Solved! Replacing my Asus N450 netbook harder than I expected

[augerpro]

So I'm looking to replace my little Asus netbook, which has been one of the best buys I've ever made, small, awesome battery life. I just need a bit more CPU and GPU power, but don't want to give up much battery life. looking at a 11.5" screen. So...thought the E350 would be slam dunk. While waiting for a variety to come to market I've seen some reviews on i3 SNB ULV's and A8 llano's and now I'm not so sure. The llano's appear to be nearly identical in power use as the E350, with a lot better compute and graphics power. On top of that the i3 SNB ULV are right up there with the first two in battery usage, but seriously more CPU horsepower and "good 'nuff" GPU for watching video. While the llano gives up some CPU but gains enouhg GPU to not only watch HD but even to game. So this is where I am, and remember battery life is prime importance: there is no reason for the E350 at 11.5". Llano A8 is more powerful yet just as power sipping. i3 is (very) small step behind both for power usage, but close enough that the other differences are probably going to decide. In that case looks like the bottom line is if I put the ability to play games first and CPU intensive work second get a llano. If you put CPU intensive work first and won't be running any games, buy the i3.

Does this sound reasonable? I'm thinking matching up either of these two with an SSD , no optical drive, same size screen, there really is no reason for the E350 except for 10.1" If Samsung came out with a i3 SNB ULV for their Series 9, I'd probably jump. That thing looks slick, and streamlined features, plus SSD. Still waiting to see many llano kits out yet.

 

[WR2]

Hello augerpro;

Have you seen a Llano in 11"-12" range yet? I haven't so far, nothing below 14".
As for you looking at E-350/E-450 and Llano I think you're in the ballpark, but maybe with the A4-3300 (1.9Ghz) dual core instead of the A8 quad core as far as battery life goes.
E-350 / E-450 / A6-3400M

I know the battery life is looking pretty good for Llano but take a careful look at the battery size. Llano A8/A6 is just about level with Sandy Bridge i5/i3 in battery usage.
But stick in one of the larger batteries and you'll have an A8 with it's gaming ability and not have to give up too much battery life in the bargain.


You can get the Samsung Series 9 11.3" with ULV Core i3-2357M(1.30GHz).
It's just a wild jump up in price. Does have a SSD though. 2.34lbs 4-Cell Lithium 5680mAh or a bit heavier w/ 6-Cell Lithium 6300mAh battery

 

[augerpro]

I thought I seen Llano in 13", but I could be wrong. The battery comparison I looked at was some Anand reviews where the normalize for battery size. Llano and i3 SNB ULV, and yeah were very close.

That Samsung is friggin" beautiful. That is probably what I'll get. A high performance, small form factor. It would be nice to see some third party review comparing it directly to E350 based netbook so i can see just how much battery life I'm giving up. I really need long life, 8 hours with web browsing being the target.

 

[WR2]

The battery comparison I looked at was some Anand reviews where the normalize for battery size. Llano and i3 SNB ULV, and yeah were very close.

I've been expecting to see some 12"+13" Llano's especially the A4-3300 dual cores. I'm guessing they might disturb the E series sales though, which could be why we don't see any yet.

The Anand reviews were used the i5-2520M which is a full power SNB. And they also included a 13" E-350 in the testing. You'll note it had a pretty hefty 64Whr battery.

To get that kind of extended battery life - any chance you can use the dual battery, swap at lunch, strategy? You get a whole 'nother range of possible options if you can do that.

 

[WR2]

To get some idea of the relative processing power available: The Big List of Mobile Processors (CPU Benchmarks)
Some of the CPUs/APUs mentioned so far and their rankings:

Atom N450 #463
AMD E-350/E-450 #322/321
Intel Celeron 847 ULV 1.1Ghz #300 (Sandy Bridge entry level dual core)
Core i3-2357M #239
AMD A4-3300M #214
AMD A8-3500M #131
Core i5 2520M #38

I added the Celeron 847 as one of the CPUs I've been considering.
Dell Vostro V131 Celeron 847 is the base CPU, along with optional i3/i5 CPUs. Standard 65WHr 6-cell battery allowed near 8hr surfing with the i5-2410 CPU.
Dell Vostro V131 video review

 

[WR2]

Samsung Series 9 (13-inch) Review
LapTop Magazine tested the Series 9 and got just over 5hrs WiFi surfing. Look under Test Results.

 

[augerpro]

No chance for a mid-day battery swap. Mostly it will be running several trading platforms during the time the NY stock exchange is open, but I won't be actively using it the whole 8 hours (maybe 20% of the time) so the screen will be off, but some constant internet use. Basically it will just be tagging along with me through the work day, with me occasionally taking a peek. So I'm not sure how much better the i3 SNB ULV batttery life in the examples above will do with light load and low use. If I could find a model with a larger than average battery that didn't screw up the small form factor I would consider that.

E350 still isn't out the question, but an A4 maybe a slightly more powerful (CPU) alternative. I would like something high quality and with an SSD and I haven't found any with E350 yet. They cater more to the super budget category. Maybe Llano will be better outfitted by someone.

 

[augerpro]

Just found an SSD can be optioned on the HP DM1Z...

 

[augerpro]

H

You can get the Samsung Series 9 11.3" with ULV Core i3-2357M(1.30GHz).
It's just a wild jump up in price. Does have a SSD though. 2.34lbs 4-Cell Lithium 5680mAh or a bit heavier w/ 6-Cell Lithium 6300mAh battery

Decided to go with this Series 9. Sandy Bridge and SSD is just the ticket for what I want, and it is a gorgeous and light unit. Curious though, where did you see the option for the 6 cell? Specs look awesome, the only thing that worries me is the 4 cell might not last as long as I want.

 

[WR2]

Curious though, where did you see the option for the 6 cell?

On the Samsung Series 9 website: http/www.samsung.com/us/computer/laptops/NP900X3A-A03US-features

Once you get an idea how long that 4-cell will last, go ahead and update us if you don't mind.

 

[augerpro]

I bought this at newegg it shows a 4 cell 5680mAh. However the same model on Samsung's site shows a 6 cell 5680mAh. So wonder what I'm getting? And more important how do I find the bigger battery? I'm hoping the 4 cell in the newegg ad is a typo because the older i3 came with that according to Samsung. But the newer SND i3 comes with the 6 cell according to Samsung site.

 

[WR2]

It could be that the A03 model has the bigger battery and the A02 (or what ever NewEgg offered) model had the lighter 4 cell battery.

 

[augerpro]

Mine from newegg is AO1. I don't see any AO3 for the 11.5" version. I put in the full model from newegg into Samsung's site and get the one I linked to above, with 6 cell. It appears on Sammy's site the higher end 11.5" came with the 6 cell, and mine is the top 11.5", so I should get a 6 cell like the Samsung site shows, not a 4 cell like the newegg site shows. I hope.

 

[augerpro]

Motherfu%$$%$ I bet your right and it is the 4 cell. If it is the A03 that has the 6 cell it does not appear to be in the States. They are both rated the same capacity for whatever that's worth.

 

[WR2]

I think the six cell rates 6300mAh and the 4 cell @ 5680mAh which is a huge rating for a 4 cell. Shouldn't be a huge difference in performance. I'm thinking you'll get something above six hours WiFi surfing.