Cannot go wrong with ASUS and NVIDIA
I was looking for a new netbook to replace one that I gave to my daughter for school. My goal was to find one with the best equipment at the best price possible. After much research I found that most low for netbooks are basically the same mediums. Between the processor, graphics card, hard drive and there’s really not much difference. With this netbook I was please to see that ASUS, long (10 + years) motherboard manufacturer of my favorites, had a line of PC. I was even happier when I discovered that the graphics used in this netbook is a NVIDIA, which is also a favorite for many years. Even better than the video 512K dedicated memory, which means it does not use valuable system RAM, unlike the netbooks that have Intel graphics card that shares system memory. Other great material for a netbook features an Intel Atom Dual Core, Bluetooth, an HDMI port, and a 6-cell battery. Compared with the standard netbook configuration, the material on this netbook is well worth the extra ~ $ 50.I think the upgrades:
1. The netbook comes with only 1G of memory, which seems to be the standard for netbooks. I do not understand why they did not come with at least 2G because it’s cheap. I bought the Crucial DDR3 2G, which was suggested by Amazon. I do not know why they did it so difficult to access the RAM, but it’s tricky. There is a youtube video on how it’s done, he looks up, it’s not in English, but the main thing is to see how it’s done. I was nervous break down the door of the compartment, but it worked. Watch the video several times before he tries.
2. Install Windows 7 32bit, taste it, but the original Windows 7 Starter. Do not install a 64-bit version. To really take advantage of features 64-bit requires a system with at least 4G of RAM, so do not worry. I do not upgrade to different versions of Windows, I prefer the format hard disk and do a clean install. Since the netbook lacks an optical drive, you will need to use an external drive or USB-install of Windows 7. WinToFlash, he looks up, is very good for creating a bootable USB memory stick to install Windows 7. Hardware drivers are available on the ASUS website for devices that are not automatically detected by the installation of Windows 7. Download and install the NVIDIA graphics driver from NVIDIA.
3. Download and install some software utilities for the ASUS netbook. I only use four utilities mainly because I want to preserve the memory, which is rare on a netbook. SuperHybridEngine is a utility that provides easy access and configuration netbook’s power and performance features. GraphicsSwitch, it is easy to switch between using the NVIDIA ION graphics processor and Intel graphics. ASUS KB Filter Driver provides functionality of various function keys and key SuperHybridEngine / Wireless at the top of the keyboard. Elantech touchpad driver, the touchpad has a feature sliding your finger and also has a detection feature that disables the mouse touchpad automatically when external mouse is plugged
I had the computer for 2 months now, but with the upgrade to 2G of RAM and Windows 7 installed the system is very responsive. Opening applications is fast enough, switching between applications is smooth. Netflix streaming via HDMI port to my TV works great and looks decent. Connect the HDMI automatically sound the netbook on television, which is a great feature. Netbooks are not designed for gaming machines, but with the dual core processor, NVIDIA graphics card and upgrade to 2G of RAM, this netbook has a better chance to start a game with the netbook standard single core processor and an Intel graphics card, even with 2G of RAM. Games like Star Wars Battlefront II, Tomb Raider, Starcraft II and work quite well and the graphics are quite impressive for this little computer. Maybe my power settings are not correct, but I was not able to run 9.5 hours between charges yet, but I ran up to 6.5 hours. The only drawback I’ve seen so far, although minor, is that the finish on the palm rest and clam shell shows fingerprints very easily. Overall, very satisfied with the equipment and the price I paid for it.
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