Samsung Netbooks

paulgrogan.eu

Hi Guys,

I'm just preparing my order for Santy at the moment and I have been considering a Netbook. Initially I was sold on the Samsung NC10 for a variety of reasons, mainly the big keyboard. I was then sold on the Nokia Booklet 3G but I read it only has a 1.8" HD which isnt good should I want to upgrade or swap O/S's quickly.

So, after having a really good read around here I notice that there seems to be a number of replacements for the NC10, like the N130, N140 etc. and to be honest, I'm now lost as to which one to go for!

I'm a IT Technition by day and plan to get windows 7 as I need to learn it for my day to day work going forward. Just wondering, is anyone aware of any free windows 7 upgrades on any of the samsung range?

So basically my question to all you boards experts is!

- Which Samsung Netbook is best
- Which is best value for money
- Any other info I should be aware of.
- Do any of them have a shiney screen? It must have a matt finish screen as those shiney ones are useless in a Sunny enviornment.

To be honest, as a brand I feel Samsung is the best so its only their models I'm interested in getting your recommendations for.

If any of you know where I can get good value on any of these other than ebay (I'd like to get a new one with warrenty etc, I'm a very fussy person and like to get stuff new and look after it even if it costs a little more!) please post that also.

Many thanks in advance guys!

Rgds,

Paul Grogan

Alanstrainor

Netbooks will start to come out with Windows 7 starter gradually over the next few months. But, i'd say that would be inadequate to learn about the intricacies of win 7. The samsungs have a matt screen, so there's no need to worry there. I recently bought a samsung N510 for my uncle, and it's a fine machine, i ended up buying it in Harvey Normans of all places, but they ended up being cheaper after haggling. The N510 has the Nvidia ION graphics chip, which may not be essential, but certainly sped things up over my standard netbook.

sanjeev

hi paul do u how can i download microsoft office in samsung nc10

paulgrogan.eu

sanjeev wrote: »

hi paul do u how can i download microsoft office in samsung nc10

Hi Sanjeev,

Are you trying to install it from a CD that you already have?

Rgds

Paul.

Alun

N140's are already shipping with Windows 7 Starter edition (and a bigger 250GB HD).

http://elara.ie/products/results.asp?srch=n140+windows+7&anyallexact=all&manu=&mancode=&type=&typedesc=&layershowhide=&Submit1=Refine

paulgrogan.eu

Hi Guys,

Just wondering, Windows 7 Starter. Whats it got and not got compared to the regular versions of windows 7 which are for sale.

Also, would I be better off just buying a netbook and an off the shelf copy of Windows 7 or the 2 combined?

Thanks

Paul G.

Alun

paulgrogan.eu wrote: »

Just wondering, Windows 7 Starter. Whats it got and not got compared to the regular versions of windows 7 which are for sale.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Windows_7_editions#Comparison_chart

Amalgam

For a ten inch screen and just lacking Bluetooth, I think the Samsung N130-KA03 (Black), Atom N270 1.6GHz with XP Home is great value.

Under 300 euro at Elara. Currently: €292.82 Incl VAT

http://elara.ie/products/detailsfullat.asp?productcode=ECE1808910#spec

I wouldn't be too bothered about not having Windows 7 on a 'Netbook' myself, or lacking Bluetooth, as I rarely use it. The only thing I would upgrade is the memory, a 2GB Ram module does wonders for XP, disable the page file etc.

Videos of this Samsung show a discreet Samsung logo on the lid, along with a rather nice matt finish, allegedly, with anti-bacterial qualities..?!

Amalgam

Just a word of warning, to tempter my post above.. it might be good value, but it has some odd quirks.. No stereo speakers in it. Just one mono speaker. Sound will be frustrating, unless you plan to plug in external speakers or use headphones.

paulgrogan.eu

http://www.samsung.com/ie/consumer/detail/spec.do?group=itbusiness&type=notebookcomputers&subtype=nseries&model_cd=NP-NC10-KA02UK&fullspec=F

Hi guys,

Just in relation to the sound. It appears that the NC10 has 2 nice little Stereo speakers. For my needs, it appears all the signs are pointing towards the NC10! They even use it on Bill Cullen's, The Apprentice! So it must be good :P

Rgds

Paul

chris1970

hi guys,
just bought an n510 looking for 2gb memory anyone got any recommendations?

paulgrogan.eu

http://www.ebuyer.com/product/168414

Easily the best deal on a NC10 so far. Ive gone for the Laptop + Memory bundle.

