Netbooks

[sprayer]

I am looking to buy a net book but know next to nothing about computers so could anybody advise me what I should be looking for bearing in mind I can only afford to spend about £300 or less, I know I want wifi on it also a web cam but as for RAM & gigabytes I haven't got a clue It would be used mainly for searching the net and also for storing a few photos whilst on holiday. any ideas or recommendations would be great...

[MarkRae]

With computers, you (don't) get what you (don't) pay for, and saving money up front more often than not proves to be a false economy in the long run.

Netbooks these days can certainly appear very cheap. E.g. consider this:
http://www.morgancomp...404&SubCategoryID=414

It's way below your budget limit, but consider for a second *WHY* it's so cheap.

Firstly, it has very little memory - 1GB really should be considered the ABSOLUTE MINIMUM for running any version of Windows. That said, your usage requirements are fairly basic, so it will probably be sufficient. If you were intending to do any sort of programming or intensive graphics work, then it wouldn't be...

Secondly, it has a tiny hard disk. Most new machines come with at least 160GB - that has a tenth of that. That said, you don't want to store anything on it other than "a few photos whilst on holiday", so it will probably be sufficient. If you were intending to install Microsoft Office or similar, chances are it wouldn't be...

<to be continuted>

[MarkRae]

<continued>

Thirdly, it's not new. It's described as "As New Factory Refurbished", which is as near to brand new as you can get. Again, this probably won't matter.

Fourthly, it comes with Windows XP. This is very old now, and in fact is no longer supported by Microsoft. This may or may not be of concern to you, but it's one more reason why the machine is so cheap i.e. the suppliers are simply running down their redundant stock.

Finally, it doesn't have an optical drive (i.e. no CD/DVD player). Again, this may or may not be a problem for you, as you can easily plug in a USB memory stick and back up your photos etc onto that.

So, if you're happy enough to accept the fact that this machine will probably be fine but not to be surprised if it doesn't last very long, then you've got a real bargain on your hands.

However, if reliability is more important to you than cost, then look elsewhere.

But whatever machine you purchase, don't forget to get a protective case:
http://www.morgancomp...404&SubCategoryID=460

[sprayer]

Thanks for your ''in depth'' answer MarkRae, it has given me lots to think about and I appreciate it. after a quick look in Comet yesterday most of the net books I looked at appeared to have only 1GB. of memory + 160 GB hard disk, most were Win.7 but some were still XP. but I do want something that will last a reasonable time & not conk out 6 months down the line. (by the way I do not intend buying from Comet, it was just that I was passing) but as I said thanks for your help & if you do know of a make & model that's worth a look please let me know...

[chokkie]

the other thing that put us both off buying a netbook instead of a laptop is the small keyboard. I am an experienced typist so find using the smaller keyboard somewhat difficult. However, if you're just a "one-finger" person, then it shouldn't be too bad. good luck!