[hinges]

Hi, I am interested in Dell Mini 1018. I like everything except for two things:

1) LCD Hinges. They look very fragile, not like anything I saw on other netbooks. Even Acer Aspire One has thick beefy hinges. Netbook computer is for super portability, I will carry it around everywhere I go and those hinges should be strong, not thin and tiny like Dell has.

2) Also, this model comes with Atom N455, which produces a whole Watt more of heat as compared to previous Atom N450. And all I see are tiny vents on the bottom and nothing on the side. I think this computer will constantly overheat. Again, Acer's buttom has lots of vents, it's literally a sifter, so lots of fresh air will flow to the CPU.

What do you guys think?

[rrfranczak3]

I think you should go buy an Acer it has thick beefy hinges and lots of vents

[holmes4]

Why do you think it will overheat? Dell has been pretty good about designing the Minis so that they don't overheat, as long as the vents aren't blocked. Heat is dissipated by an aluminum plate under the keyboard.

[Thorsteenster]

The LCD isn't hinged, the lid is which holds the LCD. I would advise against carrying it with you everywhere you go open, or applying excessive side to side torque while opening the lid. Just a straight linear push and I'm sure your hinges will work just fine.
I don't think any netbook runs cool due to lack of fan, nor any have excessive thermal shut downs, if this concerns you, buy a USB cooling pad.

[hinges]

Dell Mini surely looks great, but those hinges look unreliable. I think overtime they will become loose or even break. I prefer the classic version that can be found on all other major brands netbooks.

Originally Posted by Thorsteenster

I don't think any netbook runs cool due to lack of fan

Oh wow... I didn't know Dell Mini doesn't have a fan
I was checking out Aspire One 532h that is currently on sale at my local Best Buy and they all have fans that kick in when the CPU becomes too hot.

Well, I got all the information I need. Thanks to everybody who participated. Cheers.

[rrfranczak3]

Good Luck, by the way that system has no fan and an Atom processor too

[Thorsteenster]

Originally Posted by Thorsteenster

I don't think any netbook runs cool due to lack of fan

Read, ANY, not DELL. I don't think, I may be wrong, but I don't think ANY netbook has a fan due to space constraints and frankly, the Atom just isn't that hot where it needs a fan over AND it's heatsink.

[holmes4]

There are many non-Dell netbooks with fans - which is why I like Dell's design. Fans can be made very small. The Atom and chipset, especially the N4xx series, has a very low power draw and can do quite well with passive cooling. A fan is just one more thing to break.

[Dunhamzzz]

Agree with Holmes on this one, the CPUs don't get very hot at all. I think they lose a lot of heat through the keyboard. Your Mini is completely silent without a fan!

The only Mini I've had head problems with is the Mini 9 and that was purely because of the SSD.

As for the hinge gripe, this is not the first model they have released with this style of hinge, they wouldn;t exactly release 4/5 laptops with the design if it was a problematic. I think if you don't trust a hinge on your netbook to last you should probably go for a purposely-rugged notebook anyway.

[hinges]

Yeah I agree about the beauty of a quiet netbook, but the last thing I want is a portable heater. My last AMD laptop was like that.
I think even though Atom is super efficient, it still needs a fan just in case. It gets pretty hot here in summer, with forests burning and stuff. I don't want a netbook that runs really hot.

And according to reviews Dell runs pretty hot.
Original article (Russian)
Google Translated version

Google Translate:
The ventilation system on Dell 1012 is as original, as all of its other elements. Apart from a small area of perforation on the bottom there is nothing else. We did not open this netbook, and therefore can not suggest how the designers hoped to remove the heat. Certainly, they have come up with a quiet product, but the lack of active hot air exhaust resulted in the increased temperature of panels under the wrist, and especially the keyboard with temperatures up to 44C. Even under no CPU load the temperature is gradually increasing. The bottom heats up even more significantly (up to 48C). In general, this netbook does not have comfortable temperature conditions. Rated 4 out of 10.
...
Because of its slim design, Aspire One 532h is equipped with plenty of ventilation holes underneath. Exhaust vents are located on the bottom, instead of on the side. Cooling system performed very efficiently, higher than expected: the keyboard is heated to a maximum level of 34C, bottom to 39C. Such a low temperature is influenced, oddly enough, by the battery, which raises the body by 1cm above the table providing a better air circulation. Built-in fan noise level is low. Our evaluation 9 out of 10.

P.S. I got Aspire One 532h. Thanks everybody for your input.