Once I receive mine I will post a review on www.paulgrogan.eu !!

Rgds

Paul.

agentgreen

paulgrogan.eu wrote: »

http://www.ebuyer.com/product/168414

Easily the best deal on a NC10 so far. Ive gone for the Laptop + Memory bundle.

Once I receive mine I will post a review on www.paulgrogan.eu !!

Rgds

Paul.

Any reason you picked this over the N140?

chris1970

got n510 last friday with xp, must say well impressed, a bit dearer the other n-series netbook, but a much better resolution screen, it makes all the difference, plays mts hd files no problem, bonus of 1 year microsoft office student, happy i spent the little extra,

Alanstrainor

chris1970 wrote: »

got n510 last friday with xp, must say well impressed, a bit dearer the other n-series netbook, but a much better resolution screen, it makes all the difference, plays mts hd files no problem, bonus of 1 year microsoft office student, happy i spent the little extra,

It's a nice machine, and the nvidia ion is a cool addition.

paulgrogan.eu

agentgreen wrote: »

Any reason you picked this over the N140?

Price! Ebuyer deal was great. £271 pounds + delivery for the nc10 + a 2gb memory upgrade. Cant really beat that

Plus I didnt feel the N140 was going to do much more than the NC10 can.

omb0wyn5ehpij9

paulgrogan.eu wrote: »

Price! Ebuyer deal was great. £271 pounds + delivery for the nc10 + a 2gb memory upgrade. Cant really beat that

Plus I didnt feel the N140 was going to do much more than the NC10 can.

Did the 2 gigs of ram come installed?

paulgrogan.eu

Bryn wrote: »

Did the 2 gigs of ram come installed?

I'm not actually sure yet, but when I get it I will be sure to let you all know and write a bit of a review about the machine.

Rgds

Paul

iggy

paulgrogan.eu wrote: »

I'm not actually sure yet, but when I get it I will be sure to let you all know and write a bit of a review about the machine.

Rgds

Paul

Did you use google checkoput to pay?

When is your expected delivery?

Thanks

paulgrogan.eu

iggy wrote: »

Did you use google checkoput to pay?

When is your expected delivery?

Thanks

My girlfriend bought it for me as my christmas present so I'm not sure. I'll ask her tho and let you know.

Rgds

Paul

paulgrogan.eu

Bryn wrote: »

Did the 2 gigs of ram come installed?

Nope. The chip came shipped seperatly.

iggy wrote: »

Did you use google checkoput to pay?

When is your expected delivery?

Thanks

My girlfriend ordered it last Thursday or Friday I think and it arrived yesterday so just about a week for delivery, which is super.

Will get back to you on how she paid.

Also, it came with a free Samsung sleeve. She said to me that the quality of the sleeve isn't super and I will more than likely need to buy a new stronger one (I'm very protective of all my equipment and this as served me well over the years!) but none the less it was nice to get something included.

Rgds,

Paul

iggy

paulgrogan.eu wrote: »

Nope. The chip came shipped seperatly.



My girlfriend ordered it last Thursday or Friday I think and it arrived yesterday so just about a week for delivery, which is super.

Will get back to you on how she paid.

Also, it came with a free Samsung sleeve. She said to me that the quality of the sleeve isn't super and I will more than likely need to buy a new stronger one (I'm very protective of all my equipment and this as served me well over the years!) but none the less it was nice to get something included.

Rgds,

Paul

Do you plan on putting Windows 7 on it?

Just wondering is there any need for the extra RAM if keeping XP on it.

Gonna order one of these and will be using it for mostly browsing and watching videos so dont know if I need the extra memory?

mbreen

Fair play to you Paul and the others who posted about this topic. I was considering the Samsung netbooks and Lenovo Idea pads, sub 400 netbooks and your post and the many replies helped to clear up a few things.

