Advice from Netbook users

[fvgazi]

My fiance is interested in getting a netbook. Thing is... I've never used one and I'm not sure if it's worth it over a regular laptop. She'll be using it to do word processing/printing, itunes crap, and internet.

I've noticed some don't have cdroms. Does this become a huge issues?

I told her I'd build her a sick gaming rig, but she declined.

[Xonticus]

Most I've seen have sacrificed the cd/dvd drive in favor of keeping it compact in size.

They sell external cd/dvd drives used for netbooks if you will be doing the occasional disc usage but absolutely need the small netbook.

If she needs to type stuff out a lot, have her try the keyboard on a few (maybe in store like Bestbuy) to see if she'll be comfortable with such a small keyboard... they are TINY!

[Anayo]

I have an Acer Aspire netbook. It has a 1.6 Ghz Intel Atom processor and 1 GB of RAM. It was $248 at Wal Mart. For internet and word processing, it's perfect - screen's a smidgen low res, but very smooth and convenient. It's about as small as a composition notebook, so it's ridiculously easy to carry around. I don't go to school without it. Lack of CD-ROM hasn't been an issue for me, since I've never needed it outside a flash drive.

For gaming I haven't been particularly brave with it, but I got it to run the original Half Life on mid-settings. An N64 emulator with USB controller works OK too, which is awesome. Supposedly the Netbooks with ATI graphics cards are better, though, like something up in the 256 Meg video ram territory. I doubt your ladyfriend would really care about that, though, and since I got this thing for word processing instead of playing, I don't either. That's what God made PSP's for.

[Gnashvar]

The screen res on the ones I've seen is terrible something is hard to make changes since the configuration windows are too big for the screen and some of the buttons end up at the bottom. Not impossible just annoying.

[casterofdreams]

The screen res on the ones I've seen is terrible something is hard to make changes since the configuration windows are too big for the screen and some of the buttons end up at the bottom. Not impossible just annoying.

Im going to have to disagree with you on this one. This may have been the case with netbooks that ran windows xp but now with windows vista and windows 7, these netbooks have much better performance in under tue hood aspects as well as visualization in terms of a UI. The screens were horrible like the original asus eee pc but now they have a glossy, more cleaner looking screens.

With that being said. Get it and go to google glary software for a compriensive site for keeping your pc running effectively.

[wootcube]

My mom got one a while back. She loves it mostly because its blue. Internet/email/word processing is surprisingly fast for such a tiny machine and she doesn't mind the small keyboard.

Personally, I would have one myself but tiny keyboards drive me CRAZY so I lug around my giant 17 inch laptop with its super huge perfect keyboard.

For a casual email/internet machine, they're great, but if she needs to type up large documents I would say go for one with a more comfortable keyboard.

[fvgazi]

Thanks for all the input, guys! We'll have to go shopping around. Funny you mention the Eee pc, because one of the interns she works with has one and now she wants the same one. Hopefully the keyboard will be fine. She has much smaller hands than me.

[elvis]

My fiance is interested in getting a netbook. Thing is... I've never used one and I'm not sure if it's worth it over a regular laptop. She'll be using it to do word processing/printing, itunes crap, and internet.

A netbook sounds perfect for her needs.

I've noticed some don't have cdroms. Does this become a huge issues?

I haven't used optical media in ages. My big, heavy work laptop has a DVD burner in it, and I think I've used it maybe 4 times in 3 years (and all to burn media for someone else).

I told her I'd build her a sick gaming rig, but she declined.

Does she play games? And if she does, do they need a beefy gaming rig, or is it just Farmville/Bejewelled?

[brjoce]

I bought my wife an Asus eepc 1005 ha 1.5 yrs ago. It runs windows xp fairly well, I did bump the ram up to 2 gig though and that yielded marginal positive effects. The lack of a cd drive was not a big deal, we use a thumb to install cd-based programs, but I did get her an external in case she wants to play dvds on the road. The keyboard thing is not that big of an issue, I have what I would say are normal "man hands" and can get away with typing on it in any number of office programs. The screen is fine, glossy and clean looking, the resolution sort of blows, but the graphics driver allows for some customization for viewing but I think they're better now. Hope that helps.

[Bradtemple87]

She will love it for checking her email/social sites/junk like that. My experience is that they get overloaded very easily. For serious uses just stick to a regular laptop.