's avatar
From what you say you're doing (except the screen size), an half-decent android or iDevice should work.

Anyway, go with a 10" screen if mobility is a bigger priority than a bigger screen, all in all there's a noticeable difference but not enough to really matter. 320 GB should be fine, unless you're going to be storing a lot of video. Your biggest priority should be the batteries (unless you're going to be using it at one place and nearly only that one place, in which case you may as well get an even cheaper desktop with the same specs), and after that as much RAM as you can. Neither's the biggest deal but they're what matter most from the sounds of it.

As a note, I do not know much about brands. I've heard you should avoid HP (as someone else mentioned), and even though I've never had any issues with acer I've heard you should avoid them too, but don't take my word for it.
elysabet's avatar
Hi! Thank you for responding. I thought about your advice while buying one and I settled on a Asus EeePc 1011cx (/10.1"/1GB/320GB/10h). It seemed to be the best within my budget of those available in Belgium. I can expand the RAM to 2GB if I wish, which I might do if those things aren't that expensive.

Thank you for the advice!
PR-Imagery's avatar
What is your budget?
IceRose93's avatar
I am on the same dilemma... what I can tell you for sure is: stay AWAY from HP. Those things can get broken so fast, it's stupid. My cousin had bought this beautiful (and expensive) HP netbook, and within a year, it was gone. She had never taken from her desk, and she was always very careful. Her friend went through the same issue a few months later.

Now, Acer, that seems to be a good brand - my aunt has one, and she takes it everywhere with her. She even spilled soda on it. And three years later, it's still there, and no repairs where necessary during all this time.

Well, that is the only thing I know, but I will show this to my boyfriend (he is a PC gamer, so he knows a lot about these things)this weekend, and by monday I can tell you some useful things, hahahaha.
elysabet's avatar
Hi darling! Thank you for the advice! I settled on an Asus EeePc 1011cx (10.1"/1GB/320GB/10h). It seemed to be the best within my budget of those available in Belgium. I can expand the RAM to 2GB if I wish, which I might do if those things aren't that expensive.

I hope you are well! :heart:
abravewolf's avatar
Hello! I use a Toshiba NB-505 for browsing and portability and i have no problem with it. It works well with 2gb ram and 250 gb of hard disk. It is not my primary computer, as I use a desktop for editing, but is perfect for portability. 320 gb of memory should be enough if you aren't using it as your primary information storage. Asus is also a good brand, my father uses one Eee pc and it works well. I wouldn't recommend Hp at all, they are expensive and bad quality. You should take a look at this chart [link]. Also, take a look to the processor. In a netbook, it should be an atom. I recommend a n570 or higher.

Well, hope you find this useful. Cheers :)

Arthur.
elysabet's avatar
Hi! Thank you for responding. I thought about your advice while buying one and I settled on a Asus EeePc 1011cx (10.1"/1GB/320GB/10h). It seemed to be the best within my budget of those available in Belgium. I can expand the RAM to 2GB if I wish, which I might do if those things aren't that expensive.

Thank you for the advice!
abravewolf's avatar
Glad you found my advise useful :) . Hope you enjoy your new netbook :) Cheers!
elysabet's avatar
I really do! It appears I can't upgrade it to 2GB anyway, but with an SD card on ReadyBoost it's really fast enough :)

Thanks again!
elysabet's avatar
I forgot to put Packard Bell to the brand list.