Why put a pricey SDD in a netbook with a sluggo CPU?
Netbook for the wife
- Thread starter Adcadet
- Start date
Why put a pricey SDD in a netbook with a sluggo CPU?
ddrueding
Fixture
Because it really makes a difference. Boot and app load times are night/day. I would rather have a netbook with a fast SSD and 2GB of RAM than a $2k laptop with 7200RPM drive for day to day stuff (everything but games and photo editing).
Mercutio
Fatwah on Western Digital
Not unless you want it to be. I'm just saying that there's a problem with Acer notebooks.
timwhit
Hairy Aussie
I was joking. I'm hoping the one I ordered will be decent. If it breaks, it's not a huge loss as it's only a $400 machine. If there were another manufacturer that made a netbook with similar specs I would definitely consider it, but at this time Acer is the only option.
Dell's mini 10 with Unbuntu seems to be broken - http://www.theinquirer.net/inquirer/news/1530558/ubuntu-broken-dell-inspiron-mini
Chewy509
Wotty wot wot.
I thought this was common knowledge, any netbook running GMA500 series chipsets should be avoided (when using anything other than Windows) due to lack of drivers for the display and associated chipset.
IIRC, the GMA500 graphics core is not a branch of the Intel gfx core, but is made by PowerVR (or licensed or something to that effect) and hence no open source drivers or any documentation to go with it. There is a 2yr old open source driver (which hasn't been updated for a long time) for the chipset, but relies on a specific linux kernel version and specific version of X.org. (Which the Dell Mini 10 IIRC ships with to make it work).
One of the reasons why most other netbooks don't use the GMA500, but instead use the older i945GSE chipset.
timwhit
Hairy Aussie
I got the Acer netbook today. It seems pretty solid. It's not really mine, it's the girlfriend's, but she's not here so I get to mess with it. Speed is pretty decent. Windows Vista is pretty annoying, but I was able to order a free Windows 7 upgrade from Acer.
The screen resolution is good as well, 1366x768. Though on a 11.6" screen everything is quite tiny. But, I'd rather have the extra resolution than have everything larger. There's a ton of crap software that comes on here, I might just leave it and wipe it when the Windows 7 upgrade arrives in October. I think I'll also upgrade it to 4gb of RAM. The glossy screen is not as bad as I was expecting either. All in all I think it was a good choice.
The screen resolution is good as well, 1366x768. Though on a 11.6" screen everything is quite tiny. But, I'd rather have the extra resolution than have everything larger. There's a ton of crap software that comes on here, I might just leave it and wipe it when the Windows 7 upgrade arrives in October. I think I'll also upgrade it to 4gb of RAM. The glossy screen is not as bad as I was expecting either. All in all I think it was a good choice.
Stereodude
Not really a
I'm still waiting for the dual core model. :sunny:
ddrueding
Fixture
I've been recommending the MSI U123, but the U100 isn't bad either. Can't be gotten with the larger battery, and the screen is 0.2" smaller, but it is lighter, cheaper and the rest of the bits are the same. Still a pain to swap out the hard drive (120GB Vertex Turbo) and it will still only take another 1GB DIMM (2GB total, won't boot with a 2GB DIMM), but it is a nice machine for the price (under $300 at the egg).
Mercutio
Fatwah on Western Digital
The U100 is the unit that can have OSX installed almost entirely without alteration. That's a compelling reason to get one if nothing else is. And the battery is available aftermarket.
ddrueding
Fixture
Both interesting facts. I have a pair here that haven't been allocated yet. I'll have to look into both of those. Thanks.
Stereodude
Not really a
Well, they're here and shipping from various retailers.
The Acer 1410 has been updated and is available with a dual core SU2300 (1MB L2, 1.2GHz, 800MHz FSB) now. There's also a craptacular version with a single core Celeron M Processor ULV 743 (1MB L2 cache, 1.3GHz, 800MHz FSB).
Acer 1810 Timeline link
The 1810TZ has a dual core SU4100 (2MB L2 1.3GHz, 800MHz FSB). The 1810T has a dual core SU7300 (3MB L2 1.3GHz, 800MHz FSB).
