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| Thread ID: 110683 | 2010-06-28 01:07:00 | Netbook advice | legod (4626) | PC World Chat |
| Post ID | Timestamp | Content | User | ||
| 1114064 | 2010-06-28 01:07:00 | Hi all..I'm looking at buying a netbook for the missus. Any brand recommendations? Good battery life is a must. Also - do netbooks handle 720p video (mkv files)? I have a lot of these files on my desktop and don't want to recode them just so they play ok on a netbook, so it would be good if they played them smoothly. Any advice or recommendations appreciated. |
legod (4626) | ||
| 1114065 | 2010-06-28 01:53:00 | If you can find something with the Nvidia Ion platform it will do 720p fine. I had an HP in the other day with 720p screen, was very nice on a netbook. | Alex B (15479) | ||
| 1114066 | 2010-06-28 01:58:00 | Asus make reliable ones, as to the video I'm not sure, maybe stick one on a flash drive and go down to the 'Toaster Shop' (HN or the like) and try it on their demo models. Some have the Nvidia Ion GPU, these ones will have less battery life but will play 1080p video. en.wikipedia.org I have ordered one of these www.asus.co.nz It won't be suitable if you require more than 3-4hrs of battery life, though. |
KarameaDave (15222) | ||
| 1114067 | 2010-06-28 02:33:00 | I've become a big fan of Asus' Eee PC line. If you must have 720p vie playback, I would look at the 1201N. If 720p video isn't so major, the 1001P is a great buy, lots of places have them for around the $500ish mark atm. We have a 1001P and typically get close to 8 hours out of the battery. It does play back 720p video, but through sites like YouTube it seems to be ab it skittery at that quality, whereas playing a 720p video off the hard drive or a USB drive seems fine. Haven't tried any 1080p video but I doubt it'd handle that. Be aware though it's screen resolution is actually only 1024x600 so it is not full res 720p unless you use an external monitor. The 1201N has a 1366x768 display to alleviate this. The HP Mini 311 is the only other netbook than the Eee 1201N i've used that has a native resolution high enough and the graphics processing capability to properly support 720p video. Like the 1201N its a 12" (or maybe 11.8" or something?) screen and so is slightly larger and heavier than your typical 10" Netbook like the 1001P. |
inphinity (7274) | ||
| 1114068 | 2010-06-28 03:00:00 | Cheer so far. Any reason to go for the latest N450 chip over the N280? | legod (4626) | ||
| 1114069 | 2010-06-28 03:14:00 | en.wikipedia.org lower power usage on the N450, around 40% savings, apparently. |
KarameaDave (15222) | ||
| 1114070 | 2010-06-28 03:37:00 | I have the 1005PE (N450) Diff between the N280 and N450 is efficiency ( = battery life) and also slightly better video performance. The 1005PE does do 720P - it's perfectly viewable - does drop a few frames though. It won't do 1080 though - like watching a slide show :yuck: Basically - if you want battery life + 'ok' video, the 1005PE (or the 1005HA) If you want much better graphics / performance but prepared to sacrifice a lot of battery life - then 1201N. The N470 is next atom processor due out which 'should' be a step up again from the N450. Because I do long haul stuff - and need the netbook mostly for work (basic office stuff etc), the 1005PE is perfect. Haven't got the 14 hours (I think you'd really have to be a power miser to get that) - but I have had 9 hours of normal use on a single charge. This article (techreport.com) is pretty unbiased - and does discuss video on the 1005PE |
Brooko (8444) | ||
| 1114071 | 2010-06-28 04:49:00 | Just had a go with the HP Mini 311 but not too sure about the touchpad. Seemed to have quite a high resistance and a google search will confirm that many others have the same opinion. Leaning towards an Asus at this stage. What about the Dell Inspiron Mini? (Or is Dell a swear word around here?) |
legod (4626) | ||
| 1114072 | 2010-06-28 09:34:00 | . . . What about the Dell Inspiron Mini? (Or is Dell a swear word around here?) Amongst those who use them - Yep . If you have the need for a large number of them, they have some advantages, but for a single unit, beware of the lack of support 10 seconds out of warranty and rapidly eroding after that . |
R2x1 (4628) | ||
| 1114073 | 2010-06-28 19:06:00 | I bought SWMBO a Toshiba a couple of months ago and it has been very good - The only problem is the size of the keyboard. SWMBO is a typist and her fingers cannot fly like they do on a normal size keyboard. SWMBO has been in Canada and the USA for the last 6 weeks and we have talked on Skype nearly every day as most places there have free wireless. Brilliant - me and my avatar would have been very sad without it!!! Ken ;) |
kenj (9738) | ||
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