Gaming What netbook to get?

Salamantis

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[in advance, I know that this is the billionth thread about netbooks (do I get a prize?), but here's one more]

Hello people of GBAtemp!

Well, after seeing all of these people with all of these practical uses for all of these netbooks here, I've decided to get myself a netbook.

The only thing is that I suck with choices. There's just so many different models, I'm lost! I'm looking for the best place to get them in Canada (don't link to US-only stores or use US pricing unless mentioning it, thanks).

I'm just looking for a simple computer with enough of those things that kids these days call gigabytes, used mainly for watching anime/HD movies (infers decent speed and memory), experimenting with OS stuff, and school purposes (infers cool keyboard and projector hook-up port). OH and good battery life for trips and school. As for price, I don't want to spend a lot, but if there's a netbook that really has a good value for what you get go ahead and tell me about it, maybe I'll make a price exception (=ask parents for loan).

As for hard drive, I don't know whether to have an SSD and add in a memory card, or simply get a regular HDD with loads more memory.

Threads on GBAtemp point to eeePCs like the 900/1000HE, but my friend tells me that the Dell Mini 9 is so good he goes as far as to say: "Dell Mini 9 is regarded as one of the top netbooks by everyone on the Earth".

*As a side question for Canadians, what's the cheapest way to get Internet-on-the-go? Lucky Americans like Mr. Linkiboy get free GPRS access, but my plan has 5 cents per KB
frown.gif
Or is it just not worth to get a web plan and pay for it? (I have a cell with bluetooth btw).

I don't know whether to wait a little before I go to college to get my netbook to use it there or to just get it now.

Thanks for reading this wall of text and sorry for any time wasted by replying to this topic.
 

Hedgehogofchaos

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Dell Mini 9 is quite a rip off for what you get. I would recommend one of the newer EEEPC's or an acer aspire one. Here is probably the best EEEPC: http://www.memoryexpress.com/Products/PID-MX23382(ME).aspx
and the best acer aspire one: http://www.memoryexpress.com/Products/PID-MX23751(ME).aspx

The EEEPC has a better processor( 1.66GHZ over 1.6GHZ), features wireless b/g/n (acer only has b/g), and a better battery life (they claim 9.5 hours but more a realistic
benchmark is 7.5-8)

Both have 10 inch WSVGA screens

I personally would recommend the EEEPC
 

Salamantis

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Hedgehogofchaos said:
Dell Mini 9 is quite a rip off for what you get. I would recommend one of the newer EEEPC's or an acer aspire one. Here is probably the best EEEPC: http://www.memoryexpress.com/Products/PID-MX23382(ME).aspx
and the best acer aspire one: http://www.memoryexpress.com/Products/PID-MX23751(ME).aspx

The EEEPC has a better processor( 1.66GHZ over 1.6GHZ), features wireless b/g/n (acer only has b/g), and a better battery life (they claim 9.5 hours but more a realistic
benchmark is 7.5-8)

Both have 10 inch WSVGA screens

I personally would recommend the EEEPC
Thanks for the info, I was looking at the 1000HE, and it's at a good price. Have you ever bought from that store?

And another question to the general public, when ordering should I get a warranty or will the manufacturer's one suffice? I never had a netbook so I don't know about their build quality.
 

Hedgehogofchaos

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I buy from memory express all the time locally, but I do not have experience buying online from them. and for the internet try something like a usb modem from rogers and a plan, I think its about $30 a month for 1GB.
 

Salamantis

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Hedgehogofchaos said:
I buy from memory express all the time locally, but I do not have experience buying online from them. and for the internet try something like a usb modem from rogers and a plan, I think its about $30 a month for 1GB.
Blah, 30$ a month, ripoff.
And I calculated that I can get the same model off NCIX, shipping included, for 5$ less (and it's express shipping). Sale ends May 5th as opposed to 3rd on Memory Express.

I'll wait for other user's inputs on this before I buy, still have a few days for this sale.
 

Salamantis

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mastertop101 said:
free GPRS access???
Yeah, ask Linkiboy, supposedly him and his friends have free GPRS (10$ per 3 months tho to keep your account active, but you can use that 10$ to call people/text).
 

H8TR

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Rogers is your best option for mobile internet. The rocket mobile internet stick is free on a 1 year contract and data plans start at $25 for 500MB, $30 for 1GB and upward to 8GB for $100. Don't forget the $6.95 system access fee. Thankfully there is no 911 fee because its just a data plan.
 

jesterscourt

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I don't know about the mobile broadband, but I have a 901 EEEPc, slightly cramped keyboard, already upgraded the RAM to 2 gigs, and upgraded the SSD to a SuperTalent 32 gb.

My mom of all people is in the market for a laptop, and I have been explaining to her she can get away with a netbook, which can fulfill most basic needs. 8.9" screen is too small for her aging eyes, but I think she's going to end up with a Samsung NC10.
 

dark42

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Damn, $30CAD for 1GB/month, you Canadians are getting ripped off! I get unlimited data on my iPhone for $30USD/month, USD and CAD are about equal these days no? And yes, I do sometimes tether to my laptop.
ph34r.gif
 

Salamantis

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H8TR said:
Rogers is your best option for mobile internet. The rocket mobile internet stick is free on a 1 year contract and data plans start at $25 for 500MB, $30 for 1GB and upward to 8GB for $100. Don't forget the $6.95 system access fee. Thankfully there is no 911 fee because its just a data plan.
30$+/month is way too much for what I want. I guess screw the mobile internet. Sucks because my school doesn't even have a WiFi network.
QUOTE(dark42 @ May 2 2009, 09:29 PM) Damn, $30CAD for 1GB/month, you Canadians are getting ripped off! I get unlimited data on my iPhone for $30USD/month, USD and CAD are about equal these days no? And yes, I do sometimes tether to my laptop.
ph34r.gif
Of course, Canadian telcoms suck balls compared to the service/price you can get in the US.
 

