Looking to purchase cheap netbook

[basslover1]

I know that the netbook segment is starting to slow down (sales down 34% over last year from what I've read), but to me they're still practical as I don't want a full sized laptop.

Anyway, my usage will be couch/bed browsing but mostly using VC-DS, a diagnostic tool for my car.

I want something light and small so that I can sit it on my lap, and look up necessary instructions while out in my driveway. I've come across Acer's eBay site that is selling two refurbished models.

the AOD270, a 10.1" Atom N2600 based netbook. I don't care for how little they are, cramped keyboard, or the fact that the RAM can't be upgraded but for 155 it's tough to beat.

They also have an AO722, a 11.6" C-60 based netbook. Screen size should be less of a compromise, 2GB of RAM and is upgrade-able, but it's 60 bucks more.

I had an HP Mini with an n270 IIRC, which wasn't bad when upgraded to 2GB of ram, but it was a single core and pretty sluggish at times. I'd prefer the larger size of the AO722, but the cheapness of the AOD270 has me leaning that way plus the limited use it'll see but I don't know how badly it'll be hamstrung by the limited RAM.

Thoughts? Like I said for it's limited use the AOD270 is tough to pass up at 155, but with the smaller screen size I remember it getting uncomfortable after a decent amount of time with my HP Mini. Should I just man up and get the AO722 for 60 more?

 

[Darknite39]

Get the 722. My g/f and her mom each got one recently and its actually a decent machine.

 

[lakedude]

I generally suggest avoiding netbooks for many of the reasons you mentioned. People buy them as laptop replacements and then spend more money on crazy things like external USB hubs, external CDs, external HDDs, etc. By the time they are done they have a spaghetti mess of wires and have spent more than if they had just opted for a laptop in the first place. The platform is very limited and SLOW.

So long as you understand that and really don't need it to be more than a netbook, great go for it.

 

[Matt1970]

the AOD270, a 10.1" Atom N2600 based netbook. I don't care for how little they are, cramped keyboard, or the fact that the RAM can't be upgraded but for 155 it's tough to beat.

They also have an AO722, a 11.6" C-60 based netbook. Screen size should be less of a compromise, 2GB of RAM and is upgrade-able, but it's 60 bucks more.

I had an HP Mini with an n270 IIRC, which wasn't bad when upgraded to 2GB of ram, but it was a single core and pretty sluggish at times. I'd prefer the larger size of the AO722, but the cheapness of the AOD270 has me leaning that way plus the limited use it'll see but I don't know how badly it'll be hamstrung by the limited RAM.

Don't expect the N2600 processor to rock your world but it will be right at twice as fast as the n270 and will be a touch faster than the c-60.

 

[VirtualLarry]

Get the 722. My g/f and her mom each got one recently and its actually a decent machine.

I'll second this. I picked up one a month or so ago, and I like it a lot. Mine came with 4GB RAM (supposed max capacity?), and a 250GB HD. Going to replace the HDD with SSD for better battery life. I already get 5 hours usage already. Pretty nice machine overall, and it has a "full 720P" screen, 1366x768. Those official-spec Atom-based Netbooks have lower res and lower RAM by far.

 

[Dessert Tears]

I used an AO722-0473 (2GB, 320GB) for about a month before I traded it with a family member for my old rebadged 1810TZ (Pentium SU4100). I thought the C-60 was surprisingly capable for its cost, but it was a little slower than I liked. On the other hand, its graphics processor is better on web videos than the SU4100's 4500MHD. I upgraded the RAM to 4GB very cheaply; I don't know what the performance impact was.

My sister happily uses her AO722 (we bought two) every day, but she used [thread=2210460]a computer with a dying hard drive[/thread] for over a year.

 

[Herr Kutz]

You may also want to take a look at this one: http://www.bestbuy.com/site/Acer+-+1...11.6&cp=1&lp=1

It has a dual core celeron which is a good bit better than the c-60 and atom processors.

 

[lakedude]

You may also want to take a look at this one: http://www.bestbuy.com/site/Acer+-+1...11.6&cp=1&lp=1

It has a dual core celeron which is a good bit better than the c-60 and atom processors.

^This

Those atoms are a disgrace. That price looks pretty good as well.

