• We’re currently investigating an issue related to the forum theme and styling that is impacting page layout and visual formatting. The problem has been identified, and we are actively working on a resolution. There is no impact to user data or functionality, this is strictly a front-end display issue. We’ll post an update once the fix has been deployed. Thanks for your patience while we get this sorted.

Is a netbook a good option?

L

legocitytruck

Senior member
I am looking for a large increase in portability and battery life. 90% of my work involves web surfing, MS office, and 2D Auto Cad. Is the performance level of a netbook suitable for running MS word and excel simultaneously or for running 2D Auto Cad? Will I be hitting the top end of the netbooks performance ability?
 
Well the cpu is really weak compared to what you can buy today but for basic stuff like that you can get by with a 5 year old computer then a netbook is fine. Now the biggest problem with a netbook is the extremely small screen. The screen is terribly small, enough that you probably don't want to use it to get work done. Personally I can't see myself using something with a screen under 12 or 13 inches for more than an hour at a time or so. The small keyboard can be pretty hard to type on.

It depends on what you want. Most people around here that use netbooks have them as their 2nd or 3rd machine and use it on the go to look at email or do some browsing but not as something they use for a few hours every day.
 
Originally posted by: legocitytruck
I am looking for a large increase in portability and battery life. 90% of my work involves web surfing, MS office, and 2D Auto Cad. Is the performance level of a netbook suitable for running MS word and excel simultaneously or for running 2D Auto Cad? Will I be hitting the top end of the netbooks performance ability?
Click to expand...

my motherboard is out on an RMA, so im using my netbook as my primary right now.

i hooked it up to my 23" lcd and my wireless kb/mouse, so usability isnt a problem. my 1000h has 2gb ram.

i can run firefox, rhythmbox (for managing and playing music), pidgin IM, and a torrent program...and thats pushing it, depending on how many firefox tabs i have open it run well enough, or a little sluggish. hulu and youtube videos play ok, if thats *all* thats playing, and I cant seem to get it to play 720p content without a stutter.

maybe that will help, running some light applications isnt bad, so word and excel will be ok if there isnt too much else running. never used autocad so i dont know what to tell you on that.
 
Thats one of the things they could be great for: Stick it into a docking station or just plug in KBM and monitor and you are good. Of course you still need an optical drive.
Actually, thats a good point.

Do any netbooks have docking stations available?
 
I used to own a MSI Wind U100 with 2GB of RAM and a 500GB hard drive and I honestly never really had a problem. The keyboard and mouse pads are small on them but a week into use and I was used to it, never really had a problem.

For your uses I would say a good netbook would be fine. I was able to play a good portion of 3D games (Unreal Tournament 2004, anything Quake 3 engine based, etc.) so I wouldn't see 2D CAD being much of a strain.

I say get one locally, try it out, and if it doesn't work return it and get something better. There is a whole slew of 15.4in laptops now a days with more than decent performance in the sub-$400 range.

Its all personal preference in my opinion, performance was never really an issue with my Wind, it was just getting past the size of the keyboard and touch pad. Most have a resolution of 1024x678 or something like that, so surfing the web was never an issue.
 
Originally posted by: shortylickens
Thats one of the things they could be great for: Stick it into a docking station or just plug in KBM and monitor and you are good. Of course you still need an optical drive.
Actually, thats a good point.

Do any netbooks have docking stations available?
Click to expand...

dunno, doubt it. itd be nice...usb hub, audio cable, vga cable, power cable...yeah a dock would be nifty, its a fine desktop replacement for casual use if you can plug some shit into it
 
You should look into a 12 inch, non-netbook laptop. I just happen to be selling one - check my sig 😉

The screen resolution is enough to warrant the difference, in my opinion. Also, the machine is just more robust, more travel friendly, etc.
 
if you're going to spend close to $600 on a netbook, you might as well just get a regular laptop. anything $500+ range would soundly beat the netbook in performance
 
Originally posted by: IlllI
if you're going to spend close to $600 on a netbook, you might as well just get a regular laptop. anything $500+ range would soundly beat the netbook in performance
Click to expand...

Yes, but the OP said "I am looking for a large increase in portability and battery life." You just can't get that in a regular notebook at $500. Netbooks are pretty much all under 4 pounds and most are around 3 pounds. Some of the more recent ones have 7-9 hour battery life, and even the older ones with more cells have 4-5 hour battery life.

For the OP, Woot! has an older refurbished model Asus EeePC 900 for $155 shipped. You can get one just to try it out. I'm sure you can resell it used for close to your purchase price. What this will do is to give you hands-on experience with the small size (particularly keyboard, though newer models are better) and relative performance.
 
but that 7-9 hrs is a pretty liberal estimate with just doing basic things(this isnt with a 3cell battery either). once you get into cpu intensive tasks that battery life goes down. from what i gather he's going to be wanting to run multiple apps at the same time. so i think of this way: if you can do something for 6 hrs but half as fast(processing power) or something for 3hrs and have double performance.. wouldnt it basically could out the same? plus the screen is tiny. people might say 'ohh 7hr battery life!' but reality is.. would he/she actually ~want~ to work on something that small for 7hrs?



 
Originally posted by: IlllI
but that 7-9 hrs is a pretty liberal estimate with just doing basic things(this isnt with a 3cell battery either). once you get into cpu intensive tasks that battery life goes down. from what i gather he's going to be wanting to run multiple apps at the same time. so i think of this way: if you can do something for 6 hrs but half as fast(processing power) or something for 3hrs and have double performance.. wouldnt it basically could out the same? plus the screen is tiny. people might say 'ohh 7hr battery life!' but reality is.. would he/she actually ~want~ to work on something that small for 7hrs?
Click to expand...

I'm pretty sure many people would. Not everyone wants a 15.4 inch 7 pound luggable.
 
what kind of sissy boys cant carry 7lbs. ? lol. also that number is pretty extreme. theres other alternatives/weights etc
 
Originally posted by: IlllI
what kind of sissy boys cant carry 7lbs. ? lol. also that number is pretty extreme. theres other alternatives/weights etc
Click to expand...

Ya, but for 500, you're stuck with the 7 pounders :laugh:
 
Originally posted by: IlllI
what kind of sissy boys cant carry 7lbs.
Click to expand...

My wife (5'1" 105lbs) had to switch to a rolling bag (extendable handle and two wheels, like luggage) instead of a carry bag when she was in grad school, and she had a 14" notebook that weighed just over 5 pounds. She had absolutely no problems lugging it around on her shoulder. She DID have problems lugging it around on her shoulder for a trek across the whole campus.
 
Originally posted by: Hacp


Ya, but for 500, you're stuck with the 7 pounders :laugh:
Click to expand...

ah, not quite! i found something last night that seems interesting. behold my discovery!
(4.14 lbs with Battery Pack). things i like about it:

a. you can customize it (different colors, options etc)
b. its got a better processor. its low end, but still would provide a greater boost than the atom processor. should also do decently on battery too.
c. its pretty cheap. initial config starts at $549, but i was able to get it down to $432! (no bluetooth and no os heh)

or theres a 499 'special' Text
 
You must log in or register to reply here.

TRENDING THREADS

Back
Top