Laptop or netbook?

[Mr David]

I've been looking at buying a netbook as they are easier for travel and will fit in more hotels safes. Plus the battery time on some is very good compared to your average laptop.

 

Just wondering if anyone has any advice on which to go for as I use photoshop CS3 and was wondering if a netbook is powerful enough as I've read they are slow.

 

Using third party software is also more difficult not having a CD drive.

 

Any advice appreciated.

[polan]

get a macbook

[Mr David]

get a macbook

 

Can't afford one and all my current software in PC.

[phomsanuk]

For size go Aspire 1

[Vortex]

I've been looking at buying a netbook as they are easier for travel and will fit in more hotels safes. Plus the battery time on some is very good compared to your average laptop.

 

Just wondering if anyone has any advice on which to go for as I use photoshop CS3 and was wondering if a netbook is powerful enough as I've read they are slow.

 

Using third party software is also more difficult not having a CD drive.

 

Any advice appreciated.

 

You will probably need to add more RAM but yes you can run Photoshop on a netbook but it is really only useful for minor editing, if you try to work with large or raw images expect it to do everything really, really slowly.

Plus consider that netbooks have small screen so you will find you will be doing a lot of scrolling up and down to view some, if not all images.

 

With regards to which to choose, most of the latest models are much the same in specs however the build quality is not so try to find somewhere you can get a feel for them and see which one you prefer, maybe even bring a few images with you on a pen drive and see how you feel about the small screen also.

[Craig_ozz]

For size go Aspire 1

 

I use an Acer Aspire 1 for when travelling. Its light weight and fits most safes.

Edited June 1, 2010 by Craig_ozz

[Daryle]

Got a IPad and very user-friendly for surfing but will keep the PC for work

[tourist305]

I have an Asus Eee PC. I'm happy with it for browsing, checking email and connecting to company network via VPN to check email, review documents, spreadsheets, etc. The netbook is limited in what it can do. The small screen limits the how much of a document or picture you can view at a time. The CPU is not designed for serious processing. I haven't had a problem with installing software without a cd drive. I download software to the machine.

[stevxpl]

It all comes down to what you are going to use on the device and how you are going to use those programs, if using Photoshop then I don't think the small screen is going to keep you happy for long and if you are installing programs in Thailand, or any other country with slow connection speeds, where you will more than likely be installing from a DVD then you will need to buy a portable DVD player/burner.

 

From what you have said above I would say go for a Laptop.

[pubstud]

I'd go for a laptop but get one of the smaller models, not having a CD/DVD drive is a drag with netbooks (I know you can plug in an external but that just means another item to carry) plus the very small screens and keyboards get to you after a while. I have both and rarely use the netbook, even on the road I prefer the laptop, in fact I want to get rid of my netbook, I regret getting it now.

[Nak Muay]

To run photoshop CS3 you really will need a laptop with at least 2 gig of RAM and a decent dual core processor.

 

ideally you will want 4gig RAM or more and a quad core processor.

 

Netbooks are great for basic computing word processing etc but are not designed to be anything more. If all you do is surf the internet occasional word doc or spread sheet a netbook will be more than good enough.

 

It will work using a netbook with CS3 but once you start putting programs on there media players codecs, antivirus, firewall etc etc you will notice it hang everytime you use it(even the top quality ones are only desgned for basic tasks.

 

 

There is also the graphics to consider as netbooks geanerally share the RAM so CS3 would kill any ram twice for graphics and program memory.

 

hope this helps

 

NAK

[ritch]

i was a fan of netbooks till i got my compaq laptop i think funtion is more important.

 

But macbook is mad cute

[Buddy Edgewood]

I had the same dilemma, I was looking for something small enough to put in a room safe, light enough to carry around without throwing out my back after 5 minutes, but powerful enough to run some demanding apps that I use for work.

 

At first, Netbooks looked attractive, because they were light and cheap. But I did some research and discovered that the Atom processors (lower quality processor than a Celeron) were better suited for just checking email, word processing and surfing the web.

 

Then I discovered the Acer Aspire 1410. It comes with a duel-core Celeron processor running at 1.7GHz, 2GB RAM and a 160GB HD (i believe that new models come with 250GB). And it only weighed in at about 3lbs.

 

Took on my LOS trip this last Dec/Jan and it was perfect for my needs and it was less than $400.

[praf974]

if your running pc apps like photoshop id recommend buying an intel core i5 laptop, intel released these chips in january and they are massively faster and more energy efficient than any previous chips! doesnt have to be expensive the chips are a complete redesign and incorporate the graphics also which brings down costs!

 

one like this will wipe the floor with any celeron or core 2 duo etc ..

 

http://www.dabs.com/products/acer-aspire-5740-core-i5-430m-320gb-3gb-dvd-rw-15-6--w7hp-6JP9.html?q=i5

 

 

do NOT buy a macbook .. apple is actively anti adobe products, no flash support etc.

[niterider]

I have an Asus EEE netbook and I quite enjoy its small profile and weight. BUT don't expect it to perform more than simple tasks like browsing, word processing and smimple graphic work. For my metbook I have installed Firefox, Iview graphic program, Skype, Avira virus software, openoffice, VLC media player, winpatrol, and dropbox. All work well on my 1 gig RAM nebook and are freeware. An 8 GIG flash drive allows easy file transfers and a USB card reader is handy for photo transfers to and from my camera and PSP.

