Laptop or Netbook??

KDC

Hi. Just a quick question. I'm thinking of buying a refurbished or very inexpensive laptop or netbook. I just need something to browse the internet and type up my assignments for college.

I don't want to download music or films, just have something portable so that I can spread all my books about me as I research for my course.

As long as I can connect it to my wifi then I'll be happy. I prefer windows XP.

Sorry to sound so lame, but never used a laptop let alone tried to look what type I'd need.

Thanks for any advice/help in advance.

DCFC79

Id suggest having a look in shops like currys, pc world just to have a look at some, dont get pressured into buying if you get asked.

Figment

Netbooks are smaller (typically screen size < 11 inches) , lighter (therefore very portable) but do not have a DVD/CD drive (you can connect an external one if required)

noelphobic

I find it easier to type on a laptop than a netbook - I touch type - although I have typed up a 1000 word essay on my netbook when I have been stuck.

KDC

Thanks for the info. I touch type too so perhaps a netbook with be more awkward.

Shall check out some shops and have a look. So many to choose from but at least I've not got much dosh so am limited in that respect.

Thanks again peeps for your help.

DCFC79

KDC wrote: »

Thanks for the info. I touch type too so perhaps a netbook with be more awkward.

Shall check out some shops and have a look. So many to choose from but at least I've not got much dosh so am limited in that respect.

Thanks again peeps for your help.

You can also get gauge whether a laptop or a netbook would be more suitable.

I would have suggested a netbook would be suitable as you would'nt be downloading films, music etc but then the screen is smaller than a laptop.

robmar0se

You could also attach a wireless keyboard/mouse if you find the small keyboard or mouse difficult to handle. Most netbooks come with win 7, but there are definately some available with XP, although your choice is more limited.

Notmyrealname

Look on Ebay at some of the used ultraportables. You get a small light laptop but with a proper CPU.

Dell Latitude D420, D430, IBM/Lenovo Thinkpad x200....

mattduk

I had a small netbook (MSI Wind) for a year or two until I returned to a "normal" laptop. The netbook was something like £190 a was an absolute bargain.

I've got quite chubby fingers and found that the keyboard was fine - they tend to be about 80% the size of normal keyboards and after a day or two you should be right at home. As someone mentioned, you can just get an external USB keyboard, but I found I was up and typing at full speed fine without it. I used the netbook for my daily computing needs for a couple of years, but ultimately I only just upgraded to a Lenovo as I needed some more processing power to handle DSLR-sized images in a sensible amount of time, which is something the slower CPUs in netbooks can struggle with.

Best advice is to go to PC World/Tescos/Etc and have a go on one. Personally I'd only go for one with Windows 7 if it has more than 1gb of RAM, otherwise XP is fine. I think pretty much every single one will have Wifi, but have a look at the battery life - mine was only about 2 hours, so I ended up getting a cheap chinese replacement battery from eBay to get up to about 6 hours life from a charge...netbooks are really portable but carrying around the charger is a pain! :-)

Hope that helps.

Kernel_Sanders

mattduk wrote: »

I the keyboard was fine - they tend to be about 80% the size of normal keyboards

The standard 10.1" netbooks usually quote 92%, although this of course does not include the number pad section.