Netbook?

B

BryanD

New Member
I am in the market for a Netbook. I want to hook it up to my 42 inch monitor but I am not really sure what I want. I will use it for web browsing, music, pictures, nothing that really requires any type of heavy computing...

I was thinking that I should just get the cheapest netbook out there with windows 7 on it...

anyone know of any great deals or just the computer i should buy?
 
Asus Eee works well. cheap enough. they are disposables to me.
They make many models to choose from. depends on your budget.
 
For output to your monitor, are you looking at VGA or HDMI? There are a few HDMI capable netbooks on the market now.
 
for hdmi out i would reccomend an HP mini 1000 sereis. otherwise an HP 110 sereis has vga, and they are only $310
 
I actually just saw the HP DM3 series... very thin and light weight and a decent size screen. I don't need all that power though...

There are a deal for one with an intel processor, however, when I went to their website they only sold AMD and same with newegg and tigerdirect. Should this worry me?

What are the pros to using HDMI vs VGA?

I don't really have a budget... I just want to get the best deal possible... right now I am thinking the max would be under $600, but obviously I don't want to get overkill.
 
For what you are looking to do, you probably won't notice a difference between HDMI and VGA. HDMI offer digital video AND audio whereas VGA is analog video only. I asked before because not all televisions have VGA connections on them while every modern television will have HDMI.

The netbooks with HDMI output are running a slight premium, but it isn't a lot. You can get a great netbook for under $400. Frankly, in the $400-600 range you are looking at low-end laptops. Netbooks around $500 and up are vastly overpriced for what you get now days.
 
BryanD said:
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16834157044
I am not sure I will need all of this stuff just for web surfing, pictures, music, and streaming movies to my TV (that does have both VGA and HDMI)
Click to expand...

What kind of movies? HD? SD (DVD)?

The newer Ion based netbooks are very well suited for HD material. Even the meekest netbooks with only GMA950 graphics can handle SD video. Though scaling to larger resolutions (say 1080p) could be an issue.

Are you looking for a netbook or an ultra portable laptop? When shopping for a netbook (and really any portable for that matter) you are going to have to make some sacrifices. Pick two: High power, long battery life, low price.


What about something like this?

http://www.frys.com/product/6046418?site=sr:SEARCH:MAIN_RSLT_PG
Click to expand...

The S10's are nice machines. That is a pretty good price, too.
 
This is an absolute impossible decision.

I have a 1080p TV, but I also have a blu-ray player. How long before 1080p makes it to the digital format from netflix? I would like to be able to do that if it happens...

Zatharus - what did you think of the dm3? Would that be able to do it? Is that over priced for what you get?
 
BryanD said:
This is an absolute impossible decision.

I have a 1080p TV, but I also have a blu-ray player. How long before 1080p makes it to the digital format from netflix? I would like to be able to do that if it happens...

Zatharus - what did you think of the dm3? Would that be able to do it? Is that over priced for what you get?
Click to expand...


The DM3 line is a decent, if mildly overpriced for the spec, series of laptops. It would do what you want.

Netflix will not be doing 1080p streaming for some time yet. They are still only offering slightly above standard def for PC right now. If you have an XBox360 or PS3, however, you can get some of their streaming programming in 720P.
 
BryanD said:
http://shop.lenovo.com/SEUILibrary/...-category-id=0E1C2E8C8B2A40C09E11FF1C95A3B8CE

How about the cheapest lenovo?

http://www.tigerdirect.com/applicat...?EdpNo=5034596&csid=ITD&body=MAIN#detailspecs


or this with a windows 7 upgrade?
Click to expand...

You would be OK with either, though I think you would enjoy the HP DM3 more as most options come with a better GPU.

Intel is not known for its graphic prowess. The 4500MHD handles HD video decently enough, but it pales in comparison even with the nVidiea ION chipset or something like the lowly ATI 3200HD.
 
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