A new netbook

My new netbook arrived yesterday, and so far, I am in love with this little unit.

The model is U100, manufactured by Micro-Star International (MSI). It is a 10″ screen running with an Intel Atom processor. Start up and shut down is fast, in fact, much quicker than my Windows XP desktop machine. The average start up time to reach the log in dialog box is 26 seconds. The average loading time after signing in is 25 seconds, and the average shut down time is 15.5 seconds. These average calculations are based on factory default settings. Please note that the loading time after signing in will depend on how many applications are executed automatically on start-up. Third party application start-ups can be controlled by the user.

This netbook is installed with 1 GB of DDR2 RAM. It can be expanded to a maximum of 2 GB.

A CD/DVD drive is absent on this unit. I don’t have a problem with this. Installing software or watching movies is possible by using an external portable USB CD/DVD drive.

Not many ‘crap’ or bloatware are were found on the hard drive. Many manufacturers may jam-pack unnecessary software packages on the hard drive, leading to an overall decrease in speed performance. The unit holds Norton Internet Security 2008 installation files, but these have not yet installed on the machine. An option is given to either install or delete them. I would personally remove the Norton files and download free anti-malware programmes.

The unit only weighs 1.2 kilograms (kg) attached with a 6-cell battery. This shouldn’t give you a sore arm if you’re on the move. Battery lasts about 5 hours on full power.

The netbook allows you to easily overclock the central processing unit (CPU). For those who don’t know, the benefit of overclocking is additional computer performance at no increased cost. The machine will be able to execute applications quicker than the default recommended settings set by the manufacturer. You must have the AC power connected to the netbook. On start-up, press Fn + F10 when the MSI logo appears. The on/off button LED will change from blue to orange. This indicates the machine is now in ‘turbo mode’. MSI U100 users have reported the CPU speed will change from 1.60 GHz to 1.90 GHz. However, like my machine, software and BIOS needs to be updated before this function can be performed. I have little knowledge in updating BIOS on my own, so I’ll not be touching it.

I dislike using the track pad. Firstly, for some reason, I don’t feel comfortable using it, secondly, it does not offer scrolling, and thirdly, the ‘tap to click’ feature on the track pad is an annoyance to me. Sometimes tapping may not respond and you may accidentally click on something whilst moving the cursor. I purchased a Logitech wireless mouse today for about AU$50.

Touch-typing seems alright for me. If you have large fat fingers, then typing may become an issue for you.

I have installed ESRI ArcGIS and Adobe Photoshop CS2. Start up time for these two applications are a bit quicker than starting them on my two desktop machines, one with Intel Pentium 4 and the other with Intel Pentium D. I have not yet tested the software in a working environment, but I’ll do so this year for university work.