Stereodude
Not really a
Well, I've had my Acer 1810T for a few days now. This this is a total netbook killer. I'm still getting used to Windows 7, but the machine is sweet. It excels where my netbook blew chunks.
Stereodude
Not really a
Intel SU7300 - Core2Duo, 3MB L2 1.3GHz, 800MHz FSB, 10W
Chewy509
Wotty wot wot.
HP have recently released a nVidia ION powered netbook...
http://h10010.www1.hp.com/wwpc/au/en/ho/WF06a/321957-321957-3832382-3832383-3832383-4011350.html
Looks interesting, but about AU$200 more than a netbook with Intel's GMA chipset, I don't know how it will do...
They have also released several Intel Core2Duo SU4100 powered netbooks, under the model "HP Pavilion DM1". Alas they all have the Intel GMA chipset for gfx.
All current models have 1366x768 "bright-view" displays, min 250GB HDD, 11.1" TFT, and min 2GB RAM.
http://h10010.www1.hp.com/wwpc/au/en/ho/WF06a/321957-321957-3832382-3832383-3832383-4011350.html
Looks interesting, but about AU$200 more than a netbook with Intel's GMA chipset, I don't know how it will do...
They have also released several Intel Core2Duo SU4100 powered netbooks, under the model "HP Pavilion DM1". Alas they all have the Intel GMA chipset for gfx.
All current models have 1366x768 "bright-view" displays, min 250GB HDD, 11.1" TFT, and min 2GB RAM.
Stereodude
Not really a
It's still got that turd known as Atom in it though.
I wish it had an SU9600 even at the higher price.
ddrueding
Fixture
You guys clearly don't appreciate the longer battery life. An Atom CPU is just fine for 90% of what I do. The rest should have an i7...
Nope. I use a notebook plugged in 95% of the time. I'd be happier with a 2 hour battery life and >2 GHz in the 12", NMT 3 lb. form factor.
Is there an i7 in that category yet?
Try converting 21MP RAW files with the atom CPU.
Stereodude
Not really a
I get 8 hour battery life from a 3 pound machine, and I don't have to suffer at the hands of an Atom. I'd call that a win win.
ddrueding
Fixture
Chewy509
Wotty wot wot.
The sad thing is, the ULV series of Core2's are coming close to the power draw of an Atom, while offering double to triple the performance.
The new HP Core2Duo SU4100 powered netbooks have a claimed battery life of 7-9 hours. Similar to Atom powered netbooks, while offering at least double the performance.
time
Storage? I am Storage!
I agree 100%. You can use netbooks to work on documents and surf the net without any problems, but you'd be crazy to run Photoshop on one. If you're doing image processing et al, use a bloody i7 and stop whining ...
90% of the time overall, you'd be hard pressed to tell what processor you had. Mainstream AMD and Intel CPUs are idling almost all the time.
time
Storage? I am Storage!
Their Max TDP is nearly 5 times as much as a 1.6GHz Atom, and I'll bet that the difference is quite a lot more than that at idle or low load.
While they're utilizing exactly the same HDDs, most real-world applications won't see double or triple the performance. FSB is only 50% higher. So you're talking about CPU-intensive stuff that's running out of L2 cache.
Stereodude
Not really a
Sorry, but I disagree about the "surf the net" part. First, the Atom is not suitable for websurfing if you use a variety of Firefox plug-ins like AdBlock Plus, NoScript, etc. They create too much additional processing overhead for the CPU and make it painful. Second, the 1024x600 screen resolution is not enough for websurfing either.
ddrueding
Fixture
I really have no idea what you are talking about here. Firefox+Adblock+XP is just as usable on my U123 as on my desktop. Going full screen is all it takes to make any site I go to useable, including the casul collective (complex flash-based games) and youtube/ted.
Stereodude
Not really a
Well, maybe your more patient than I am, or don't keep a lot of tabs open. It drove me crazy enough to cause me to sell my netbook for a significant loss just to get rid of it.
ddrueding
Fixture
You know what my main rig is, so you know what my standards are. I'm telling you, it isn't the CPU, it's the crappy drive and lack of RAM that kill the performance. I have a batch of three MSI U100s coming in, I'll try to put together a side-by-side comparison.