I will read with interest Paul what you think about the extra RAM if running Xp. Was it necessary, did it come installed etc.

If someone knows, and has a minute or two to respond, could you maybe address these few quick questions:

1. On netbooks that ship with Windows 7 (Starter or otherwise) will the Win 7 expire March 2010?
If so, what do we do then? How much will we be paying for Win 7 home?

2. Is it a problem if the Wireless card in the NC10 is 802.11 b or g when I have an N router? I don't want to be spending extra money upgrading wireless card, what's your experience of the wifi card in yours Paul?

3. I have never used a netbook and would be interested to know how good the 1.6ghz processor is in them . . . my current, 3-yr old laptop has a 1.66ghz T5500 centrino dup processor and 2GB RAM Running Xp and it's fine but in 2 years time I'd like my netbook to be still fine, if you follow me.

4. Would the N510 at over €150 dearer compared to the price you got on ebuyer.com be just extra money for a slightly larger screen??

paulgrogan.eu

iggy wrote: »

Do you plan on putting Windows 7 on it?

Just wondering is there any need for the extra RAM if keeping XP on it.

Gonna order one of these and will be using it for mostly browsing and watching videos so dont know if I need the extra memory?

Hi there,

As I.T is my daily career, I need to keep up to speed with the various progressions in the I.T sector. I took one look at Vista and hated and realised very quickly that it simply wasnt going to take off. Therefore I've no experience with it, as XP has been the Business Industry Standard ever since. Now that Windows 7 has come along, I reckon it could be around for a bit longer and my inital impressions from the beta realese is that its a much nicer O/S.

So, to answer your question, yes, I will be installing Windows 7 on it. I plan to partition my hard drive in half. I will buy a retail copy of Windows 7 professional (Or the equivilant of Windows XP Professional) and install that on one half to use as my primary O/S and to learn how it works so I can have a good knowledge in supporting as it becomes more common, then on the other half I will have Windows XP so I can keep up to speed with that also.

Is there a need for the extra ram, its no harm. But as I am running Windows 7, I think it wont go to waste.

If you are going to buy one for web browsing and playing videos on Windows XP Home (The O/S pre-installed), then I would say that no, the memory upgrade is not essential. However, when websites like ebuyer are offering the 2gb memory upgrade for about 30 quid extra, its a good offer to take advantage of.

Sorry for the long post but I hope that helps you!

Rgds,

Paul

paulgrogan.eu

mbreen wrote: »

Fair play to you Paul and the others who posted about this topic. I was considering the Samsung netbooks and Lenovo Idea pads, sub 400 netbooks and your post and the many replies helped to clear up a few things.

I will read with interest Paul what you think about the extra RAM if running Xp. Was it necessary, did it come installed etc.

Unfortunatly I wont be getting my hands on my NC10 until Christmas day as its a present from my girlfriend, so you may have to wait a bit. But I can tell you now that the the 2gb chip did not come pre-installed. It came with the 1gb pre-installed as normal and the 2gb chip was included in the box seperatly. However, from previous experience, more memory helps XP alot.

If someone knows, and has a minute or two to respond, could you maybe address these few quick questions:

1. On netbooks that ship with Windows 7 (Starter or otherwise) will the Win 7 expire March 2010?
If so, what do we do then? How much will we be paying for Win 7 home?

Windows 7 Starter is a version developed for Netbooks as far as I'm aware. Its the only version of Windows 7 available currently on Netbooks. I would very much dought that there will be an expiry date on it. That only applies to pre-release versions for IT Professionals and developers such as myself. This is sent out from Microsoft free of charge. My advice would be to get a machine with Windows XP and buy Windows 7 afterwards as starter is heavily cut down and hardly worth it. You cant even change the wallpaper!!!

2. Is it a problem if the Wireless card in the NC10 is 802.11 b or g when I have an N router? I don't want to be spending extra money upgrading wireless card, what's your experience of the wifi card in yours Paul?

I am uncertain about the effect of this. However I would have the same question so if someone on here could clarify that would be great.

