Hp and windows 7

[liquid_02]

Hey all,

I'm looking at the Hp Pavilion dm1-3245ca. I will be using it for browsing, movies, and older/small games.

The question I have is if I can replace the hd with a SSD and reinstall windows 7, not using the disk that comes with HP.

I have read reviews about how much junk gets installed, and do not want any of it.

I just want a notebook that can do whats listed above.

Thanks

P.S. If there is another netbook I may have missed which would be better, you can list it. This one had good reviews for the cpu and gpu, with decent battery life.

 

[liquid_02]

Oh. The other choice is to go to HP Pavilion dm1-4010us.

Its only $30 more for a tiny bit better specs, but on the other hand... if I wont notice it, its $30 lol

 

[WR2]

Hello liquid_02;

Putting a fast SSD into a slow laptop isn't the best way to spend your money IMO.
Yes, the E450 is .1Ghz faster than the E-350 but it's still falls between 'Netbook and Notebook performance levels.
In your place I'd just do a clean install of Win7 on the fairly speedy 7200rpm HDD.

But to answer your question - yes, you could install a SSD and do a clean install of Win7.
You can get a $12 external enclosure for the HDD and turn it into a USB external drive/backup device.

 

[WR2]

I'd be in favor of spend $30 to get that E-450/HD 6320 combo.
One of those 'good reviews' you mentioned - in case you hadn't seen this one. HP Pavilion dm1 Review (E-350 model)

 

[liquid_02]

Hello liquid_02;

Putting a fast SSD into a slow laptop isn't the best way to spend your money IMO.
Yes, the E450 is .1Ghz faster than the E-350 but it's still falls between 'Netbook and Notebook performance levels.
In your place I'd just do a clean install of Win7 on the fairly speedy 7200rpm HDD.

But to answer your question - yes, you could install a SSD and do a clean install of Win7.
You can get a $12 external enclosure for the HDD and turn it into a USB external drive/backup device.

I will take your advice and save my money, as well as ensure that I move up to the E-450/HD 6320 combo.

As to the "Falls between Netbook and Notebook performance levels" do you think, for what I want to do, there is a better 10-12" laptop out there for me?

I really am caught on this purchase because I can see good and bad points from tablets to laptops for what I want
It was the cheap cost, and better versatility of a small notebook that made me think that was the best way to go.. but I still dont want to be limited with poor performance.

 

[WR2]

For the usual notebook tasks of home office work, email, web browsing & entertainment (listening to music or watching video) I think the AMD E-350/E-450 Fusion can get the job done nicely. It's a step up from the single core Atom N450 / Fusion C-30 and dual core Atom N550 / Fusion C-50. But not a major jump in performance.
Still the size/price combo is very attractive and it can suit the needs of many people.
And you might be one of the many who fall into that category.

But it's not a good fit for a heavy multi-tasker who is doing work encoding videos, music or for someone running a couple MS Office programs like Word and Powerpoint at the same time. Or someone interested in gaming at anything besides low settings.
If you look at the Big List of Mobile Processors (CPU Benchmarks) you'll find the E-350/E-450 ranked around #328 and Atom N550 / Fusion C-50 down at #454.

In comparison TOSHIBA Satellite L745D-S4230 Notebook AMD A-Series A6-3400M(1.4GHz) 14" notebook $500 ranks #135 and it's Radeon HD 6520G graphics is better suited to gaming. It's just much larger than the sub-portable HP DM1 though.
It would be nice to see that Fusion A4-3400M in some 13" notebooks but there just aren't any at the moment.

 

[liquid_02]

That's perfect!
I was trying to find some good benchmarks and info for laptops like that, bit could really search it out, so I went to reviews.
I'll double check that list, then decide if I NEED small or if I can go bigger for some performance.

Thanks again for your help

 

[liquid_02]

Best answer selected by liquid_02.