need sub $500 netbook for work.

[lau808]

this will be used in the field. work on a sugarcane plantation on maui. researching ditchflow and need to use while running our hydrology equipment. doesn't need to be top notch. the researcher that trained me was using a netbook with an atom in it but id prefer something better than an atom. can be notebook too. my budget is $500. will be buying from newegg and shipping to Texas. then it will be mailed here. i will also be looking newegg. thanks in advance.

 

[MarkLuvsCS]

I have a few options that will hopefully make it a little easier picking one out. I'll try to point out a few of the things that are different. Article discussing some of the netbooks

$500 - Lenovo Thinkpad x130e
11.6" 4lbs @7:40 battery life, E-300 @ 1.3ghz,11.6" x 8.5" x 0.98"

$450 - Sony VAIO YB Series (silver is $40 cheaper than pink or black)
11.6" 3.2lbs @4:20 battery life, E-450 @ 1.65ghz, 11.42" x 7.99" x 0.99"-1.25"

$450 - HP Probook 4430s review of hp
14" 4.5lbs @4:45 battery life(review), 2nd gen core i3, 13.35" x 9.25" x 1.11"

I'm not sure which factors are most important to you, but I hope I gave you some solid choices, especially considering sales on some of them ($100 off HP) ($50 off Sony). I figure you could easily decide if you would prefer the Battery Life (Lenovo), raw power (HP) or somewhere in between (Sony).

 

[MarkLuvsCS]

I just saw a Hot Deals post for and $375 - HP dm1z
11.6" 3.5lbs @5:20 battery life, E-450 @ 1.65ghz, 11.49" x 8.46" x 0.83"-1.26"

 

[yhelothar]

If you're like most ATers and don't mind a bit of customization yourself, you can get a super mean ass system for $300 used.

1.6GHz Core2Duo/80GB SSD 12.1" 3.6lbs @ 6hrs with 8cell battery

http://www.ebay.com/itm/Lenovo-Thin...tops_Nov05&hash=item1e6d25d8bf#ht_1110wt_1012

X61 thinkpad for $154 without a hard drive or power adapter
Get an intel 80GB SSD for $140
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produc...82E16820167049
hard drive caddy for x61 for $3.50 here
http://www.ebay.com/itm/New-Hard-Dr...C_Drives_Storage_Internal&hash=item27c51fd178
Power adapter for $15
http://www.ebay.com/itm/IBM-Lenovo-...ers_Chargers&hash=item1c25d2e1e4#ht_782wt_932

 

[TheStu]

If you're like most ATOTers and don't mind a bit of customization yourself, you can get a super mean ass system for $300 used.

1.6GHz Core2Duo/80GB SSD 12.1" 3.6lbs @ 6hrs with 8cell battery

http://www.ebay.com/itm/Lenovo-Thin...tops_Nov05&hash=item1e6d25d8bf#ht_1110wt_1012

X61 thinkpad for $154 without a hard drive or power adapter
Get an intel 80GB SSD for $140
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produc...82E16820167049
hard drive caddy for x61 for $3.50 here
http://www.ebay.com/itm/New-Hard-Dr...C_Drives_Storage_Internal&hash=item27c51fd178
Power adapter for $15
http://www.ebay.com/itm/IBM-Lenovo-...ers_Chargers&hash=item1c25d2e1e4#ht_782wt_932

That's a pretty good deal. ThinkPads are supposed to be pretty durable little mothers, and you never know, the tablet aspect could come in handy for the OP, though he'll need a disk to install XP, so maybe just update it to 7 and call it a day?

 

[yhelothar]

If anything, the thinkpad tablets come with IPS screens.

 

[TheStu]

If anything, the thinkpad tablets come with IPS screens.

Any particular reason for the intel SSD over someone else? Crucial M4 128GB is down to like $150 these days.

 

[yhelothar]

Any particular reason for the intel SSD over someone else? Crucial M4 128GB is down to like $150 these days.

Yeah... I'm a noob to SSDs, and the early reputation of intel has still stuck with me.
Interesting to see that there are a lot of better alternatives now. :thumbsup:

 

[TheStu]

Yeah... I'm a noob to SSDs, and the early reputation of intel has still stuck with me.
Interesting to see that there are a lot of better alternatives now. :thumbsup:

I wasn't sure if it was for reliability reasons, the intel ones I think still get high marks for that. But the Crucial M4 is overkill for this anyway, it is a SATA3 device and the x61 is SATA2.

 

[Dessert Tears]

[thread=2238407]This thread[/thread] has roughly compatible requirements.

I just saw a Hot Deals post for and $375 - HP dm1z
11.6" 3.5lbs @5:20 battery life, E-450 @ 1.65ghz, 11.49" x 8.46" x 0.83"-1.26"

The dm1z is well-liked, and the E-450 is definitely better than an Atom.

 

[Infraction Jack]

Can you underclock that I3 2330m to get more battery life?

 

[lau808]

ok thanks guys. definitely want and e450 i guess. i will look into these suggestions this coming week. thank you, keep em coming if you got more

 

[lau808]

wanted to get new and not refurbished and also didn't wanna customize it as its for work and being payed for by Texas a&m. i found these 3 of interest on newegg

Toshiba satellite L745D-S4350 $479
www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?...82E16834214469

Acer Aspire AS5250-0639 $449
www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?...82E16834215342

Lenovo G575 $399
www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?...82E16834246310

lemme know what you think...

 

[Dessert Tears]

i found these 3 of interest on newegg

Those are all considerably larger than a 10.1-11.6" netbook. Is portability a concern, and do you need the DVD drive? They also seem expensive for the processor.

 

[wirednuts]

actually, if he is using it for monitoring work that means it probably wont be moved around much while its in use... and in that case a larger screen in better too... so 15" would likely be ideal

but at that size and price, a CULV or even a sandybridge i3 should be a much better choice imo. much much better in fact....

dont get me wrong, i use an n270 atom netbook as my main everyday laptop... but it moves constantly, banging and falling all over the place. in my case i can sacrifice speed for durability and cost of replacement (some netbooks are built really tough btw!)

 

[RU482]

I've got the Lenovo x120e with the AMD E-350. I can't even use my Atom netbooks anymore after having this. Plus, gets 6+ hrs of battery life, doesn't run warm.

 

[lau808]

haven't looked for an i3 at that price. I'll take a look right now.

 

[lau808]

ok, ended up with this asus

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produc...82E16834230241

just came in today actually. looks nice, so far i love it!