Mangofett

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If people are wondering how I get free GPRS, I have a phone from Boost.

You just dial S=2#777 from your PC when connected via bluetooth or USB. And it's free as long as you keep your account active.
 

Renegade_R

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Okay right off the bat...I work for Rogers...

Second...if mobile internet is your choice...my suggestion is the Rocket Stick cause you won't pay for it (the $180 hardware) if you sign up for a 2 year contract which is quite good in my opinion and I can get speeds at around 4.8mbps which is about 600KB/s in optimal conditions.

If you want to go through the route of tethering your cellphone through Bluetooth, you are pretty much guaranteed to get a significanly slower speed (especially if your cellphone is only EDGE enabled cause EDGE maxes out at like 25KB/s). This might be beneficial however because since you tack data onto your cellphone, you can use the Bluetooth tethering option and you can connect to Rogers automatically as the settings are already populated into Windows. This might be a nicer option as you won't have to get a second line for internet.

If you need any help with mobile internet from Rogers, feel free to PM me. I won't sell it to you though
wink.gif


PS: Oh BTW, Rogers' $7 unlimited browsing plan does not work with tethering because it uses a different access point so Rogers knows the difference between the two types of data.

PPS: Too bad you didn't sign up for the iPhone data plans last year...I'm getting $30 for 6GB a month
 

Foxle

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Afraid I don't know much about mobile broadband more than the fact that it's still exorbitantly highly priced here, which probably doesn't bode well for Canada. My only recommendation is that you -do not- use the integrated wireless offered on some netbooks. Laptops get old quickly, and if you decide to upgrade your Netbook in the middle of a contract, you'll probably be in for a world of hurt. Plus, it's also a lot nicer to be able to use a USB mobile router and move between computers.

As far as Netbooks go, the Dell Mini 9 has gained some popularity recently due to it's ability to run a hacked version of Mac OS X without having to make any hardware modifications. This is a dream come true if you're interested in that sort of thing, but not a major selling point for everyone. Also, as far as the US is concerned, the Dell Mini 9 has been put on sale for roughly US$100 cheaper than other netbooks, so it's been getting some buzz that way.

However, in my experience handling the machine in stores, the Dell Mini 9 has the worst keyboard of any netbook. If you're going to be typing anything longer than a one paragraph forum post, the Dell Mini 9 is probably not for you. The EeePCs, or at least some of the earlier ones, also have a somewhat cramped keyboard. The MSI Wind (also a great netbook for OS X hacking), and the Acer Aspire One have decent keyboards. My friend has a Acer Aspire One netbook, and complains that it requires way too much force to use the mouse button keys. You have to stop what you're doing, reposition your hand, and push down solidly to get it to click. I can't speak for any other netbook trackpad.

The two shining pillars in the world of netbooks in my opinion are the HP Mini 1000 and the Dell Mini -10-. They both have wonderful 92% keyboards, as opposed to the... I believe 82 or 88% keyboard used on most other netbooks. This makes all the difference in the world. Having a larger keyboard means that these two netbooks are built around a 10 inch screen design, but the extra space is worth it.

In particular, the HP Mini 1000 is very well built, and squeezes every last inch out of the machine. It's keyboard is large, it's screen is big, trackpad responsive, and besides the omission of VGA out, the machine is in my book, perfect. I would highly suggest at least reading up on this machine before you make your decision. The only pitfall to watch out for is that the 9 inch and 10 inch versions both use the same body, and so the 9 inch screen has a criminal amount of bezel around it.

If I had to get a netbook today, I'd go for the HP Mini 1000. It might cost a little more than the Dell Mini 9, but you'll get your money's worth.
 

Joe88

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consumer reports rated the HP Mini 1000 the worst netbook out of the bunch
very short battery [2 hours and 45 mins) and overall performance compared to other netbooks
only good thing they gave it was decent speakers

recommended was
Samsung NC10 (very good portability and display as well as long battery life[7 hours])
Acer One A0D150 (excellent battery life [9 hours], very good display also, they gave the keyboard a thumbs down though)
Asus Eee PC 1000H (overall good performance for the price, nothing thats stands as excellent out or has flaws in it)

Dell Mini was not rated
 

Hedgehogofchaos

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you may want to read some reviews in order to decide which netbook is for you, as none of them are perfect. Also whats the EEEPC model that has an optical drive?
 

notnarb

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Salamantis said:
I can get a 1000HE shipped for 474$, there's also a Mini 9 available for 420$ shipped.
I hate choices.
that 54 dollars gets you a full 160 GB hard drive (which can be replaced with any normal laptop hard drive) a bigger screen, arguably the best keyboard found on a netbook (as opposed to arguably the worst), a wifi driver usable with aircrack (WEP cracking), and a lot more battery life. Basically imo the PATA interface for the Mini 9 is reason enough not to get it, expandability options are limited (and the prefab options are none too great either) compared to those with a w/e the newer, more used standard is. If you want a smaller size, get a 900HA, if you rather have a near full keyboard and a larger screen with an obscene amount of battery life - go with the 1000HE

As far as SSD vs hard drive, unless you have big bucks to spend (getting a spendy drive), go with a hard drive, they are faster (unless you go for the spendy SSDs), consume around the same amount of power, and they aren't nearly as prone to failure as many make them out to be (dont get me wrong, if you are hooking it up to a jackhammer, go for a SSD)
 

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