Single or Dual Core Netbook

[zod96]

I'm going to get the Lenovo X100E. But I can't decide on single or dual core cpu's. The single core is $450 while the Dual core is $520. This laptop will be used for internet, email and youtube and netflix. Is the $70 difference worth it for these types activities?

 

[poofyhairguy]

Yes because you can never upgrade later.

 

[zod96]

Ok so the $70 difference is worth then I take it But what would having the dual core actually do for surfing the internet or doing those things that a single core would not?

 

[cbn]

Ok so the $70 difference is worth then I take it But what would having the dual core actually do for surfing the internet or doing those things that a single core would not?

Can you list the processors?

 

[zod96]

Athlon Neo MV-40 for the single core one and AMD Athlon Neo X2 L335 for the dual core...

 

[poofyhairguy]

Ok so the $70 difference is worth then I take it But what would having the dual core actually do for surfing the internet or doing those things that a single core would not?

Newer browsers can use one core per tab. Add in a few flash ads and a dual core makes a much better browsing machine.

 

[cbn]

Athlon Neo MV-40 for the single core one and AMD Athlon Neo X2 L335 for the dual core...

If you are going to pay $520 for a netbook I would at least try and get a product with the one of the new AMD 45nm Nile CPUs.

 

[zod96]

I would but the problem is, I want an all black matte netbook. I want the chassis and screen to be matte. And the only one that has this is the X100E, unless you know of any others?

 

[zod96]

Also I mainly want to make sure that I can playback 720P video smoothly

 

[F1shF4t]

For HD video playback make sure the video card is HD3XXX or higher. (The older x1650 or similar don't have hardware decoding for HD videos)

I think it comes with a HD3200 so you should be fine. Make sure you get a dual core version too, the difference in general use will be massive.

 

[zod96]

Yeah it comes with the HD3200 so I am assuming that will be fine for 720P and 1080P video playback. And it looks like its the Dual core version that I will get for $500....

 

[zod96]

I went ahead and ordered the X100E from amazon with the Dual core. It says it comes with 2GB of DDR2 ram. I have an extra 2GB stick DDR2 laptop memory that is the same spec as the X100E. Do most of these netbooks come with 1 stick of 2GB or is it 2 sticks of 1GB?

Thanks

 

[F1shF4t]

I think the ULV notebooks will have two ram slots, my 1810tz did and it came with a 2GB stick.
Even if it is 1gig sticks you can have 3GB. If its only 1 ram slot (which is what the netbooks come with, ie atom based) then the only option would be to get a 4GB stick if it supports it.

 

[zod96]

My understanding is the X100E has 2 rams slots for a total of 4GB if you want...

 

[IlllI]

remember the good ol' days when netbooks cost 299 or less

 

[Bateluer]

remember the good ol' days when netbooks cost 299 or less

A quick glance at Newegg shows plenty of models at the 279 price point. Bargain basement netbooks still offer dismal performance.

 

[zod96]

That is why I wanted to spend more on a netbook. The ones for $300 and below take forever to do anything.

 

[zod96]

I've got a 7200 RPM HD that I can put into my X100E to help things spend it up. But I can also get either the Intel 40GB SSD drive for $100 or the crucial 64GB drive for $150. Would the SSD be that much faster in the netbook than the 7200 RPM one?

 

[F1shF4t]

I've got a 7200 RPM HD that I can put into my X100E to help things spend it up. But I can also get either the Intel 40GB SSD drive for $100 or the crucial 64GB drive for $150. Would the SSD be that much faster in the netbook than the 7200 RPM one?

I've been trying to figure out if ssd is worth it in my netbook myself. If you keep bloat to a minimum and sleep/hibernate the netbook then the speed difference will be minimal.

The trade-off is speed vs storage. If storage is not important then ssd for sure. More robust and you won't have to worry about killing the hdd with shocks/movement while using the netbook on the move.

 

[zod96]

Yeah it would be for mainly surfing the net and email and watching netflixs and MKV files. I wouldn't install any apps really just the default OS stuff. Maybe some GIMP and some other stuff but nothing major like MS office or anything. Some pictures and videos mainly, which I would burn onto a DVD or put onto a flash stick anyway..