GRcade

There's only one way to find out, etc.

I'm in the mood for some portable computing, and have a budget of around £300 - £400. It'll mainly be used for day to day workstuff; delivering presentations at uni, so Word/Powerpoint, Internet access, YouTube, media playback, etc. Nothing too heavy. Gaming is not an issue, I'll play whatever will run on it, if anything at all. Portability is though, which is why I've included the netbook option. I get the bus every day, so the lighter this thing is, the better.

I do not want a Mac.

I'm thinking that the Samsung NC20 is just about ideal for me, and maybe picking up an external DVD writer to go along with it. Other than that, the HP Mini is getting a release early next month under the Compaq name at around the same price. I know the £300+ mark is blurring the boundaries between netbook/laptop usage, but I'm really after battery life/portability/basic utilities more than anything else. Or would I have troubles running several applications at once on a netbook?

Advise!

Lapbook

Yes, well, there is that.

Ooh, also, I want this thing to run Windows 7. I have a Home Premium retail license installed on my current PC, so could I get away with installing that on a second machine?

You clearly need a Netbook over a Laptop. No competition, really.

Yeah, just thinking out loud really. Know whether I can get away with installing more than one copy of Windows 7 with the same serial?

No idea. I wouldn't think so, but someone will actually know I'm sure.

melatonin wrote:Yeah, just thinking out loud really. Know whether I can get away with installing more than one copy of Windows 7 with the same serial?

If it's a retail copy, it'll only cover one machine at a time. And you're allowed to reinstall to different hardware a set number of times.

So, no you can't buy one copy of Windows 7 and then install it on more than one machine.

Cheers. There's a Samsung N140 on sale at Comet with Windows 7 already installed, think that's looking like a safe bet right now.

My sister has the HP Mini/Compaq.

The fan is already buggered and the Samsungs are better specced too.

I wouldn't recommend it. Or any HP for that matter.

Word/Powerpoint, Internet access, YouTube, media playback, etc. Nothing too heavy. Gaming is not an issue, I'll play whatever will run on it, if anything at all.

All those things will run fine on it. Games - well anything that's not 3d should be OK. Older 3d stuff should also be fine. I tend to use mine (Samsung NC10) as a retro gaming machine, either older PC games or emulators.

I get the bus every day, so the lighter this thing is, the better.

I'm really after battery life/portability/basic utilities more than anything else.

Netbooks are great for this. I easily get 5 or 6 hours on one charge and the newer batteries are even better. Being able to take your computer all over the place is brilliant too. I also have a mobile internet subscription on my phone which is great as I can use it as a bluetooth modem.

would I have troubles running several applications at once on a netbook?

Not at all. That's more of a RAM issue. I have 1 gig and I'm using XP - I've never had an issue. With Windows 7 2 gig will sort you out nicely.

They're surprisingly capable machines. The only things you can write off are modern 3d games and HD video (even youTube HD chugs a little, mainly because Flash sucks).

From what you've said I really think you'll be very happy with a netbook. As an owner I can recommend Samsung. The build quality, keyboard, screen and trackpad on mine is excellent. As performance is largely identical between equivalent netbooks these are the the things you should be looking at.

Samsung N510?

[url]http://www.laptopsdirect.co.uk/Samsung_N510_Atom_N280_1.66_GHz_-_11.6_Inch__TFT_NP-N510-KA02UK/version.asp?PID=1544[/url]
That being said I'd probably wait a few weeks and see which manufacturers start shipping with Windows 7 installed.