Gaming getting my own netbook

[Blaze163]

Lali ho!

Short version of the story, I'm sick of having to ask my old man if I can use his crappy busted laptop just to check my email and visit the 'temp. So, in equal parts celebration of my new job and act of rebellion, I have every intention of buying myself a netbook. Here's what I need it for and what I've settled on, feel free to make any suggestions that will benefit me.

I don't want or need anything 'flash'. I just need the basics.
- Word,
- Wireless broadband access so I can leech my local wi-fi signal
- The ability to download new games (obviously)
- Run basic games (nothing like Dawn of War 2 or Starcraft 2, the original Starcraft and Red Alert 2 will keep me amused)
- Basic media functionality for music and maybe movies.

In recognition of my budget, I've settled on this model for the time being, if my final JSA payment goes in tomorrow morning I'll pick it up tomorrow unless anyone can give a goo reason not to.

http://www.comet.co.uk/shopcomet/product/6.../ACER-AOD250RED

The reasons why I settled on this,

- 160GB hard drive is more than sufficient for me.
- 1GB RAM is enough, I won't be doing anything complex.
- Since it's from Comet I can pay it off in installments as and when I want over the next 9 months, and still walk away with it in the morning. (there must be a catch...)
- Once I give the 10% deposit, in this case £25, I can walk away with it. No sodding around waiting and paying money for nothing.

So, what say you? Good idea? I could probably get one cheaper, but not where I can pay by installments. It's either this way or save up for months (I get paid monthly, it sucks) and then lose interest half way through and spend all the money on cuddly moogles or something. Which reminds me, why is my chocobo taking so fucking long to get here?

 

[Overlord Nadrian]

http://www.samsung.com/uk/consumer/pc-peri...b=specification.
http://www.comet.co.uk/shopcomet/product/6...N130-JA03-BLACK.

Seems like it's just a little bit better than the one you found, if only for the matter design instead of shiny fingerprint magnets.

And it seems like it's cheaper, too.

(I have one and it works like a charm, runs most MMORPGs flawlessly so if you decide you want to occasionally play a game on it, there shouldn't be any problem)

The only problem is that most of them aren't able to decode HD videos (just like these two), so if you want to watch a film on it you'll have to do with a lower quality version (standard quality YouTube videos work perfectly, but there's already a bit of stutter when trying to get the quality a bit higher, see for yourself whether it's worth it or not).

One more suggestion: don't use Windows. Use a Linux distro especially made for netbooks (like Ubuntu Netbook Remix, for example). That way, you will get very fast boot and shutdown times (I believe I can get Ubuntu up and running slightly past the 30 second mark, and it shuts down completely in 3 seconds). Takes a bit of getting used to if you're used to the way Windows works, but in the end, you'll feel better about it.

 

[Joe88]

http://www.comet.co.uk/shopcomet/product/6...SUS-1005P-BLACK

double battery life, same price
better more current cpu

 

[Overlord Nadrian]

It still has an Intel Atom processor so I don't think the CPU will make any noticeable difference.

The battery life seems pretty sweet though.

 

[Blaze163]

Battery life will be mostly irrelevant, it'll be in my room most of the time. But I'll look into the other ones anyway. It all depends on what's in stock at my local store since I'll be paying via installments. Will take this up with the staff (or 'minions' as I call them, even though I myself am now a minion in a store not fifty feet away from the place) in the morning and see what can be done.

Assuming my payment arrives with any degree of continuity, what with it being a bank holiday and all. Otherwise this is all moot until it arrives and I have another day off work to shop.

 

[Deleted User]

If it's going to be sitting in your room all of the time why not just get a notebook computer? Netbooks are great for their portability and basic functions, but I can't really imagine gaming on one, especially trying to run something intensive like SC II which relies pretty heavily on a dedicated GPU.

The main benefits of having a netbook are primarily the price and the basic capabilities, wireless internet, word processing, light-multimedia, but running recent games is something that's really more in the desktop realm! You might be able to play the SC II campaign on low, but don't even think about trying to use battle.net

I also think there's merit in trying out a Linux distro as Ellie says, Windows is rather RAM hungry (unless it's a basic version). If you have a job and you're adamant about using windows you might want to install another stick of ram into the netbook (if possible).

