Netbook

[fabfive]

Please help me. I am not a computer techie nor to I know a gb from ram to mega hurts (sp?). My daugher has saved her babysitting $ and birthday $ and wants to purchase a netbook. Someone said to me you buy with 1gb but have to upgrade to 2gb then they don't come with software. Where do I go for the best deal with everything included. Spywear, Windows, etc.

 

[fabfive]

bump

 

[dfchelbay]

They are having a lot of back to school sales right now, and if it were me, I'd get an inexpensive actual laptop. It will have everything she needs, plus the cd/dvd drive she won't be getting with a netbook. If she wants to pop in a cd or dvd, or software you purchase (CD ROM) she can't with a netbook. It will be something she can use into the future. As far as security, you can go to the Microsoft website and download Microsoft Security Essentials. It's free and works great for both a netbook and notebook. This weeks Best Buy ad has a Compaq laptop for $349, and a netbook for $399. The laptop is actually cheaper than the notebook this week. You can go to their website and look at all the computers by price and see if there's an even better price than $349.

I just read an article today that netbooks are on their way out. People are getting actual notebooks, or having smartphone and Ipads to do what netbooks do for them.

http://finance.yahoo.com/family-home/article/110304/6-endangered-tech-species

It's just my opinion (as a techie) to go for the laptop. I have about 8 computers, one of which is a cheap little Compaq. It does everything I need it to do, Internet, cd, dvd, word processing, etc. It's a steal for $349

 

[fabfive]

Thank you. What about a refurbished Dell or HP? Any opinions?

 

[abmitch01]

I have an HP netbook I bought new and hate it. it's just so slow, I don't find it that useful. I end up lugging the laptop around. IMHO, if they'd had Ipads when I got this, I would've gone with that instead

 

[fabfive]

Thanks abmitch. She is 13 and spending her own $ so she can't afford an Ipad. Dang, I would like one of those for myself.

 

[dfchelbay]

Thank you. What about a refurbished Dell or HP? Any opinions?

Refurbs are ok, if they come with a warranty. With a new computer, you will get it for a year at no cost. Dell is a decent computer, but the company is in some financial troubles. As long as there are no Dell specific parts, which I don't believe to be the case with a PC, it should be fine. HP and Compaq are the same company now. They merged a while back. I would choose Dell before HP/Compaq.

I just went to the Best Buy website and they have a brand new Compaq for $329 and a Toshiba for $349. Toshiba has a great product.

You can find really good prices at a store called Micro Center. Maybe you have one where you live. They have a laptop for $279 on their homepage. They also have a lot on their laptop page that are really inexpensive.

http://www.microcenter.com/search/s...=pricelow&N=4294967288&sht=Any&prt=NewProduct

 

[fabfive]

Oh, we do have a Micro Center here. How much gb (ram) does she need? Please help me on specifics I need to have.

 

[MrsPete]

I just read an article today that netbooks are on their way out. People are getting actual notebooks, or having smartphone and Ipads to do what netbooks do for them.

Really? My daughter and I were just talking about them yesterday. I thought the size would make them very convenient for her in college. We were discussing whether it'd be worthwhile to have a netbook that could be carried to classes AND a full-sized laptop to stay in the room. We ended up deciding that while the lightweight small item would be nice, it'd always be a hassel to transfer things back and forth.

Not that I was going to buy one anyway. We don't need any new technology right notw.

 

[dfchelbay]

Oh, we do have a Micro Center here. How much gb (ram) does she need? Please help me on specifics I need to have.

At the very least 2GB Ram. When you're on the internet, surfing around, so many websites today are very content and graphics heavy. Say you're on a website and shrink it down to look at something else on the internet, or use a program on your computer...before you know it, all your RAM is being used and you're stuck. You'll have to close something, or your computer will just throw you off/shut down something you're in because you've run out of RAM. You can only have so many things open and running at a time, and even less with less RAM.