Not only are the atoms slow clocked, but they lack important features like out of order execution so they are even slower than their clockspeed would indicate.

The AMD chips are much better than the atoms...

 

[basslover1]

You may also want to take a look at this one: http://www.bestbuy.com/site/Acer+-+1...11.6&cp=1&lp=1

It has a dual core celeron which is a good bit better than the c-60 and atom processors.

The 4-cell battery seems like a downer but from what I've read up on it expected battery life is about 4 hours, which is plenty for what I'll need it to do. Just sold my HP Touchpad to a friend to help finance the new purchase, gonna go pick it up tomorrow.

Thanks!

 

[basslover1]

Picked up the ao756 about an hour ago and I'm getting it where I need it to be, bloatware removal, etc.

A few things of note to anyone interested:
It's super thin and light, perfect for sitting in my car out in the driveway.
Two RAM slots, I picked up a 4GB stick from BB for 30 so it now has 6GB, awesome. Changing it is easy as well; remove battery, one screw, panel slides forward to reveal slots and HDD.
Minimal bloat, mostly Acer stuff that isn't annoying.
Plays 1080P youtube videos just fine, no stuttering.
Screen size and res is so much better than the 10.1" netbooks, they seem incredibly cramped by comparison.
Keyboard, while a good size, is a bit weird. The keys don't have a lot of travel so it feels a bit strange typing on it but I'll get used to it.

I may throw in a SSD later on for better performance, especially now that they're coming down in price I think I saw the Crucial M4 128GB for 80 or 90 on slickdeals earlier. I paid 150 for it not more than a few months ago. On that note, it does require a 7mm HDD instead of the usual 9mm, so that may increase SDD prices a tad.

Thanks to those of you that helped me with this decision.

 

[Zap]

You may also want to take a look at this one: http://www.bestbuy.com/site/Acer+-+1...11.6&cp=1&lp=1

That is a really nice deal at $250 for basically a 1.3GHz dual core Sandy Bridge ultra low voltage. It's almost the same as my Samsung Series 3 11.6" sans Hyperthreading and at near 1/3 the MSRP. Oh yeah, and the Samsung only has a 3 cell battery too, and only a single RAM slot so can't even do dual channel.

I'm gonna pass that link to a friend of mine. Thanks!

Those atoms are a disgrace.

Not only that, but Intel EOL'd the fastest 2.13GHz model, the D2700. Guess it was approaching the performance of real CPUs and Intel didn't want to set a bad precedence.

I may throw in a SSD later on for better performance, especially now that they're coming down in price I think I saw the Crucial M4 128GB for 80 or 90 on slickdeals earlier. I paid 150 for it not more than a few months ago. On that note, it does require a 7mm HDD instead of the usual 9mm, so that may increase SDD prices a tad.

The 7mm drives do go on sale occasionally. I picked up a 7mm 256GB Crucial M4 for $180 for my Samsung notebook. Speaking of Samsung, keep an eye out for their SSD deals too, because some of them are 7mm.

Start by finding out which part numbers are for the 7mm models, and then look at EVERY SSD deal to see the part numbers. For instance the Crucial M4 part numbers end in 1 or 2.
1=7mm
2=9.5mm

 

[basslover1]

The 7mm drives do go on sale occasionally. I picked up a 7mm 256GB Crucial M4 for $180 for my Samsung notebook. Speaking of Samsung, keep an eye out for their SSD deals too, because some of them are 7mm.

Start by finding out which part numbers are for the 7mm models, and then look at EVERY SSD deal to see the part numbers. For instance the Crucial M4 part numbers end in 1 or 2.
1=7mm
2=9.5mm

Good idea. I have an alert setup for the iSlick app for every intel, crucial, or samsung SSD that pops up on slickdeals, I just have to keep an eye on it.

 

[basslover1]

A few more things I've discovered about this laptop, which probably isn't a specific feature to it just the synaptics software, are the customization that can be done to the touch pad. Beyond the usual two finger scrolling is pinch-to-zoom, assigning a specific action when touching any of the corners (back, forward, minimize, etc), three finger tap-to-middleclick, and so on. I'm sure this isn't new, but I haven't had a laptop in quite some time so it's new to me.

I don't think there's a better deal out there currently for $250.