-/2aven

 

[Joe88]

It still has an Intel Atom processor so I don't think the CPU will make any noticeable difference.

it performs just a slight better then the N280
it also produces less heat and uses less power (where all that extra battery life comes from)

 

[Blaze163]

If it's going to be sitting in your room all of the time why not just get a notebook computer? Netbooks are great for their portability and basic functions, but I can't really imagine gaming on one, especially trying to run something intensive like SC II which relies pretty heavily on a dedicated GPU.

The main benefits of having a netbook are primarily the price and the basic capabilities, wireless internet, word processing, light-multimedia, but running recent games is something that's really more in the desktop realm! You might be able to play the SC II campaign on low, but don't even think about trying to use battle.net

I also think there's merit in trying out a Linux distro as Ellie says, Windows is rather RAM hungry (unless it's a basic version). If you have a job and you're adamant about using windows you might want to install another stick of ram into the netbook (if possible).

-/2aven

I'm not overly concerned about playing the modern games, to be honest. Stuff like Starcraft 2 can wait until I've progressed further in my career to be able to spend on a high end laptop without the need for installments. Of course by that time we'll be on Starcraft 9 or something...

Truth be told the only games I plan on playing are old ones like the old Command and Conquer games, notably Red Alert 2, the original Starcraft, etc. Hence why a netbook will suffice for me on my current budget. I can use it to download new PSP and DS games, music, write my game scripts, etc. That's all I'd really use it for. My dad's laptop will suffice for the odd occasion I need to make DVDs for any reason, probably backing up important data while keeping my keystick clear. But since I'm tired of my internet access being by his leave, I want my own netbook for everyday use. Doesn't need high end specs. Just enough to get me by without waiting days for a web page to load. So long as I can do the following, it's fine with me:

- Watch the new AVGN, Nostalgia Critic, Zero Punctuation, etc.
- Steal the latest PSP and DS games
- Back up spare stolen games and save data to conserve space on my 4GB card.
- Watch downloaded movies to save me using my DS, since my movie site of choice has been destroyed.
- Play old games and basic emulators.
- Check my email and visit the 'temp.

That's about all I ever do anyway, why get a high powered machine when it's not needed?

 

[Originality]

At the very least, by getting a netbook now instead of a more powerful laptop, you can wait until laptop technology has advanced a couple more steps before buying one. As I seem to say all the time; it's all about the needs (as opposed to the greeds).

EDIT: The "cache catch" you mentioned from buying from comet is that over those 9 months - you will end up paying 20-25% more. I'm sure there are also terms to the "installments", like they have to be made every month or so, but you'll get all those details by reading the Terms and Conditions.

EDIT2: Stupid mistake...

 

[Blaze163]

Yeah, there's always a catch. They claim it's interest free credit, but it never pans out that way. I'll scour anything they make me sign with a fine tooth comb before they get my name on anything. It's all academic anyway since my final JSA payment has yet to arrive, stupid bank holiday F'ing things up.

 

[Cermage]

tbh i'd see if you could borrow a netbook for a time and see if you can get used to it. i've got 2 netbooks in my posession now cause i know people who've bought them (when they could have gotten a similarly specced notebook for the same price) and couldn't get used to the screen and keyboard. the screens (even 10") are ridiculous for a fair few things nowadays. I only really use them for websurfing and checking on things while at uni, the screens are too small to read notes effectively and after writing a few pages in word its a pain to scroll through without a proper mouse. its all about preference though.,

 

[Maz7006]

I personally have the Asus Eee 1001HA

It's just shy of 4-5 hours of batt life (with everything on low and simply just an IM and browser open)

picked it up for 300$ ; bargain. I highly recommend it.

 

[Frederica Bernkastel]

http://www.comet.co.uk/shopcomet/product/6...SUS-1005P-BLACK

double battery life, same price
better more current cpu

+1

 

[megatron_lives]

I'd recommend http://www.pcspecialist.co.uk/

Decent prices, UK based and you can get it made to your spec.

 

[Blaze163]

Again, this has all been rendered moot as I seem unable to pass a credit check. So I'll just have to wait for pay day. Which regretably isn't until the 24th. But on the plus side, if my calculations are correct, I should be looking at well over 700 pounds this month after tax. And I only owe my dad about 120 for rent. So the rest is all mine. I'll probably pay him a little extra, but I'm going on a rather epic spending spree as well. The cute girls in my local Game store have been warned to expect me on pay day, wanting 'one of everything'.