Speaking of netbooks--- what would you recommend for ...

[jterrell]

I'd avoid a netbook altogether and get a small lightweight actual laptop.

A netbook is a waste of money imho. (in fact they are really being phased out)

You are paying half the cost for 20% of the performance.
There are very lightweight laptops out there which would be perfect.
http://www.amazon.com/U35F-X1-Light-...N%3DB003XRDA4A

This is less than 4 pounds.

Failing that you might as well get a 7 or 10 inch tablet device like the ipad2.

Netbooks are a very weak middle ground between the 2 imho.

 

[palebunny]

I see your point, but a netbook is also 50% less than the price of that laptop, and looks to be about 50% of the performance-

but can't I purchase 2 gigs of ram separately and install it on the netbook?

I'm not going to do this if you all strongly discourage me, but what about if I get something like a $300 netbook from Asus ( http://www.amazon.com/ASUS-1015PED-P...9533495&sr=1-2) or dell (http://www.dell.com/us/en/dfh/noteb.../pd.aspx?refid=laptop-inspiron-10&s=dfh&cs=22)

And then purchase 2 gigs ram (I'd do 4GB ram if it were available) and then turn it into a Hackintosh mod?

i also saw this on craigslist: (if you are too lazy too click, it's a Dell mini 10v, but with Hackintosh already installed, and the product itself is advertised as 'lightly used' for $350)

http://losangeles.craigslist.org/sfv/sys/2251175339.html

Too risky?

 

[Zap]

I am a web and graphic designer,

That would have been one of my three guesses. There are only three types of people who change font size/type/color in forums.

1) web/graphics designers
2) foreigners (to the language)
3) spammers

I'm not going to do this if you all strongly discourage me, but what about if I get something like a $300 netbook from Asus (

And then purchase 2 gigs ram (I'd do 4GB ram if it were available) and then turn it into a Hackintosh mod?

i also saw this on craigslist: (if you are too lazy too click, it's a Dell mini 10v, but with Hackintosh already installed, and the product itself is advertised as 'lightly used' for $350)

http://losangeles.craigslist.org/sfv/sys/2251175339.html

Too risky?

1) Yes, netbooks can usually be upgraded to 2GB.
2) No, some netbooks cannot be upgraded to 4GB (but Zacate can!).
3) It is always risky to buy used gear from Craigslist. With that being said, $350 for a used netbook is not that great of a deal.

If you really want to Hackintosh it, do read up on what works and what doesn't. I don't know if there is information on the Zacate netbooks yet. I know that the first generation Atom netbooks (N270 processor) usually had pretty decent Hackintosh compatibility.

 

[mammador]

I would recommend a traditional notebook over a netbook.

Netbooks have the same essential target market as tablets, that is light use (Web browsing, social networking, office apps, etc.) Most netbooks have just a 1Ghz processor, and maybe just 1 gig of RAM, not enough for graphic design IMO. A top of the line smartphone (an iPhone 4 or a Samsung Galaxy 4G) has more or less equal functionality to a netbook. Even the top tablets do, and in the end IMO netbooks will just be a fad. it's a shame in a sense, since it was an excellent concept. Not everybody really needs an optical drive, and with flash memory CD/DVDs as storage devices make less sense.

 

[mfenn]

but can't I purchase 2 gigs of ram separately and install it on the netbook?

The RAM isn't your (main) problem. The fact that a 1.6Ghz Atom is insanely slow is.

 

[mnewsham]

The RAM isn't your (main) problem. The fact that a 1.6Ghz Atom is insanely slow is.

And why an E-350 would be a better option.

 

[palebunny]

And why an E-350 would be a better option.

I had no idea 1.6 gigahertz was insanely slow these days!!!!

Haha, yes, I am a graphic/web designer and colours and typefaces MAKE MY DAY!

I guess i have to hold off on the netbook for now

It's just that my macbook pro battery is FRIED or something---- it really seems to consume the battery in about 60 minutes, awful.

 

[VirtualLarry]

If you really want to Hackintosh it, do read up on what works and what doesn't. I don't know if there is information on the Zacate netbooks yet. I know that the first generation Atom netbooks (N270 processor) usually had pretty decent Hackintosh compatibility.

I thought that Apple explicitly removed support for the Intel Atom CPU from their OS, in order to prevent exactly what you are attempting to accomplish.

 

[VirtualLarry]

It's just that my macbook pro battery is FRIED or something---- it really seems to consume the battery in about 60 minutes, awful.

What about replacing the battery, instead of getting a new netbook? Or is that fried skin issue the problem.

 

[endlessmike133]

I had no idea 1.6 gigahertz was insanely slow these days!!!!

Haha, yes, I am a graphic/web designer and colours and typefaces MAKE MY DAY!

I guess i have to hold off on the netbook for now

It's just that my macbook pro battery is FRIED or something---- it really seems to consume the battery in about 60 minutes, awful.

Buy a new battery.

Honestly, best option is to take your MacBook with you..

 

[M0RPH]

I would only recommend a netbook as a cheap option if you really ONLY have $200 to spend. It is possible to do graphics/web design on a netbook. I have older versions of Photoshop and Dreamweaver on mine and I do it... it just requires patience as things can get very slow and the small screen is tough to work with. The portability and long battery life (6+ hours on mine) can be quite nice though.

 

[fffblackmage]

I had no idea 1.6 gigahertz was insanely slow these days!!!!

It's not the 1.6 GHz. It's the fact that we're talking about an Atom processor. A 1.6 GHz Core 2 Duo would be waaaaay faster than a 1.6 GHz Atom.

 

[trexpesto]

I've been seeing some deals on bensbargains and fatwallet.

 

[Zap]

And why an E-350 would be a better option.

Because... it is higher performance with similar power envelope?

I had no idea 1.6 gigahertz was insanely slow these days!!!!

It is and it isn't - all depends on what you are using it for.

I've been seeing some deals on bensbargains and fatwallet.

And... what else is new? Add Slickdeals to the list as well as our own Hot Deals forum.

 

[mnewsham]

Because... it is higher performance with similar power envelope?

You must have misunderstood I was adding to mfenn's reply and saying that the E-350 is a good buy because the ATOM at 1.6 is "insanely slow"

 

[palebunny]

Hi!

Just wanted to give an update on my situation. After much thought, I realized that what I wanted was a super cheap, compact version of what I had, which... doesn't exist.

If my budget is only about $300, like some of you pointed out here, I would sacrifice processor speed, and it would be a major pain in the @$$ to run Photoshop or Dreamweaver on it. Sigh. If only Photoshop didn't take up so much CPU.

So I've decided that I will just buy a replacement battery with that money. Hell, I can purchase TWO replacement batteries, if only it wouldn't entail having to shut down the entire computer and restart it with the new one, deleting all my current projects/windows... when I could just plug it into the wall.

As for the laptop burning my legs, I guess I just have to suck it up and put a pillow under the damn computer.

Anyway, i hope you've all been good. thanks for the input! I might revisit the opportunity to buy a $500-ish laptop a month or two from now.

 

[Zap]

You must have misunderstood I was adding to mfenn's reply and saying that the E-350 is a good buy because the ATOM at 1.6 is "insanely slow"

DOH! :\

Hi!
As for the laptop burning my legs, I guess I just have to suck it up and put a pillow under the damn computer.

You can use something like this. Don't use a pillow because it can block the air vents and cause your notebook to overheat. The thing I linked to not only keeps your lap cool, but will allow your notebook to run cooler as well. I've got two of these in my household and they seem to work. My lap doesn't get burned, and I'm not sure my notebooks run any cooler than sitting on a desk, but they sure don't seem to run any hotter.