Argos; MSI u230 12.1" netbook

Richard Dower

http://www.argos.ie/static/Product/partNumber/5082724/c_1/1|category_root|Office%2C+PCs+and+phones|14418968/c_2/2|cat_14418968|Laptops+and+netbooks|16164797/c_3/3|cat_16164797|Netbooks+and+mini+laptops|16164806.htm

Reduced to €350...i'm a bit PISSED off though!, 'cause last week i wanted the white version, but it was still €430 :mad: , so i got the pink one for €360, but now...a week later the white is even 10 quid cheaper :rolleyes:

Excellent machine, single core MV-40, it DOES have the ATI 3200 graphics ( the x1250 listed is wrong), NO bluetooth, 5,400 RPM HDD...but i swapped that out for a 250 GB Seagate Momentus XT...the one with 4GB SSD

Upgraded to RAM to 3GB, you can play 720/1080p vids like .mkv, but Flash HD video is still dodgy :mad:, even with Flash 10.1 installed, some 720p vids play OK, others are very jerky, 1080p seems out.

It's much snappier then Atom based netbooks, 64bit W7 installed, the glossy screen sucks though...it reflects everything and viewing angles are very limited/horrid.

But if you want a light and portable mini notebook that performs better then most Atom based choices i'd recomend this

Ghost Train

What sort of battery life does it get? Does it get hot or have a fan?

Performance does look a step up from netbook

Sort of inbetween full laptop and netbook

good to get win 7 premium instead of the starter that most netbooks get

slave1

Reduced to €350...i'm a bit PISSED off though!, 'cause last week i wanted the white version, but it was still €430 , so i got the pink one for €360, but now...a week later the white is even 10 quid cheaper

Just return last week's purchase, 30day return policy, then purchase the white one at the lower price...

Ghost Train

slave1 wrote: »

Just return last week's purchase, 30day return policy, then purchase the white one at the lower price...

Most electronics don't fall with in the 30 return policy

has it in the additional info at the bottom of the page

Richard Dower

Ghost Train wrote: »

What sort of battery life does it get? Does it get hot or have a fan?

Performance does look a step up from netbook

Sort of inbetween full laptop and netbook

good to get win 7 premium instead of the starter that most netbooks get

Please note i have adjusted default brightness and power options, all set to max...3 hours, default power options may last longer. I've disabled PowerNow in bios, why?....it limits the CPU to x4 multi and 800Mhz on battery....that's a no go!

I've also disabled PowerPlay in the ATI CP....as it also underclocks the GPU. Fan gets very hot and it spins up constantly.

Richard Dower

slave1 wrote: »

Just return last week's purchase, 30day return policy, then purchase the white one at the lower price...

30 day reurn policy/Moneyback guarantee does not apply to netbooks, i was told that when purchasing.

slave1

shame

dodzy

Richard Dower wrote: »

30 day reurn policy/Moneyback guarantee does not apply to netbooks, i was told that when purchasing.

You are correct. If a product is excluded from our 30-day money-back guarantee, it is clearly marked by a † next to the product name in the catalogue and on this website.

That "cross mark" is on the page which you linked to unfortunately

Ghost Train

Richard Dower wrote: »

Please note i have adjusted default brightness and power options, all set to max...3 hours, default power options may last longer. I've disabled PowerNow in bios, why?....it limits the CPU to x4 multi and 800Mhz on battery....that's a no go!

I've also disabled PowerPlay in the ATI CP....as it also underclocks the GPU. Fan gets very hot and it spins up constantly.

That all sounds about what I'd expect

Looking at benchmarks, which I know don't tell the full story. The NV40 looks about 25% better performance than the atoms in most netbooks

But power consumption of the atoms looks about a third of the NV40

Do think this looks like a better experience than a netbook, 12" screen is a big plus but you do loose a fair bit of batterylife

And slightly off topic but while I'm looking at it
A three/four year old core duo will give you about twice the performance
And a five/six year old pentium m will be about the same performance

Richard Dower

^ the MV-40 is 15W TDP as apposed to the Atom N450/455 5w...even the dual core Atom uses 6W, the 12" screen is a must imo along with the 1366x768 resolution....can properly display 720p. The size and weight is just right, even a 13" is too bulky to rest your your knee.

I wanted the dual core AMD model, but they don't sell it in the UK/IRE....only US.