So, I can't decide. Currently, my only computer is a somewhat underpowered standard sized hp laptop. It does the job fine, so long as that job doesn't depend on intense video/gaming of any sort. More importantly, it has a motherboard issue where it simply won't load windows sometimes. I have to repeatedly turn it on, then off, then on again for hours at a time until it turns on. Once it boots, all is well. As you might imagine, this problem is annoying enough to warrant the laptops replacement in my eyes, particularly because I have to take my laptop out of town every week, so I come back home to do school work on sunday night and I have to waste time fucking with it before I can do my work. Very fucking annoying.

Now, judging from the fact that I haven't replaced my laptop already, you can probably gather that funds are limited. I want to spend <$400. The problem arises from not know what I want to buy

If I get a desktop, I can have reliable, cheap performance. It will always be here to do my work when I get home. I'll still take my notebook with me on weekends, but if it fucks up on me, it's just limiting my leisure, not my work.

On the other hand, I could buy a netbook. In that case, I could just leave my laptop at home and never have to turn it off, thus, I don't have to deal with the "not booting" issue. It would basically function as my home desktop. The positive here is that I could take the netbook around with me reliably, which isn't an option in the desktop scenario.

I know some of that is probably confusing, but I thought it'd be in my best interest to at least try to provide background info. Basically, the main concerns I have are the livability and performance of a netbook. Feel free to chime in with any experience you all have with them.

11/10/2009 3:58:10 PM

um $400 can get you a really decent new laptop that's not a netbook and can serve as a full functioning desktop at home too

i don't know why you ruled that choice out

11/10/2009 4:08:11 PM

By the time you finished typing that post, a new generation of netbooks came out.

They're great, just don't expect to future proof yourself or anything. Dual-core and ion-powered ones are already coming out this quarter.

Also, don't forget that they don't have CDROMs, and most have difficulty playing high definition content.

11/10/2009 4:09:42 PM

$400 isn't going to get you top of the line or anything but it will certainly get you something well above the average netbook

i haven't read the rest of what you wrote though so no idea what you're after, lol

11/10/2009 4:09:45 PM

Quote :

"um $400 can get you a really decent new laptop"

I guess definitions of really decent vary quite a bit. I mean, you can get a decent netbook for that (keeping in mind, it will be outdated very soon), but a full size laptop? $400 is on the low end, IMHO.

11/10/2009 4:12:44 PM

Quote :

"um $400 can get you a really decent new laptop that's not a netbook and can serve as a full functioning desktop at home too"

can anyone find a Core 2 Duo based laptop for $400ish? I was gonna find a random laptop thread or something but this seems like a decent place for my request, and it might help the OP

11/10/2009 4:18:22 PM

^^low end? more like "bottom of the barrel" end. There is literally 1 laptop on Newegg that is below $400.00:

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16834115676

[Edited on November 10, 2009 at 4:19 PM. Reason : ]

11/10/2009 4:19:11 PM

^ you forgot to include "...though admittedly newegg isn't the best place to buy a laptop"

11/10/2009 4:21:16 PM

Um.. ok.

Dell: Inspiron 15 is only laptop under $400 ($399)

HP: Compaq Presario CQ61Z is only laptop under $400 ($399)

I mean.. do we need to go on?

11/10/2009 4:26:32 PM

i bought a hp dv4t with core 2 duo 2.16ghz proc exactly 1 year ago for $499

this thing can serve as a desktop replacement for the OP. i'm sure you can find one a year later for $400ish.

hell, i'll sell this thing for $400 right now.

11/10/2009 4:41:14 PM

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16834115676&nm_mc=AFC-Bensbargains&cm_mmc=AFC-Bensbargains-_-NA-_-NA-_-34115676

11/10/2009 4:52:22 PM

That's what I posted?

11/10/2009 4:58:49 PM

yeh, I wouldn't call that really decent. maybe ok....

11/10/2009 5:01:39 PM

Well, I haven't eliminated the laptop choice, but as some have said, it will only get me a really shitty laptop. Going for the bottom of the barrel is what got me my current laptop with less than satisfactory build quality. For that same $400, I think I could get a high end netbook and enjoy the huge portability as well as know that my machine isn't made from what was left in the parts bin. I'm not too concerned about power, so I think I could live with the power of a netbook.

