[mattdevney]

My wife needed a new netbook, her previous lappy having gone to the great recycling center in the sky.

She and I both love Dell for a variety of reasons, so I checked out the 10 and 10v. In the end I ordered this:

Inspiron 1010 : Atom Z530 (1.6GHz,533MHz,1G RAM) - faster cpu
10.1in Widescreen WSVGA with Truelife - not HD
Primary 6-cell 56W/HR - bigger battery

We're using XP as my wife is not technical and wants everything to look like what she is used to. Just so you know!

I got the faster cpu for free by haggling with the guy on the phone, I needed the bigger battery as she hates plugging in the lappy to use it, but I did not think a HD screeen was worthwhile on a small netbook.

Have I made a mistake here? Everyone seems to be saying how crippled the mini 10 is versus the mini 10v - which seems absurd if you look at the price differential - and that the only saving grace of the regular 10 is the HD screen (which I didn't spec)!

Should I cancel? Upspec to HD screen? Or 'downgrade' to 10v?

Oh yeah, my wife really likes her tech stuff to ooze quality, so the upmarket look of the 10 also impressed - is it that much nicer looking?

Thanks for your time!

Matt

[jebni]

Correct me if I'm wrong, I thought the 10 was only "crippled" in comparison to the 10v because of spotty driver support for the GMA 500 graphics system, and because the 10v's GMA 950 makes it compatible with OS X. (The latter only because OS X happens to have drivers for the GMA 950... right?)

[letmusiclive]

Well, I just ordered my Mini 10, but it is the opposite of yours, 1.3 atom, HD screen, and 3 cell battery. This was upgrading from the Mini 9 with a 1.6 atom, standard screen and battery.

So far, I can not tell the difference in processor speeds - if it took longer to install Open Office then the difference was at most 1-2 minutes.

I needed the HD screen due to software limitations on a smaller screen - it is frustrating to not be able to see what you are doing.

I do think I will be looking for a 6 Cell battery. The 3 gives me almost two hours while using WiFi, which is normally more than adequate, but the idea of going longer between charges is appealing.


On a side note, I had upgraded my 9 to 2 gigs of ram, which of course cannot be done with the Mini 10. To be honest, I cannot tell a difference, and that is with identical usage of the two machines.

That's my two cents!

[lauriem04]

Originally Posted by jebni

Correct me if I'm wrong, I thought the 10 was only "crippled" in comparison to the 10v because of spotty driver support for the GMA 500 graphics system, and because the 10v's GMA 950 makes it compatible with OS X. (The latter only because OS X happens to have drivers for the GMA 950... right?)

IMO, the main thing crippling the Mini 10 (vs. the 10v) is the inability to upgrade to 2 GB of RAM. The 10v's RAM is upgradeable, although it is not easy since it requires a good bit of disassembly. Since the OP apparently has no plans to Hackintosh, the GMA 500's incompatibility with OSX shouldn't be a factor. Also, I've heard (though I haven't experienced it personally) that the latest GMA 500 driver really improves video performance.

The 10 is a nicer looking unit IMO because of the edge to edge glass screen, although it does tend to be a magnet for dust and fingerprints. I think the bottom cases are different too - the 10v is just a standard plastic case, whereas the bottom of the 10 is sort of textured. I'm not positive, but I think I read somewhere that Dell is using some kind of magnesium (?) alloy for the Mini 10.

Ultimately, I guess it depends on what your wife plans to use it for. If it will just be used for basic Internet and word processing, the Mini 10 will be perfectly fine for her needs. However, if she plans to use a lot of resource-hungry programs, she might be happier with the 10v and an upgrade to 2 GB of RAM.

[sammyboy405]

Anyone who Buys a netbook needs to understand they are ment to be used as a "NET" book. Basic things, Internet, Email, Basic word Documents and such. I Use mine for testing, and a Life Organizer.. So 1gig of ram is more than enough to accomplish all that.

Where the 1010's downfall is Driver Support for the GMA500, And thats Intels Fault not Dells. Drivers have gotten a TON better in the past couple of months.

I think you will Find the 1010 will do everything you are needing to do. Id just receemned to keep checking around from time to time for GMA500 driver updates. For the type of Machine a Netbook is the GMA500 is a great video resource.

People just always have to remember when they buy a netbook.. Its not a Laptop, its Not a PC.. Its a Netbook. Nothing more.. A Barebone Basic Ultra portable system. Most people when they buy one its because they are "Trendy" and they are just following a Trend and or fashion statement. And then there of those of us who know what a netbook is and how it should be use and do what we can to improve it with minor tweaks here and there.

But yea I think your fine with the 1010. I havent Ran Windows XP on mine since I bought it, But from the posts on here and other sites it seems as if the XP drivers got a nice little boost last month and made it alot better than it was before. Windows 7 and Ubuntu is about all I can vouch for. Windows 7 Ran like a Dream with No Tweaks other than turning Areo off. And Ubuntu just needs a little bit of work and you can get some decent performance out of it. No where near perfect. But Netbooks where not designed for 3d graphics, just basic internet and PC usage.

Hope you enjoy your 1010, I know I Like mine Its help organize me a ton at work.

[rr0123]

I do think you made a mistake in not getting the HD screen. I have the Mini 10 with the HD screen and it's a great screen. If I did not want the HD screen, I would have bought the 10v since it has OSX potential and RAM upgrade potential (with some elbow grease, apparently).

I got my Mini 10 from the outlet for $350 with 1.6 processor, 1.3 webcam, 6 cell battery, bluetooth, and HD screen. I am very happy with it at that price.

[mattdevney]

First off, thanks all for replying.

Second, I think I was being a bit harsh by using the word 'crippled'. I saw various threads about the mini 10 versus 10v and got the following:

10v can have RAM upgraded
10 processor (1.6 GHz Z530) with XP and 1Gb runs slow
10 without HD screen is like the cake missing the cherry on the top - loses browsing real estate
10 is mainly for the image-concious (which my wife would deny, but she is - she's got the 'muse in orange' cover) - glossy look & zinc body not necessary

So, what my wife uses it for is wireless web surfing, office apps, and BBC iPlayer/Channel 4OD (UK streaming SD TV). She wants a 3G dongle for out and about, and that's about it.

I presume that this fits your idea of what a Netbook is for Sammyboy? Are all these possible with the 1010?

And is there a 1011 coming out soon that's better in some way? Or am I just confused? And how come us Brits never get the great deals? Grr! :-/

three-fifty US dollars?! You do not want to know the UK prices... the HD screen is £20 extra, or about $35, the 6 cell is £45, or $75 more. The unit starts at £299, or $350. Hence me limiting the extras.

[zrtom]

It's really good to hear support for the GMA500 has improved. I've had 3 Mini 10s (1010) since February (long story) and eventually gave up. I like my Mini 10v now, and with a really good SSD and 2GB of RAM its performance begins to approach my M1330.
There are rumors of revisions to both Mini 10s in September or October, but just rumors at this point.

[mattdevney]

Forgive a potentially stupid question, but do I need to do anything specific to used the most up to date drivers or will Microsoft Update sort it for me (I'm being very optimistic here I think)?

[lauriem04]

Originally Posted by mattdevney

Forgive a potentially stupid question, but do I need to do anything specific to used the most up to date drivers or will Microsoft Update sort it for me (I'm being very optimistic here I think)?

I think there's a link to the updated GMA 500 driver in this thread:

New Intel GMA 500 drivers finally show its potential

Not sure about others. I tend not to mess around with drivers unless something isn't working correctly. As far as I'm concerned, if it ain't broke, don't fix it! ;-)