3. I have never used a netbook and would be interested to know how good the 1.6ghz processor is in them . . . my current, 3-yr old laptop has a 1.66ghz T5500 centrino dup processor and 2GB RAM Running Xp and it's fine but in 2 years time I'd like my netbook to be still fine, if you follow me.

Deffo follow you. It really depends what you want it to do. If you just doing basic tasks on it, (IE not cad/gaming/power hungry stuff etc) then once minded with some TLC it should last you for ever. I've a MacBook pro since 2006, all it needs is a new battery because it dosent hold the charge so well anymore. Its all down to how you look after them. So straight answer is yes, I would imagine that it will serve you as long if not longer. If you have it on the net all the time you will need strong internet security to avoid having to re-install the O/S regularly.

4. Would the N510 at over €150 dearer compared to the price you got on ebuyer.com be just extra money for a slightly larger screen??

Well I actually went for the NC10, as I felt it was the best all around package and I didnt want Windows 7 Starter, because its useless to me. And I wanted the smallest laptop I could get as I want it to be mobile. So yes, I deffo think the N510 is just a bit more for a slightly newer and slightly bigger machine.

*See my replies underlined above.

I hope my replies above shed some light on your questions but feel free to ask more as I did the same if not more research than you to ensure I got the right machine!

Rgds

Paul

mbreen

Thanks for that Paul, particularly for clearing up re. Win 7 Starter. Am happy with Xp and don't see any reason to change for the moment. Will not be doing anything too power hungry on the netbook, web surfing, MS Office but would def. be more comfortable with 2GB RAM - must get on to Samsung or ebuyer to see if what kind of RAM it takes so that I can shop around for that and see if it would make any sense to just order the machine from ebuyer and then later if 1GB not enough get more.

Bet you can't wait to get the mitts on it Xmas Day - - - I am passing on my SONY to my brother, he needs the bigger screen, DVD drive etc. and I just don't - and it's a good excuse to get a netbook anyway :-)

Thanks again, have a good wkend.

Slaanesh

Ordered my NC10 on Monday morning and it arrived Wednesday morning, some speed!

paulgrogan.eu

Slaanesh wrote: »

Ordered my NC10 on Monday morning and it arrived Wednesday morning, some speed!

Where did you order from Slaanesh?

Rgds

Paul

podge018

Hi, I'm trying to register on ebuyer but it's not recognising my Irish phone number. How do you get around that?

iggy

podge018 wrote: »

Hi, I'm trying to register on ebuyer but it's not recognising my Irish phone number. How do you get around that?

I just bought one a few minutes ago by paying through google checkout.

Its 9.99 sterling delivery to Ireland.

The total delivered came to 248 pounds sterling which is about €278.

podge018

what did you buy? The NC10?

iggy

podge018 wrote: »

what did you buy? The NC10?

yea this one

http://www.ebuyer.com/product/168414

Amalgam

chris1970 wrote: »

got n510 last friday with xp, must say well impressed, a bit dearer the other n-series netbook, but a much better resolution screen, it makes all the difference, plays mts hd files no problem, bonus of 1 year microsoft office student, happy i spent the little extra,

Series of photos and unboxing for anyone interested.

http://www.netbookchoice.com/2009/09/28/nbc-samsung-n510-netbook-unboxed/

Nice looking machine. Anything around 11inches and above, in width, is just about pushing it for a Netbook in my mind. But it is a very sleek thing nonetheless.

podge018

Okay, thanks to this thread I bought the NC10 from ebuyer. Is the top (or behind the screen I dont know what it's called) glossy black or a matt finish?

paulgrogan.eu

podge018 wrote: »

Okay, thanks to this thread I bought the NC10 from ebuyer. Is the top (or behind the screen I dont know what it's called) glossy black or a matt finish?

Glad this thread helped you!

The top of the laptop is a glossy finish where as the screen more importantly is matt finish.

paulgrogan.eu

podge018 wrote: »

Hi, I'm trying to register on ebuyer but it's not recognising my Irish phone number. How do you get around that?

My girlfriend called them and they told her to put in their own phone number and they also gave her a post code to use which was "REP123".

Then she was instructed to email her order reference and her own number to them and they changed it.