This is the one I'm looking heavily at: http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16834220579

Thoughts? Is 1.6ghz about the fastest processor I'm going to find on black friday?

11/10/2009 5:17:03 PM

are you really going to argue the semantics of what the fuck "really decent" vs "ok" means to someone?

what a dipshit...

11/10/2009 5:19:57 PM

So I've tentatively decided that I want the ASUS Eee PC 1101HA. Two questions:

1) Can I find a similar model with a better processor?

2)It's $409 now, is it likely that I could find it for significantly cheaper on BF, online or otherwise?

11/10/2009 5:55:53 PM

why not a smartbook

11/10/2009 6:21:53 PM

Quote :

" Dual-core and ion-powered ones are already coming out this quarter."

Both of which, as near as I've found, go over that $400 limit.

Personally, I'm waiting for some brilliant engineer out there to realize that they can combine the dual-core cpus WITH the Ion GPU (or just use the slightly older 9300M if they want to, since it won't get them much performance difference).

11/10/2009 6:30:21 PM

Quote :

"Intel CPU & Chipset Intel® Atom™ Z520 (US15W)"

This is going to suck if it's your daily driver.

11/10/2009 7:00:45 PM

Cough up the extra dough and get the 1008HA

11/10/2009 7:24:24 PM

Quote :

"1) Can I find a similar model with a better processor? "

Gateway EC1435 or EC1436, depending on which color you want.
Acer Aspire AS1410

Both of which use the dual-core Celeron SU2300 and a better graphics chip (4500M, it won't blow anyone away, but it's more competent than the standard GMA 500.

And both of which are under 409 on Newegg.com

[Edited on November 10, 2009 at 7:37 PM. Reason : Incidently, I just self-pwnt. I thought I'd point it out before someone else did.]

11/10/2009 7:36:13 PM

Quote :

"Dell: Inspiron 15 is only laptop under $400 ($399) HP: Compaq Presario CQ61Z is only laptop under $400 ($399) I mean.. do we need to go on?"

http://slickdeals.net/
http://bensbargains.net/

11/10/2009 11:32:44 PM

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16834220663
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16834115676

[Edited on November 11, 2009 at 1:21 AM. Reason : .]

11/11/2009 1:21:15 AM

Quote :

"For that same $400, I think I could get a high end netbook and enjoy the huge portability as well as know that my machine isn't made from what was left in the parts bin."

Seriously? God is a damn retard.

The ONLY reason to choose a netbook is if you only use it to surf the internet and want a computer to sit on the couch/bus/kill time with.

A $400 laptop will get you a MUCH more powerful processor, bigger and better screen, better video playback, better performance in every aspect, and the same or better battery life.

Here's a core2duo dell with 2gb of memory for $419 http://www.buy.com/prod/dell-latitude-d620-notebook-intel-core-2-duo-t7200-2-0-ghz-2gb-80gb-14/q/loc/101/212812529.html

You want to talk bargain bin parts, what do you think are in netbooks?

11/11/2009 2:23:59 AM

http://www.circuitcity.com/applications/searchtools/item-Details.asp?EdpNo=5363331&sku=S445-150043&SRCCODE=CCEM160C%20&cm_mmc=EML-_-Main-_-CCEM160-_-circuit160

got that in some email from circuit city this morning. haven't really looked at it much but saw the price was 399

11/11/2009 8:56:26 AM

Quote :

"God is a damn retard."

Anyone who is looking for reliable information should ignore all of God's posts.

11/11/2009 8:59:56 AM

^^^ But I didn't say that

what did I do wrong

[Edited on November 11, 2009 at 9:01 AM. Reason : ]

11/11/2009 9:00:47 AM

Quote :

"But I didn't say that what did I do wrong "

just ignore Noen...he was looking for a chance to act superior and when he gets that notion in his head, facts become less and less important

BobbyDigital licks Noen's butthole on a regular basis, so the commentary from him, without verifying anything, isn't really surprising, either

11/11/2009 9:08:29 AM

Quote :

"and the same or better battery life"

Lies. I know very few laptops that can get 6-7 hours off a 6-cell.

