ASUS EEEPC R105-BLK002X N450 1.66GHz, 10.1", 160GB, 1GB, WIN XP HOME (BLACK)
Features/Specifications:
CPU: Intel® Atom™ N450 1.66GHz
Display: 10.1" WSVGA
Memory: 1GB DDR2
Wireless: WLAN
Storage: 160GB HDD Storage
Camera: 0.3M Pixel
Color: Black
Operating System: Windows XP Home Edition
Probably the same specs as this :
Operating System Genuine Windows® XP
Display 10.1" LED Backlight WSVGA Screen (1024x600)
Intel CPU & Chipset Intel® Atom™ N450
Memory 1GB DDR2 SO-DIMM
Hybrid Storage 160GB HDD
Wireless Data Network WLAN 802.11b/g/n @2.4GHz
Camera 0.3M Pixel
Audio Hi-Definition Audio CODEC
Stereo speaker
Digital Array Mic
*Availability is dependent on selected model.
Input / Output 1 x VGA Port (D-sub 15-pin for external monitor)
3 x USB 2.0
1 x LAN RJ-45
2 x Audio Jack (Head Phone / Mic-in)
Card Reader: MMC/ SD(SDHC)
Battery
3-Cell Li-ion Battery
Dimensions 262mm(W) x 178mm(D) x 25.9mm~ 36.5mm(H)
Weight 1.27Kg (with Battery)
Infusion Black
http://www.teds.com.au/asus-eeepc-r105-160gb-xp-blk/w1/i5710…
I HATE those guys "centrecom" after the drama of their FAKE "10 Day End of Year SALE", they don't deserve ozbargain benefits IMO.
PS. Very average price, nothing special, shipping is $18 to NSW.
Would you reccomend something like this to replace a basic desktop? Our 5 year old dell has just gone caput.
Already have a monitor so I assume this could plug into that and basically function exactly the same as a desktop computer? Only need basic web browsing, email, video etc.
If it's just going to sit at home, perhaps you should get something like this:
http://www.expresspcparts.com.au/Items/PC-795-Mini-PC-D525?&…
$279 + shipping.
Just from a quick look at the specs, it should be faster and you can stick DVDs in it.
With the netbook you are paying for portability. It will also use less power.
I would recommend it for travel/portability and throw in a spare monitor and it'll do the job perfectly. I bought one for my travels and just for casual use around the house. The longevity of the netbook batteries is BIG plus in my book too!
Nubsy, if you just want something to browse the net and do basic computing your 5 year old Dell may be recoverable. It is just a series of basic plugable modules so when you say it has gone "caput", it may well just be the hard disk, power supply etc. If you have motherboard problems, well, Ok perhaps better to start over but I would at least get things checked over if i were you.
A netbook if a computer "lite" and probably won't fill the space but there are plenty of cheap options out there. Just work out your needs,ie the most difficult tasks you ask of your computer and meet those requirements.
+1 for Windows XP. Last week I tried to work on this exact model Acer netbook with Win 7 Starter, it was horrendously slow. My eMachines eM350 (same spec processor) with Win XP felt positively speedy in comparison.
Win 7 is also horrible to use on such a small screen, the big baby icons fill up so much screen real-estate without actually adding to legibility. Win XP has a much noticeably thinner task bar and menu bars. Some Win 7 control panels are actually too big for netbook screens so you can't see the bottom of the window. I can't believe it passed beta testing like that. Even setting Win 7 to use small icons doesn't make them much smaller, it shrinks the icon a bit but leaves the surrounding area roughly the same size, which seems pretty stupid to me.
I think Win 7 is fantastic for larger monitors, but no good for current netbooks.
Sounds like you just need to try it on a 12" netbook. I'm using a benq u121 with win7 pro and xp installed, but have used win 7 most of the time. The 1366x768 resolution on it is a lot better for usability, but i guess its also up to your personal preference as well.
Actually I tried running Win 7 Ultimate on the 10" eMachine netbook, it seemed much faster than Win 7 Starter on the Asus. It's probably because the Aero interface is disabled with Starter version, Aero speeds things up a lot by using the graphics processor to draw windows. Pro and Home Premium have Aero enabled also, but Home Basic I imagine would also be slow.
I found the large buttons win Win 7 a bit of a hindrance with the small screen so switched back to XP which serves me well, so can't complain. I'm sure just having that small number of pixels on your Benq, an extra 168 pixels, would make a world of difference.
You just need to adjust the icon sizes. I have no issues at all with Win7 on a 1024x600 10", but it took a bit of tweaking of the settings.
i've got the em350 too. installed w7 ultimate and it runs fine.. i didn't even try starter
I'd suggest waiting for the new AMD zacate netbooks to hit the market - should be pretty soon.
From the sounds of it they're offering 3 times the performance of the atom processor at a similar price point.
Having a look at the specs, it seems to be same/slightly similar to the emachine em350 that was at $160/$200, with the Windows 7 starter.
Although eMachines are Acer and this is Asus to + for you!
EDIT: the RRP of this netbook is $399
http://www.staticice.com.au/cgi-bin/search.cgi?q=asus++r105&…
staticice gives cheapest @ $355 @ onlinecomputers