Showing posts with label Three. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Three. Show all posts
The Three Things You Don't Want To Sacrifice When Shopping For Cheap Netbooks
If you're looking at the range of cheap netbooks with a mind to buy a new computer, you might be tempted to grab the first machine you can find that fits your budget, but in my opinion, this would be a mistake. In particular, there are three key components that you don't want to skimp on.
The first component is your netbook's processor. Faster is better, and every dollar you spend here will translate directly into time saved not waiting for programs to load and your new machine to respond. Remember that cheap netbooks aren't necessarily slow and sluggish! You can save money by going with a lower quality sound and video card, and put those dollars into a faster processor. You'll be glad you did!
The second critical component is the computer's hard drive. Bigger is better, and hard disk space is cheap (though this was not always the case), so you can get a lot of storage space for your money. It is true that there are other options where storage space is concerned. You can get portable "flash" or "jump" drives to store files, and external hard drives are fairly cheap, but both of these solutions have problems of their own. Flash drives are notoriously fragile, and prone to breakage or just getting lost, and most netbooks have only a very few USB ports, limiting your options for connecting an external drive. Besides that, the main reason you're getting a netbook is for its portability. As soon as you add an external hard drive, the system becomes a lot less portable.
Finally, there is the system's battery life. Again, since you're looking at portable computers, this is a big consideration. Don't accept manufacturers' estimates of battery life. They test their equipment under tightly controlled, optimal conditions, and in practice, you will only get 75-80% of what the manufacturer reports. This is the biggest area where cheap netbooks suffer. Longer battery life is better, but in practice, at lower price points, anything over five hours is about as good as you'll be able to find (though if you find something that lasts longer in your price range, definitely move it to the top of your list!).
You can get a lot of computer for your money, but you have to plan the matter carefully. Where portable computers are concerned, if you focus on the three components above, you'll wind up with a pretty powerful computer, at a bargain price.
For more information on cheap netbooks to make your purchase easier, check out http://cheapnetbooksunder150.net/cheap-netbooks for recommended netbooks and helpful reviews.
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