Ironically, the Dell laptop you suggested has notoriously bad battery life:

http://mikelococo.com/2007/03/d620-battery-life/

Seriously? God is a damn retard.

11/11/2009 9:28:51 AM

^^

Actually, if you've paid any attention, I disagree with Noen pretty often. I've been one of many to call the guy out for being an MS whore.

but In this case, I incorrectly attributed that comment to God, when it was actually catzor who said that.

My apologies.

11/11/2009 9:38:14 AM

If money is an issue, don't get a netbook. Netbooks are for people who don't have anything better to do with their money than buy over-glorified iPods. Usual symptoms of owning netbooks are carpal tunnel from the cramped keyboards and frequent eye glass prescriptions due to squinting at the meager screens.

Get a budget full sized laptop as others have suggested. You'll thank us for it.

11/11/2009 9:46:43 AM

Lies. I type fine on my 8.9".

11/11/2009 10:12:33 AM

^ not lies so much as different for each person...i tried an 8.9" and quickly envisioned myself throwing it out the window when, after a week, i got fed up with such a tiny keyboard

i don't think anything below 10" is usable (efficiently, anyway) for me

11/11/2009 10:19:33 AM

i'm very happy with my dell mini 9 (8.9"). they don't make it anymore though. the keyboard doesn't bother me, even though the apostrophe is down one row from where it should be. i just put osx 10.5.6 on it last night and it's soooo much quicker than with XP or ubuntu. i love the ssd b/c i sit in a rocking chair at home all the time, so now i don't have to worry about moving parts.

Quote :

"If money is an issue, don't get a netbook. Netbooks are for people who don't have anything better to do with their money than buy over-glorified iPods. Usual symptoms of owning netbooks are carpal tunnel from the cramped keyboards and frequent eye glass prescriptions due to squinting at the meager screens."

not necessarily. netbooks are cheap and small. that's the point. you're not supposed to sit there and use it for hours upon hours upon hours. you might get carpal tunnel and need glasses faster with a netbook, but that will happen with any computer. don't get one if you're replacing your main computer with it. don't get one if you're going to spend all day on it. they're netbooks. they're for looking up crap and email and other things that don't take much time to do.

[Edited on November 11, 2009 at 11:26 AM. Reason : ]

11/11/2009 11:22:52 AM

^ Exactly as I said... if you have money to throw around and you're not using it as your main computer then it's fine.

But, these were catzor's requirements:

Not much money to waste / Need most bang for the buck
Used to do work / Need screen real estate / Lots of typing / Multimedia viewing

Hence, my recommendation against a netbook for him.


The only "CON" I see to purchasing a budget notebook is that they usually aren't that pretty (subjective, of course). Netbooks can be pretty, fashionable, and gay-ish.

[Edited on November 11, 2009 at 11:37 AM. Reason : mo']

11/11/2009 11:34:39 AM

Quote :

"Lies. I know very few laptops that can get 6-7 hours off a 6-cell. Ironically, the Dell laptop you suggested has notoriously bad battery life: http://mikelococo.com/2007/03/d620-battery-life/ Seriously? God is a damn retard. "

Bullshit you get 6 hours of actual usage. There's a 6 cell in our netbook and it MIGHT last 4 if the stars are aligned.

And the D620 was just ONE option, of at least 4 others posted in this thread. Nearly every moden laptop with a 6cell battery will get 3-4 hours of charge, and 5-7 on a 9 cell. There's nothing revolutionary about your netbook.

11/11/2009 12:48:04 PM

dude lol

last night I was typing in class and my battery percentage was at about 65% and it said "4 hours and 57 minutes remaining."