[atelko]

I have both and a Netbook is enough if you want to use Photoshop. But you should better put more and faster RAM onto your machine.

 

Also a bigger hard drive makes a difference. For small works a Netbook is enough. But the small Display can be a pain in the ass so you should go for an external Monitor and an external DVD Drive. But in my eyes go for a Subnotebook wit a size of 12 or 13 inches display. They are faster, have a DVD drive inside and a bigger display. and the battery life is nearly the same nowadays compared to the netbooks....

[Archer4]

I have both and a Netbook is enough if you want to use Photoshop. But you should better put more and faster RAM onto your machine.

 

Also a bigger hard drive makes a difference. For small works a Netbook is enough. But the small Display can be a pain in the ass so you should go for an external Monitor and an external DVD Drive. But in my eyes go for a Subnotebook wit a size of 12 or 13 inches display. They are faster, have a DVD drive inside and a bigger display. and the battery life is nearly the same nowadays compared to the netbooks....

That's not really the case - yes you can get laptops with extended batteries than can last 6+ hours, but they are heavy and expensive. The new Intel N450 Netbooks can easily run for up to 10 hours and more if you use maximum power saving. They are much lighter and smaller and suitable for travel and most will fit in a hotel safe. I think the big mistake people make (and they are doing it here), is that they compare them. They are really two different animals, most Netbooks are cheap, light and have very long battery life. BUT they are what they are called - 'Netbooks' and are only really designed for light use when it comes to running everyday programs as their main function is to access the internet on the move.

 

You can run Photoshop on one, but I wouldn't advise it, as it will drive you nuts after awhile - dog slow. If that's what you really need, then get a small laptop and compromise on the battery life to get the better performance. If you are just going to use it mainly for the Internet, emails and watching movies (they are good for this if you rip them to AVI), then it's the right choice.

 

Go and play with one in a computer store if you can, especially the new Samsungs and the new Toshiba's - also good are the ASUS Eee range. Acer's are fine until they go wrong, I'm an IT professional and personally I wouldn't go near an Acer. Just try and find firmware and driver updates from their website!

 

I recently bought a Samsung N210 but put 2GB RAM into it immediately and I also had a 7,200RPM hard drive lying around and put that in it too (the supplied was a 5,400RPM drive). I am extremely pleased with it, but only for travel or surfing the net in bed at night. It's perfect for those tasks and the battery life is very impressive, but if I wanted to do a lot more than surf I would lean towards a laptop. For me I needed something small and light that was designed for travel and with very long battery life - that's exactly what a Netbook gave me. If you want more than that, then you really need a laptop (or Macbook! )

 

Regarding the lack of an optical drive, if you have access to another machine then just rip your disk as an ISO image, transfer it to your Netbook using a USB drive and then mount the ISO image in a virtual CD/DVD drive. There are free tools to do this and the most popular are IMGBurn to rip to ISO (also a very good piece of general burning software) and Daemon Tools for your virtual CD/DVD drive. Very simple to use and then you don't need to buy an external optical drive - just store the discs you need as ISO images on the Netbook.

 

Hope this helps?

 

http://www.imgburn.com

 

http://www.daemon-tools.cc/eng/products/dtLite

[Hallmark]

Jesus.....reading this makes me feel like a dinosaur,the only word I've understood so far is Laptop !

 

I'm assuming a small laptop is a netbook ? If that's the case then thank you because I was considering buying one to replace my laptop but after reading your comments I'll stick with what I've got.

 

[Archer4]

Jesus.....reading this makes me feel like a dinosaur,the only word I've understood so far is Laptop !

 

I'm assuming a small laptop is a netbook ? If that's the case then thank you because I was considering buying one to replace my laptop but after reading your comments I'll stick with what I've got.

 

It can be a lot of tosh too, so don't worry if the language has baffled you - If you understand the word laptop and you have one and it does what you need it to, then that's all you really need to know

 

But there is quite a difference between the average Netbook and a Laptop, it's not just the size. It's a common mistake people make when they buy a Netbook and they are often disappointed when they discover it's limitations.

 

Stick with what you know if you are happy with it

[Touchagrey]

One other thought regarding screen size... I stayed at LK Renaissance last year. They've got LCD flat screens in the room with a VGA input. A quick trip down to Tuk.com for a VGA cable and my netbook was transformed into a hi-res computer. Most of the usage was showing movies for me and my guests, but Photoshop does run OK if you're working on web resolution pictures.

[Hallmark]

It can be a lot of tosh too, so don't worry if the language has baffled you - If you understand the word laptop and you have one and it does what you need it to, then that's all you really need to know

 

But there is quite a difference between the average Netbook and a Laptop, it's not just the size. It's a common mistake people make when they buy a Netbook and they are often disappointed when they discover it's limitations.

 

Stick with what you know if you are happy with it

 

Thanks for the good advice,my laptop's getting on but it does what I need it to do.I'll stay with it until it gives up on me.

[Mr David]

Thanks for all your thought and my conclusion is to go down the new laptop route getting one with a smaller screen.

[maribell7]

It's true netbooks are slower, but you can still use your software on them. Now it's important if you travel a lot, as in that case I would really suggest you getting a netbook. Laptops can be a real pain in the neck sometimes.

[jacke]

i buy a lenon computer last week. is well. you consider.

[cyberoy69]

Yesterday, i got a compaq 320 series, the 13.3 size, good specs, real good in between size...not too big not too small.