A Tale of Two Computers
Tuesday, July 21, 2009 by Mike Bertolino This past week I had the opportunity to review both a netbook and a notebook and compare them and see which computer is better fit for the padding inside your backpack this fall. The netbook was a Dell Mini with a 1.6 GHz Intel Atom processor running Windows XP. The notebook was a Dell Studio 15 with a Blu-Ray drive and a 2.26 GHz Intel Centrino processor running Windows Vista.
The Review
Going in to this review, I had low expectations for the netbook's speed. Those expectations were exceeded. The small computer was able to handle everything short of Google Earth, but that was due to resolution problems. When I watch a show on Hulu, I usually have to turn my MacBook's speakers all the way up to drown out the hum of the fan in the background. When watching shows on the Dell Mini, it ran cool and there was no other noise beside the inner monologue of Dr. John Dorrian.
The Studio laptop on the other hand wasn't so speedy. I don't blame that on the processor though. Windows Vista was absolutely horrible. This came when I tried to look up directions online. The computer wasn't able to load the webpage and render the map. Google Maps suddenly became useless because of this bloated memory hog operating system.
The one upside to this computer though, was the Blu-ray player. The picture was stunning. For the case study I watched Iron Man, recommended from the guys over at HD Nation as one of the better movies to watch when the HD is there. For the most part, the movie was smooth. When there was a lot of colors on the screen or a camera was zooming out to get a wider view, it got a little choppy. I wasn't expecting perfection. Also the computer offers two headphone jacks to you can watch movie with someone on a plane or a ride home from school.
The Comparison
Each type of computer has their advantages. The netbook is small but still offers a lot of the same functionality larger netbooks do for simpler computing tasks. The notebook allows more space for entertainment and advanced computing tasks. The type that suits should reflect your major and the type of lifestyle you have.
The Dell Mini I tested was had a monitor out port too, so if you did get tired of the sub-10 inch screen there was the possibility of getting a larger screen for it. It was good that Dell tried to fit everything they could in the small package they had to work with. The netbook had all the ports the notebook had, which was nice. With that being said, I don't think that it's necessary for students to have more that one machine at school. At least, they shouldn't have two portable machines.
Lastly, notebooks are for people who enjoy the internet and are on their computer a lot. The netbook is a good alternative for students who feel that computers are necessary evil when purchasing items for college. The value of the netbook is really high and with all of the free web applications out there, you won't have to spend another dime past the money spend to get the machine.
Do you have a notebook or a netbook? Which one do you think is better for students? Comment below to voice your opinion!
Reader Comments (15)
I've had a 17" Dell laptop for 3 years now. I've been through one year of college. I lugged it around in my backpack - all 8.2 lbs. Sometime a little after Christmas, I got the bright idea to spend $600 on an Eee PC 1000 - 10", solid state drive, etc. I figured it would reduce the strain on my back.
Not so.
It turns out I really like my screen space and the power of my laptop. (despite being 3yrs old, it's a Core 2 Duo 2ghz and 2gb of ram, it's still up to speed). I ended up leaving the Eee PC in my dorm room on its charger while I continued to lug around the 17" behemoth to classes and club meetings and the library.
It seemed such a good idea to get a smaller portable notebook and leave my heavy one in the dorm, but it ended up just being a waste of $600. Any other college student out there who's going down the same road, really ask yourself, despite how cool the netbooks are, how small they are, even if they /can/ run the same things, will you really use it in place of a full laptop?
I just bought a notebook and found the netbooks with their small screen just too small.
I could not understand why someone possibly want something small like that but maybe I am just too old school LOL
Thanks for the reviews. It could help in choosing the gadget that suits my needs. Netbook or notebook? I still have to evaluate the advantages and disadvantages of the two.
I recently came across your blog and have been reading along. I thought I would leave my first comment. I don't know what to say except that I have enjoyed reading. Nice blog. I will keep visiting this blog very often.
Maria
http://memory1gb.com
wait a minute... the whole netbook-hating thing is total BS. at $330, my eee does pretty much everything my desktop does, even plays a few video games. and with 5 hrs of battery life and a 160gig hd, it's the perfect workhorse - writing essays, programming, Maxima/mathematica/matlab, even some blender modeling. (compile times with gcc aren't too bad, netbeans and codeblockrs run fine, if not well). this thing also runs ubuntu very well (with gnome and compiz).
I got my netbook about a year ago and I love how light and small it is. Commuting back and forth to school a netbook fits perfect. It has enough power to do what I need at school and on the go. However I also have a desktop that I still use when I am home. My netbook is not a replacement it is more of a supplement. I can see how someone that already has a notebook might not find it as useful but netbooks are meant as a secondary computer while notebooks today are really use more as primary.
“The netbook is small but still offers a lot of the same functionality larger netbooks do for simpler computing tasks.”
When I travel, I usually take a netbook with me. Anyway, all I need to do is write some stuff and check emails during short trips. For longer trips, it's the laptop that comes with me.
The only downside to my eee pc is the slightly smaller than normal keyboard. It's perfect for everything but writing long papers, especially when I tether my iPhones Internet to it. I have a
more powerful ubuntu/win7 machine in my room because sometimes you just need speed.
I am planning on bringing my MSI Wind Netbook as well as my Dell 14" notebook to school in the fall. I plan to mainly use the netbook on campus. The Dell notebook has a dedicated video card so I plan to use it for AutoCAD.
I'm not in school and have not been in school for 15 years, but in my opinion, netbooks are great for kids who mainly want a computer to go on the Internet with while notebooks are great for the rest of us. I could get by with just a netbook if I HAD to since I mainly use a computer for pleasure. ;)
You said that each type of computer has its own advantages, and that though the net book is smaller, still it is known to offer a lot of the same functionality larger net books have. I agree with what you say because I for one, have just recently bought a notebook and found that the net books with their small screen are just too small. I could not understand why some people possibly want something small like that but maybe I am just too conservative for such innovations!
I can see what you mean by not having more than 1 portable at college.....
i just happen to beg to differ (disclaimer, I'm a computer engineering major so my view is obviously biased)
I've been going back and forth between the netbook and my really old laptop for a while and will be replacing the fullsize laptop soon. I live off campus and really don't like walking back and forth a lot. So the way i work it currently (and forsee continuing to work it) is to take the netbook when i'm just going to class and coming back, but take the laptop if i'm gonna be on campus for a while after class or have something to do after class on campus.
in total i have 4 computers in my apartment that i use, so like i said before, my response is biased.
Sounds like the netbook offers a lot in terms of form and function. Would you recommend it for people needing designer programs? How long does the battery last? How does it stand out from other mini laptop models?
I haven't really found anything (besides some 3d games) that i wouldn't do on my netbook, that i would do on my desktop. it runs everything just fine. music player, text editor, open office, ff with a bunch of tabs, tomboy notes, terminal work all fluidly, and comfortably in a 10 inch screen. eclipse is a bit slow to start, but then it works just fine. the keyboard is a bit smaller, but i got used to it in my first day getting ubuntu set up. it's just perfect for all around work and play (i can watch movies for like 5 hours before the battery dies) not to mention it boots incredibly quickly. I have never considered my big laptop "portable" it's just much better to move around than my desktop.
P.S. check the keyboard layouts on newegg or something, as a few of them are wierd (they have the right shift key to the right of the up arrow key) i got the 1005HA and everything but the wireless worked out of the (ubuntu jaunty)box (just install a package and it works, no text editing or anything wierd)
I think it depends on what sort of student needs the computer. Those whose courses involve high-powered graphics need something faster and with bigger memory. If the student needs the computer only for text, there are a whole load of options out there...