Acer Aspire One vs Asus Eee PC 901 vs MSI Wind

[Retrac1324]

I'm trying to decide between these three netbooks, all have:

- Intel Atom Processor
- 1GB RAM
- 1024x600 Screen Resolution
- SD/MMC Card Reader
- b/g WiFi
- 10/100 Ethernet

Acer Aspire One
- Windows XP
- 8.9 inch Screen
- 120 GB Hard Drive
- 0.3 MP Webcam
- 3 Cell Battery
- $399

MSI Wind
- Windows XP
- 10 inch Screen
- 80 GB Hard Drive
- 1.3 MP Webcam
- 6 Cell Battery
- $549

Asus Eee PC 901
- Linux
- 8.9 inch Screen
- 20 GB Solid State Disk
- 1.3 MP Webcam
- 6 Cell Battery
- $599

[shadowpr]

I think it comes down to how heavy you want it, and how big of a laptop you want.

Once you get to a 10 inch screen with a 2.5 drive, you might as well just get a larger laptop for the same price with better specs.

The whole idea behind these small laptops is to be really small and fast. That means smaller screen, and solid state drives.

[Retrac1324]

Originally Posted by shadowpr I think it comes down to how heavy you want it, and how big of a laptop you want. Once you get to a 10 inch screen with a 2.5 drive, you might as well just get a larger laptop for the same price with better specs. The whole idea behind these small laptops is to be really small and fast. That means smaller screen, and solid state drives.

Of the two 8.9 in netbooks, the Acer Aspire One is $200 cheaper. The difference is the SSD, 6 cell battery, and 0.24 lbs heavier. How much faster is the SSD? I know boot times and program load times are faster (and battery life), but I don't know any specifics.

[shadowpr]

It depends on if you leave the default linux on the eee. If you do, then it's fast. Really fast. If you would put your own distro on it, then not so fast.

I actually have the 900, and i like the construction of it. It's a solid build. Battery life seems good to me. Weight is nice.

Only problems I have had, and they are just maybes, is I think I might of had a ssd problem for a while. I might have fixed it. And their tech support isn't that great. They're quick to give an rma number though.

[Retrac1324]

Originally Posted by shadowpr It depends on if you leave the default linux on the eee. If you do, then it's fast. Really fast. If you would put your own distro on it, then not so fast. I actually have the 900, and i like the construction of it. It's a solid build. Battery life seems good to me. Weight is nice. Only problems I have had, and they are just maybes, is I think I might of had a ssd problem for a while. I might have fixed it. And their tech support isn't that great. They're quick to give an rma number though.

I just hope the default Linux isn't too simplified, and that I can easily install software. The ones I particularly need (and are probably loaded on default) are Firefox, Pidgin, OpenOffice, Adobe Flash/Java Plugins, PDF Viewer, BitTorrent [Deluge/Transmission], Media Player [VLC], Music Player [Banshee/Amarok].

The Linux distro also needs good driver support that it can access most of my USB devices (cameras, flash drives, external hard drives). With the Aspire One, Windows XP Home is loaded on default, which I prefer. Though I could probably install Linux on it if I wanted to.

I just don't think the battery life and SSD is worth $200 (and 1/6th the hard drive space). With that $200 I could get a case, lock, SDHC card and still have money to spare. I think I should go to a store and see if the SSD makes a considerable difference.

[glc]

I haven't been too pleased with Acer quality in the past few years. They are cutting a lot of corners to keep the price low. I'm also guessing that MSI's notebooks may be made by ECS - not exactly a quality manufacturer either. From a quality standpoint Asus wins by a mile, but the Eee may be too limiting for your needs.

[shadowpr]

The eee also comes with windows xp.

And like you said, for about $600, you could probably get a laptop with a core 2 duo in it. You're paying for size, and weight.

[Retrac1324]

Originally Posted by shadowpr The eee also comes with windows xp. And like you said, for about $600, you could probably get a laptop with a core 2 duo in it. You're paying for size, and weight.

For the Eee PC 901 (with Intel Atom) there are two choices. If you the get Windows XP, then you only get a 12GB SSD, but if you get it with Linux, you get the 20 GB SSD.

The Acer Aspire One weights less then the Eee as well. Right now I'm leaning towards the Aspire One, only wish it had a 6 cell battery since it has a hard drive.

Originally Posted by glc I haven't been too pleased with Acer quality in the past few years. They are cutting a lot of corners to keep the price low. I'm also guessing that MSI's notebooks may be made by ECS - not exactly a quality manufacturer either. From a quality standpoint Asus wins by a mile, but the Eee may be too limiting for your needs.

Quality wise, the HP mininote is probably the winner, but it has Via and not Intel Atom. I think any of the three above would quality wise be enough.

[glc]

Nothing wrong with the low power Via processors. That is now their niche.

[Retrac1324]

Alright, I think I'm going with the Acer Aspire One since its the lightest of them all and the cheapest. It has Windows XP preloaded and I can always upgrade the 3 cell battery in the future if I find it necessary.

[shadowpr]

Do a review after you get it.

[Retrac1324]

Acer is expected to introduce models later with the larger 6-cell battery, as well as a wider selection of colors. Certain models of the Aspire One have a built-in 3G wireless adapter for accessing the internet through a mobile network. These models are expected later in 2008.

Gonna hold off until I find the date of the 6-cell battery model launch

here's a 26 minute unboxing and initial thought:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wYm5CtPeSn0