Netbook or laptop for my Mum?

Forums › Laptops and mobile computers › Netbook or laptop for my Mum?

timmmay

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Topic # 89376 1-Sep-2011 09:22

My Mum wants a new computer. She rarely uses it, just for budget spreadsheets, and using the internet when her neighbour with open WiFi access point turns it on! She has a few photos on it, but not many. She has computers at work all day if she needs to do anything else.

I don't know whether she'd be better off with a Netbook or a cheap laptop.

Netbook, 2Gb RAM, 12" screen, $750
http://www.jbhifi.co.nz/computers/asus/12-1-inch-500gb-netbook-sku-20949/

Netbooks, both $545, 10.1" screen, 1GB RAM
http://www.jbhifi.co.nz/computers/dell/mini-10-n455-sku-20814/
http://www.jbhifi.co.nz/computers/samsung/mini-10-1-inch-250gb-netbook-sku-20854/

Laptop, $900 for a 15" screen and 4GB RAM
http://www.jbhifi.co.nz/computers/samsung/15-6-inch-notebook-sku-20856/

Laptop, $760 for a 15" screen and 4GB RAM
http://www.jbhifi.co.nz/computers/dell/inspiron-n5030-sku-20813/

Any thoughts on what the best option would be?

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BDFL - Memuneh
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Reply # 514847 1-Sep-2011 09:26

Atom? Yuck...

Seriously, go to HN and buy her a HP dm1. It's a AMD Fusion, dual core, running Windows 7 64 bit, 500GB HDD, 4GB RAM.

It's very fast, the keyboard is larger than a "netbook" and the battery life is great - I have one with a SSD and get almost five and half hours, with WiFi on.

And it's cheaper that those netbooks.

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freitasm

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Reply # 514848 1-Sep-2011 09:26

Link: http://www.harveynorman.co.nz/hp-dm1-3216au-netbook.html

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sbiddle

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Reply # 514849 1-Sep-2011 09:28

Harvey Norman had the DM1's for 30% off during the last few days, for $559 they were a bargain.

CM

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Reply # 514850 1-Sep-2011 09:29

I'm assisting my mother in buying something very similar.
Guess it's a trade-off between portability and specs. My mother is looking to travel with it, so is very much looking for something smaller than a full 15 inch screen laptop.
I reckon that first one looks like a good balance between small size and decent enough specs (including Win 7 Home, not just Starter).

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Reply # 514851 1-Sep-2011 09:31

I've replaced my HP DV6 with a HP dm1z (US model) because of travel. It's half weight, almost three times battery life, and performance way better than any Intel Atom-based netbook.

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CM

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Reply # 514857 1-Sep-2011 09:35

Wow, that does look better.
11.6 inch screen is a perfect size too.

timmmay

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Reply # 514863 1-Sep-2011 09:43

The DM1 looks pretty good. At $800 it's up there in price but still reasonable, but if there was any kind of a sale that'd make it a pretty easy choice.

Anyone know if there's any sales on this Sat? I only really want to go to one store.

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CM

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Reply # 514905 1-Sep-2011 10:30

Pricespy shows it at $699 or low $700's at a few places (not including delivery though).

billgates

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Reply # 514920 1-Sep-2011 10:42

I can recommend this.

http://www.jbhifi.co.nz/computers/acer/aspire-one-10-1-inch-250gb-netbook-sku-20848/

Playtech have got it at cheaper rate.

http://www.playtech.co.nz/afawcs0139235/CATID=/ID=15725/SID=122081895/productdetails.html

Do whatever you want to do man.

timmmay

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Reply # 514923 1-Sep-2011 10:47

Thanks for the info about the laptop before Mauricio :)

Bill, how's the performance with only 1GB RAM? Mum doesn't need a speed demon, but on my PC the OS takes up at least half of that, maybe more. I use 4GB quite happily for photo processing though, 20GB of photos at a time, but when I get around to getting a new PC that'll go up to between 8 and 16GB.

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toyonut

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Reply # 514943 1-Sep-2011 11:12

I wouldnt recommend a 10.1 inch netbook for daily use. They just dont have a big enough screen or a high enough resolution for everything. I have the Samsung nc210 and love it for its amazing battery life and sturdy build, but it is painful to use online sometimes because of the limited screen size. This makes most email programs a problem too because of limited vertical resolution and I would imaging spreadsheets would get cramped quickly.

If it is for daily use, I would recommend one of the fusion powered 12 inch laptops that are out right now or a 15 inch laptop if portability and extreme battery life is not a concern. They are much better for daily use and very fast and smooth. If I had an extra $300 when I was buying the Sammy netbook, I would have bought one of the 12 inch netbooks instead as it could have replaced my 15 inch laptop for speed (old AMD 1.6 dual core) and been pretty good on battery and portable too.

Try Vultr using this link and get us both some credit:

http://www.vultr.com/?ref=7033587-3B

jonb

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Reply # 514965 1-Sep-2011 11:32

Get her this one?

14" compaq for under $500.. http://www.pbtech.co.nz/index.php?z=p&p=NBKHNB1557104

timmmay

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Reply # 514968 1-Sep-2011 11:35

jonb: Get her this one?

14" compaq for under $500.. http://www.pbtech.co.nz/index.php?z=p&p=NBKHNB1557104

That's a pretty good deal, you'd just want to add another 2GB of RAM and it'd probably be a pretty decent machine. I'd rather buy with 4GB already, just because I don't want to void the warranty or make things more difficult if things go wrong by putting more RAM in.

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billgates

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Reply # 515030 1-Sep-2011 13:08

timmmay: Thanks for the info about the laptop before Mauricio :)

Bill, how's the performance with only 1GB RAM? Mum doesn't need a speed demon, but on my PC the OS takes up at least half of that, maybe more. I use 4GB quite happily for photo processing though, 20GB of photos at a time, but when I get around to getting a new PC that'll go up to between 8 and 16GB.

It's running Windos 7 Starter so not running all services and does not have apps like Windows media center. Comes dowo to personal choice in the end with the screen size.

The compaq link that 'jonb' has posted is really good value for money. I would go for that deal over my link above anyday due to the specs and price.

Do whatever you want to do man.

timmmay

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Reply # 515032 1-Sep-2011 13:12

Thanks Bill. Is 2GB enough, or should I look at upgrading to 4GB for my Mum? If I should go 4GB I can't work out if there are free slots, might have to throw the 2GB away and replace.

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