Think of RAM as your open workspace. Like the top of an actual wooden desk. While you're working at your desk, you're doing many things, papers are spread out, bills are in a neat pile, your plastic inbox is taking up space, your family pictures are taking up space, etc. RAM runs and gets eaten up the same way. On yor computer, if Itunes is open, it's spread out over half your workspace, oh an remember those cute pictures you wanted to look at, open them up and there's another chunk of RAM being used, oh, Jan just called and wants me to see what she just posted on Facebook...another chunk of RAM gone, and remember that video you been meaning to look at on Youtube...let's look at it now....CRASH...all your RAM was being used, so you'll either get thrown off some open things, or you'll get the NOT ENOUGH MEMORY to proceed with your request message. So, the more RAM you can get the better.

Forgot to mention that programs that make your computer do things are running and using some of your RAM. You don't even know it's happening, but it's using some of the RAM all the time.

 

[fabfive]

Wow, you should be a teacher. I understand RAM now. Okay, e-machine or not? also what is 2.2 GHz and 1mb? There is an e-machine on micro center refirbished Eme527-2537

 

[tinkerbelletreasure]

Went to buy a netbook about 2 months ago. I tried 2 before I gave up and got a laptop instead. The newer netbooks come with windows 7 and that operating system needs the entire memory to run, so while you can get connected to the internet it was incredibly slow. A lot of the cheaper ones are not upgradable to more memory. I did try upgrading one and found out that it wasn't compatible with flash player which you need for a lot games on facebook and stuff so i took it back. I got a brand new Toshiba laptop from Best Buy for $200. It wasn't even any special sale, so if I was you I'd go that route instead of a refurb. that is what I am replacing. My refurb only lasted about 18 months and of course with technology changing, anything refurb will be out of date technologically before you even get it.
If you do get a netbook, make sure it is a different operating system than windows 7.

 

[luvmy3]

I saw this posted on another forum, its a new e-machine, basic laptop priced at $279.

http://www.amazon.com/eMachines-eME...5?ie=UTF8&s=electronics&qid=1281972914&sr=8-5

 

[dfchelbay]

Wow, you should be a teacher. I understand RAM now. Okay, e-machine or not? also what is 2.2 GHz and 1mb? There is an e-machine on micro center refirbished Eme527-2537

GHz is the clock speed of the CPU; the faster the CPU clock can tick, the faster, in general, the computer can process data and instruction so, 2.2 GHz is pretty good. I believe the Apple Macbook is a 2.4 GHz Intel, and we know how nice and speedy that one is. As far as 1MB, not sure what you mean. It's a unit of measure for data storage. One MB of what?

E Machine/Acer/Gateway are all the same company last I heard. So, you should be fine.

 

[fabfive]

My friend is trying to get me to go with a mac. I am not sure the cost is worth it for a 13 year old. Also, with a laptop do you have to buy service for the internet. We have wireless on our home computer.

 

[dfchelbay]

My friend is trying to get me to go with a mac. I am not sure the cost is worth it for a 13 year old. Also, with a laptop do you have to buy service for the internet. We have wireless on our home computer.

Minimum cost of a Mac is $1000. That's quite steep, whether 13 or a grown adult. That's an increase of about $700 from the PC.

As far as internet, what kind of wireless do you have for your current computer? If it's through your cable tv company, broadband, you'll be fine with the new laptop. All laptops now are wireless internet capable and it will just go online the same way your current computer does.

 

[fabfive]

I think it is Netscape. Our cable is thru our telephone company. So I would not need to sign a contract or anything else. I can just use what we currently have.

 

[dfchelbay]

I think it is Netscape. Our cable is thru our telephone company. So I would not need to sign a contract or anything else. I can just use what we currently have.

Adding another computer to your current internet shouldn't be a problem. If you're on wireless right now, the wireless internet is floating through the air in your house. A new laptop is going to recognize that there is wireless internet available to it and ask you if you want to use it. Have you ever had a friend come over to your house and they get on their computer with your internet? It's the same thing.

 

[tinkerbelletreasure]

The only thing I could see you needing is a router if you don't already have one. It would set up both the computer's into a network and share the internet.

 

[fabfive]

Great. Thank you my disboard friends.