11/11/2009 1:40:04 PM

Upon reflection, maybe I'm simply underestimating the current budget laptop. My current laptop is a 14.1 HP DV2*** POS. I don't mind the lack of power(it's amd x2 1.6 benchmarks just above the netbook 1.2 dual cores), and I assume that difference would be made up in the form of a lighter OS(XP vs. Vista). I actually wouldn't mind the machine being a little smaller and lighter, to be honest. Maybe 13" would be ideal. Anyway, the main thing is the battery life is ~1hr or a little more on power saver mode. If a modern budget laptop can hold a charge for 4+hours, then I'd be pretty happy with that. I'm still on the fence because I think I'd actually prefer the smaller size (looking at 11.6 and 12.1 screens) but a full size laptop would have much better power and tolerable useability, while still offering greatly improved battery life. I guess I'm not really considering true netbooks, just particularly small laptops sans the DVD drive. It really comes down to a power and useability thing vs portability. I wish I could try one out a bit before I made a decision so that I could get a feel for what I was dealing with.

11/11/2009 4:48:57 PM

if your only problem with your current laptop is battery life, just buy a new battery for it.

Laptop batteries only last 2-3 years anyway before they lose significant amounts of capacity (my one year old ThinkPad is already down to 85% of original capacity).

Quote :

"last night I was typing in class and my battery percentage was at about 65% and it said "4 hours and 57 minutes remaining.""

Like I said, depends on your usage. I guarantee you if you primarily use it as an internet device, that remaining percentage will nosedive. Streaming video is a killer.

And close to 40% of a laptop/netbook's power draw comes from the LCD panel. Bigger the panel, the more power it's going to use. So netbooks have an inherit advantage there, in addition to a woefully underpowered processor and SSD.

11/11/2009 5:14:58 PM

I watched two full length movies on an airplane.

11/11/2009 5:29:20 PM

Which last how long? 90 minutes is standard runtime, so three hours. Which is half of your claim. Did you watch two movies and then browse the net for 3 hours when you landed? Didn't think so.

11/11/2009 5:38:09 PM

Quote :

"A $400 laptop will get you a MUCH more powerful processor, bigger and better screen, better video playback, better performance in every aspect, and the same or better battery life."

that's a load of shit. my seashell eeepc ($275 new) gets 8 hours of actual use if I turn wifi off, 6 if I leave it on, 4.5 if I'm using my ATT 3g card.

11/11/2009 5:52:48 PM

^ how do you like the seashell? i've considered buying one.

11/11/2009 5:58:36 PM

Okay, backpedal time. Yes, dollar for dollar you will get better battery life from a netbook than a laptop.

If you get 3+ hours of battery life (which you should from either), for the average Joe anymore than that is just a number. catzor is talking about a leisure home computer. How often, at home, are you going to be using a laptop/netbook for more than a 3 hour span unplugged?

This is a completely pedantic argument that has absolutely no bearing on the OP's question. If he's considering between a DESKTOP and a netbook, obviously super-long battery life isn't a big concern here.

------------

Frankly it sounds like he just needs to buy a new battery for his current laptop and call it done.

11/11/2009 6:00:29 PM

lol@ arguing about battery life.


on my xps it would say 4 hours remaining...in less than a minute it was dead. that after a year of solid 6+ hour battery life.

laptop batteries are all shit.

11/11/2009 6:41:12 PM

Quote :

"Frankly it sounds like he just needs to buy a new battery for his current laptop and call it done."

Quote :

"More importantly, it has a motherboard issue where it simply won't load windows sometimes. I have to repeatedly turn it on, then off, then on again for hours at a time until it turns on."

11/12/2009 12:40:57 PM

^ah, I missed that part. Thanks for reposting it Ernie

11/12/2009 9:01:40 PM

Anyone got anything against this machine?
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16834220636
I think I'll just bite the bullet and go for a "do it all at a reasonable level" machine. Seems like it'll be decently fast (especially compared to my usual AMD x2 1.6 TK-53). I like that it come with a dedicated graphics card, too. I don't game a lot, but sometimes I like to play CS:S or WoW for short stints, so I'd welcome an upgrade from whatever integrated POS is in my current laptop. The real kicker is that warranty, 1 year accidental, 2 year parts and labor. I'm way too much of a poor college kid to have to buy another laptop before I graduate.

One more question. The current laptop, which has finally collapsed from its long, painful, semi-functional life, is dv2000. My won't boot/motherboard issue is a very common one, which HP did a real half-ass job of addressing(fixed some,. told the rest to fuck off). Is there build quality usually trust worthy and I just got a bad apple, or are they always shitty?

11/15/2009 11:40:07 AM