Stereodude
Not really a
I had 2GB of RAM in mine, and a 500GB HD. I could tell from the task manager that the CPU was the limiting factor.
Pradeep
Storage? I am Storage!
I was initially looking at netbooks as first laptops for the kids.
However, given that I can live without 8 hour battery life, the Core Solos/"Celeron 900" based laptops seem to be only $50-$100 more with significantly more potential (though of course not in the same class as a full Core2Duo etc).
However, given that I can live without 8 hour battery life, the Core Solos/"Celeron 900" based laptops seem to be only $50-$100 more with significantly more potential (though of course not in the same class as a full Core2Duo etc).
Stereodude
Not really a
You can even get a dual core one for $400... The Acer 1410 with SU2300 (it is a C2D despite the Celeron naming).
Pradeep
Storage? I am Storage!
Yes that looks compelling. I take it I will need to get two 2GB SO-DIMMS to upgrade to 4GB? And the Intel 4500 graphics is enough to decode HD video?
Stereodude
Not really a
Yeah, owners are reporting that it came with 2 1GB sticks despite any claims Acer has made on their website.
If you haven't priced 4GB (2 x 2GB) sticks of DDR2 SODIMMs lately you might want to sit down first though. It can run DDR2 800 @ 800MHz also.
And yes, the Intel 4500 has full DXVA support for the various HD formats.
Pradeep
Storage? I am Storage!
$42 each?
http://www.amazon.com/Crucial-Technology-CT25664AC800-200-pin-PC2-6400/dp/B001342KM8/
That's not bad in my mind. I will prob stick with the 2GB and upgrade when necessary. If it can play Free Realms it will be perfect.
http://www.amazon.com/Crucial-Technology-CT25664AC800-200-pin-PC2-6400/dp/B001342KM8/
That's not bad in my mind. I will prob stick with the 2GB and upgrade when necessary. If it can play Free Realms it will be perfect.
Stereodude
Not really a
You must not have been watching RAM prices much recently. I bought 4GB of Corsair DDR2-800 (2 x 2GB) SODIMMs for $26 after rebate (including shipping) back at the end of April, and that was a pretty typical deal then. :viking:
Prices are up to ~3x that now.
Prices are up to ~3x that now.
Mercutio
Fatwah on Western Digital
I saw 2GB DDR2 SODIMMs drop to as little as $18 this spring.
I haven't found Atom CPUs to be slow for browsing, either. And I *do* keep tons of tabs open and use Adblock et al. The only issue I typically have is the abysmal startup time associated with opening 60 or so tabs. Performance is normally just fine as long as I'm careful to to leave some CPU-sucking flash app or movie player open.
However, I also don't use Antivirus software and I doubt ddrueding does either. Is it possible that your issue with performance might have more to do with that?
I haven't found Atom CPUs to be slow for browsing, either. And I *do* keep tons of tabs open and use Adblock et al. The only issue I typically have is the abysmal startup time associated with opening 60 or so tabs. Performance is normally just fine as long as I'm careful to to leave some CPU-sucking flash app or movie player open.
However, I also don't use Antivirus software and I doubt ddrueding does either. Is it possible that your issue with performance might have more to do with that?
Will Rickards
Storage Is My Life
So I was looking at the HP mini 311-1025NR. This is the Atom 1.6 and the nvidia ION graphics. It has 2GB of ram and a 7200 RPM hard drive and windows 7. There is also the -1000NR which has 1GB/5400RPM/XP. I see it at 499. Bing cashback of 20% so maybe $400 with free shipping. But I'm looking for straight up $400 or less with free shipping. Anybody know of any deals. Think this is too much for this machine?
Stereodude
Not really a
ION = good. Atom = bad.
I guess it all depends what you're trying to do with the system. My netbook drove me nuts because the CPU was too slow. Pairing it with the ION wouldn't have fixed that.
I guess it all depends what you're trying to do with the system. My netbook drove me nuts because the CPU was too slow. Pairing it with the ION wouldn't have fixed that.