How to buy the Best Netbook for 2010

A netbook is a small, lightweight, inexpensive and highly portable laptop but it has the processing power in less than a full-sized laptop. However, it is suitable enough for general computing, word processing, running a web browser and connecting to the Internet wirelessly.

Netbooks are small in size, usually with a 10-inch screen, but some displays can be slightly smaller or larger. Their weight is about 2 to 3 pounds and they sell for well under $500 these days. Most netbooks come with Intel Atom processor N Series, at least 1 GB of RAM and 160GB or 250GB hard drive.

With the ever growing demand for the netbook many companies are designing more and more netbook models released into the world market. So, it is not easy to make a right choice of buying a good netbook for buyers.

For anyone looking to buy a netbook, here are some important netbook features to consider:

Screen size and display resolution

With netbooks now coming in sizes as small as 7 inches and as large as 12 inches, the decision on size is really a matter of preference. Still, even the keenest eyes often have difficulty with the smaller text and relatively poor resolution of the smallest netbooks. That is, after all, one of the primary reasons behind the manufacturing decision to increase the size of many of the newest models.

In order to decide which screen size is good enough for you, you should try to run your favorite programs and view your favorite websites on a variety of different sized screens. Most people today tend to get something around the 10 inch range since that size seems to combine the best features of both the smaller and larger versions of the netbook.

A 10-inch netbook usually has resolution of 1024 x 600 pixels and weighs less than 3 pounds whereas 11- and 12- inch netbooks usually have resolutions of 1280 x 800 and 1366 x 768 respectively and weigh a little bit more.

Operating system (OS)

Netbooks are available for Linux and Windows operating systems and new netbooks have moved to Windows 7 Starter, which is a lighter version of Windows 7 to help with load time and overall performance. As we all know about windows because that most people are familiar with the Windows layout as they have been using it for several years on their home and office computers.

You can also get a netbook with Linux, which is a much more basic and faster operating system. Netbooks with Linux run great for web surfing, email, and word processing via Open Office. However, Linux may be incompatible with some programs. Lastly, you can still find netbooks running on Windows XP or Vista.

Processor

Intel Atom is the most common processor available for the netbooks (most of them run on the Intel Atom N or Z Series). Here you should go for the latest technologies because they are available with more efficiency and try not to buy an old netbook because you can face problem of speed and efficiency.

The latest Atom processor on netbooks for 2010 are Intel Atom Processor N450, N455, N470 and N475. Most netbooks launched into the markets last year (2009) were Intel Atom N270 or N280 which are being replaced by new Intel Atom N450 or higher.

Atom N450, N455 (1.66GHz, 512KB L2 cache, 667MHz FSB) – the most common these days
Atom N470, N475 (1.83GHz, 512KB L2 cache, 667MHz FSB) – slightly faster

We can notice that all processors on netbooks are slower than the standard processor on laptops, which is about 2.1 GHz. This means that a netbook will be slower when running heavier programs. So, you shouldn’t use a netbook for heavy processing, such as photo/video editing and gaming. However, netbooks are perfect for light processes like web surfing, email, and word processing.

Battery Life

Old notebook batteries usually come with 3-cell units but for new netbooks, they have upped their standard batteries to 6-cell units which can get you unplugged for about 6-9 hours on a single charge while 3-cell systems usually get between 2-3 hours of endurance.

If your job or work require traveling then you should look for the 6-cell option. These are little costly than 3-cell battery netbooks but can be very useful if your activities involve overseas travel or all-day classes.

After Intel has unveiled new Atom N450 processor, new netbooks can consume less power approximately 20% over previous netbook generation (e.g. Intel Atom N270, N280). New latest netbooks come with battery life of 10-14 hours such as ASUS Eee PC 1005PE, Asus Eee PC 100P, Acer AO532h and Toshiba Mini NB305-N410 (10-inch screen).

Memory (RAM)

Memory is the place where the computer system stores its software applications and data that are being used. If the netbook has more memory, it tends to perform better by eliminating the need to temporarily save information to the hard disk drive when swapping between applications or handling a complex request and thus the better the performance.

The memory required by your netbook will rely on OS and the applications that you plan to put in use. Most of netbooks come with 1GB and are up to 2GB. However, please make sure you have at least 1GB to keep things running smoothly.

Storage capacity

Netbooks come with one of two types of storage – a hard disk drive (HDD) or a solid state drive (SSD). This is the place where the netbook’s operating system and applications are stored, as well as files such as music, photos and documents.

The SSDs are faster and more durable than HDDs and consume less power and weigh less. They offer less space than HDDs and higher price. Most netbooks are equipped with the HDDs which have the storage capacity from 160GB to 320GB. Look for a hard drive that has a capacity of at least 160GB and a rotational speed of 5400 rpm or 7200 rpm.

Graphics

Graphics Processing Unit (GPU) is the heart of all graphics processing functions. Whatever you see on the screen is controlled by the GPU.

The better the graphics, the smoother and nicer your games and movies will look. Currently, there are 3 big GPU manufacturers – NVIDIA, ATI and Intel.

GPUs are divided into integrated and discrete versions. Discreate or dedicated GPUs are relatively more powerful than the integrated GPUs.

Most netbooks use integrated graphics (Intel GMA 3150) from Intel that is sufficient for basic computing needs. Some new netbooks are available with switchable graphics between a discrete and an integrated GPU powered by NVIDIA.

Keyboard and touchpad

keyboard of netbooks is usually smaller than a standard keyboard of full size laptops. Most of the keyboards on newer netbooks are ninety percent or more of the size of a laptop, so the change is almost negligible at this point. The keyboard layout of netbook is quite similar to the full size keyboard but key buttons on netbooks are smaller and closer.

But even if two netbooks have the same size keyboard, their layouts could be different and their keys are closer on some netbooks than others. If possible, please test out the keyboard to ensure they are large enough and user friendly. Usually netbooks with chiclet keyboard are more comfortable and quite popular as well.

Touchpad is one of features to consider. At present, a wide variety of touchpad have been developed and specially designed to offer a more comfortable experience during prolonged use. So, try out and get a touchpad that supports multi-touch gestures.

Optical Drive

Netbooks do not come with built-in optical drives for playing movies. That means you can’t run CDs/DVDs. However, you can buy a separate drive to plug into your netbook or use another computer to “rip the DVD” to a movie file that you can transfer via a USB drive or external hard drive, but part of its portability and light weight is due to it not having an optical drive.

Other features

Additionally, netbooks generally come with a built-in webcam, Wi-Fi, card reader, and USB ports. Some even have extra features such as Bluetooth, 3G, GPS, etc.

Reliable brands of netbooks that you can choose from are: Acer, Asus, Dell, HP, Samsung, Toshiba etc. Using these brands as a guide, you can choose the models that you like best or that is within your budget.

In conclusion, we suggest at a minimum, an Intel Atom N450 Processor, 1GB of RAM, a 160GB or larger hard drive, 8 hours long battery life and Windows 7 Starter. Higher-end options are becoming more prevalent, with 11.6 or 12.1-inch displays, higher screen resolutions, dual-core processor and new graphics hardware, such as Nvidia’s Ion GPU.

Recommended Posts

• Comparison of Available Netbooks in 2010
• Netbook Comparison Tool
• How to buy the best Netbook for 2010
• What is the best netbook to buy

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