Rgds

Paul

podge018

cheers Paul. Instead, I used the google checkout as advised above, worked a charm. €312 or something for the 2GB of memory, as opposed to €320 in PC world for the 1GB. Nice one.

paulgrogan.eu

podge018 wrote: »

cheers Paul. Instead, I used the google checkout as advised above, worked a charm. €312 or something for the 2GB of memory, as opposed to €320 in PC world for the 1GB. Nice one.

Hi there,

Great stuff! Glad to help! Thats what this great forum is here for! Ya it deffo worked out the best deal around. I even priced buying the basic laptop from them and then buying the memory seperatly later but it was working out about 20-30 quid more expensive than their combined deal.

Cant wait to get mine now. I will be writing a review about it over Christmas on my blog should anyone else be considering getting one.

Rgds

Paul

podge018

Just got a mail saying my order has been cancelled by ebuyer and my money refunded to my account with no explanation or reason as to why. Pretty furious here.

paulgrogan.eu

Probably best if you give them a buzz. Really surprised at that as Jennifer had no problem with them.

Rgds

Paul

iggy

podge018 wrote: »

Just got a mail saying my order has been cancelled by ebuyer and my money refunded to my account with no explanation or reason as to why. Pretty furious here.

Mine is despatched and says I should have it by Wed.

Did you get an order number?

podge018

yeah, seems I didn't read the small print, if it's your first order with them you have to have it delivered to your billing address, for anti-fraud reasons.

I've reorderd, but a hope I'll be here when the postie comes. Will have to collect from the office which is a pain the hole.

gottoomuchmilk

anybody know where I can get a pink NC10 for around 300euro? online or elsewhere? thanks, its a xmas present, wud love some help!

agentgreen

What is the bus speed on the NC10?

podge018

I got an email this morning from ebuyer saying my payment was processed and that it would be delivered on Friday 20th.

Is that a definite then? I can safely take that off work?

iggy

podge018 wrote: »

I got an email this morning from ebuyer saying my payment was processed and that it would be delivered on Friday 20th.

Is that a definite then? I can safely take that off work?

I'll let you know. Mine is supposed to be delivered tomorrow but I guess it all depends on the courier service they use for Ireland.

I think its Nightline they use but I couldnt get a tracking number ..

mbreen

Well I got on to the ebuyer website today to try and order the NC10 - - - no longer stocking it. So I had to (kind of) start over with my research having spent half the morning in PC WOrld and Currys playing with their NC10 display models (€319.99 they are charging for them). Anyway, I've just ordered the N130 - a white one, with 160GB HD and Win Xp Home and 1gb of 800mhz RAM from ebuyer, working out at €296 incl. shipping. Will wait and see how I get on with 1gb RAM and if I need more I will order more. The N140 (and maybe the N130) are the replacements for the NC10 - I couldn't justify the extra few quid for the N140 as the NC10 would have met all my needs and the RAM on the N130 seems to be faster again than it so let's just hope . . .

Thanks again everyone here for the advice and general discussion about this topic. Your help was v. useful. Hope to have mine by the weekend but if it doesn't arrive til next week maybe the house will get cleaned the weekend LOL :-)

Revan

any idea what the N510 would be like for HD playback? thinking of buying and using to hook up to larger screen - small size suits my set-up at home. Presumably the Atom processor wouldn't be much slower than a desktop Pentium - hate hanging around for stuff to load!

podge018

any news Iggy?

iggy

podge018 wrote: »

any news Iggy?

Yea got it this afternoon about 3 o clock.

I was lucky coz I just arrived home and the courier was at my door.

I asked why he didnt ring ahead to give an estimated time but he said he doesnt do that.

The courier was GLS so I'd ring them in the morning to see if it went out.

Had a quick look inside box and all seems ok

mbreen

Hey everyone,
Glad I went ahead and placed my order with ebuyer - I have to say I am happy with my purchase, it's an N130 - won't be bothering with extra RAM for the moment as don't plan to put Office on it for the moment, will use Google docs for anything I need to open.

Order placed Tuesday night last, late, and delivered this morning at 11am. Very impressed with them I have to say!!

Thanks again to everyone on this thread for help with my questions.