Should I get a Netbook or Cheap Notebook?

When you’re searching for portable computing solutions, there are certainly a number of options to choose from. Tablet computers have made quite a splash over the past several years (the Apple iPad has sold very well, and non-Apple products like the Samsung Galaxy Tab have also garnered a strong following), and some people are even doing small computing tasks on their smartphones.

But one category of computer that hasn’t been attracting quite the same degree of attention as the others is the netbook computer. While there’s no precise definition of a netbook, the term is generally used to refer to a portable computer that’s smaller and sometimes less powerful than a traditional laptop computer.

Today’s netbooks have faster processors, more RAM and bigger hard drives, at time making them appear as an alternative to a budget notebooks. The recent trend of full-featured notebooks available in ultra-thin and light designs adds to the difficulty in a making a choice.

Learn what each of these computers were designed to do so you can pick the one that best fits your needs.

Performance

When it comes to distinguishing between a netbook and a notebook, appearances can be misleading. One clear distinction between a netbook and a notebook is the processor powering it. If it is powered by an Intel® Atom™ processor, it is a netbook. Notebooks, on the other hand, may use one of a variety of Intel® processors – Core i5, Centrino 2, Core2Duo, Celeron, etc.

Netbooks with Intel 1.6-GHz CPU with 1GB of RAM is not exactly a performance powerhouse. With limited processing and graphics power don’t plan on playing modern PC games, editing huge pictures, or creating 1080p videos on these machines as they are too demanding for the graphics chip inside the machine. Spreadsheets won’t load quite as fast. Saving a large document will take a little longer.

If you need a powerful processor to do video editing, graphics design or modern gaming, than a notebook is what you may need. If you need to run many of the processor intensive applications that a netbook is not capable of runninng than you need a notebook. If you need to burn CDs/DVDs and watch HD videos often than a netbook is not for you. The good news is that there are many full-size notebook options out there that are also very affordable and portable. You’ll immediately reap the rewards of greater performance, quality and reliability by getting a notebook than a netbook.

Portability

Because of their smaller size, netbooks are often a more convenient option for computer users who are frequently on the go. Even though the average netbook may only be a few inches smaller than some laptops, that small difference in size can be quite significant. Furthermore, since many laptop manufacturers are coming out with products meant to mimic desktop computers (including screen sizes of 17” or more), the differences in portability are likely to be even greater.

In addition, since netbook computers forego built-in optical (CD or DVD) drives, this makes them even thinner than their laptop counterparts. (Don’t worry, most netbooks that don’t have optical drives include the ability to purchase an external drive that connects via USB if you sometimes need this capability.)

Office on the Go

Do you often work away from the office? Are you limited by the amount of work you can do on a tablet pc? A netbook may be the device that you need to carry with you then. Netbooks are a business traveler’s dream come true and serve very well as a secondary computer with a platform that offers more flexibility than a smart phone and less overhead than a traditional notebook. It is a perfect companion for people on the go who want connectivity without lugging a much heavier, full-sized laptop along. With a netbook, you won’t need to scour the airport for an outlet in order to charge your battery. With an average battery life between four and eight hours, you can start working in the airport and stay productive throughout the whole flight.

Faster Startup

Some netbook computers have solid state drives instead of traditional hard disk drives. (Solid state drives use a storage technology not entirely unlike that used in a typical key drive or USB drive.) This has the potential to greatly decrease the amount of time that it takes for your computer to boot up from a fully powered down state. While saving 30 or 60 seconds each time you start up your computer might not seem like a significant savings, consider that having a quick startup might lead you to open your computer and get work done when you have a few minutes of downtime.

Price

First and foremost, you can generally purchase a netbook computer at a significantly lower price than any standard laptop. There’s generally a good reason for the price differences, of course. As with most categories of computers, there is a range of computing power and technical specifications, and products on the lower end of the price range tend to have the least powerful components. So long as the netbook is capable of fulfilling your computing needs, then you may not want to spend the extra money just to get a larger computer.

General Thoughts

When trying to decide between buying a new netbook or laptop computer, it’s important to pay the most attention to your own needs and how you actually intend to use that computer.

There are times when full sized notebooks make a lot of sense. For many people, saving a few pounds of weight and $100-$300 doesn’t make up for the lower performance and capacity. Better to spend a little more, carry a little more and be happy. But for those looking for a truly portable great performer – and who don’t require all the extras that today’s notebooks can provide – a netbook might be the perfect choice.

However, netbooks are not intended to be used as a full-time substitute for a full-sized notebooks. They are meant to do about 95% of what the average student or teacher does all day long. Is there a good reason to spend $650 on a 7 pound notebook when $300 for a 3 pound netbook will facilitate in-class use better? And do we really need 4 -8 GB of RAM and Core i5 processor for typing a report or giving a Powerpoint presentation?

Spend some time thinking carefully about what types of activities you want to do with your computer. Balance those needs with how mobile you want it to be. Your answers will help you to decide whether you need a handy netbook or a standard notebook. Like anything in consumer electronics, it comes down to the intended use and application. There isn’t a one-size-fits-all option.

Comments

addict104 says:

December 5, 2010 at 9:36 am PDT

This is the best article which compares the pros and cons of both the netbooks and notebooks without any bias. I thin for me netbook is very essential since I travel a lot and I don’t play pc games or watch HD movies while I’m on the go. At home and office I love desktop more than anything (though I have a Vaio laptop). Desktops are the most user friendly and netbooks are the best while travelling.
mackenzie riley says:

December 9, 2010 at 5:41 pm PDT

It seems to me that a computer is a computer, I don’t know much about either but I did enjoy reading the pros and cons you listed in your article.
Janet says:

August 2, 2011 at 8:48 pm PDT

I thought that laptops were a great idea and I love them. Then they bring out these notebooks and netbooks and tablets and smart phones. What the X#$#@??

I’m waiting for the day when we can have whatever size that we desire, because everything we need will be floating on a cloud somewhere and we can work from that virtual space without any of the necessary requirements for the machine.

Everything we need from the cloud will fit on a stick and we’ll be able to put the stick anywhere if we need to work offline.