Asus Eee PC 1001PX with XP & 3cell battery or Windows 7 & 6cell battery?

[Rost]

Hi everyone,

I am trying to find a netbook that fits my needs. It will be used for Word, surfing the web and making "photo books" (for instance from album factory). My budget is around 450$

I think Asus Eee PC 1001PX will be a good choice - but I have two options:
A) XP and a 3 cell battery (4½ hours)
B) Windows 7 starter and a 6 cell battery (9 hours)

I've never had a netbook before so I dont know if I need the 9 hours of battery time - what is your experiences?

What about the OS? is Windows 7 starter equally good as XP in terms of performance etc.?

Thanks in advantages.

Rost

[ThisIsNot]

Only you can determine if you will need a netbook with a manufacturer's estimated time of 9 hours or if 4.5 hours is good enough for you. Keep in mind that manufacturer estimations are just that: estimations. They essentially turn wi-fi and bluetooth off, put the screen brightness down as far as it goes, and let the netbooks essentially sit there. That is definitely not real world usage so you will need to subtract 1-2 hours from their estimate in order to figure out how long the netbook will last, on a single charge, when using it in the real world.

I have never been a fan of Windows 7 Starter and continue to hate it. The OS doesn't have all of the benefits that Windows 7 brings so I see no point in using it. It can do everything that Windows XP can, on a netbook, so I don't think there is too much to worry about. The learning curve for Windows 7 is rather low and you can always upgrade to Windows 7 Home Premium later down the line.

[Rost]

Thank you for your fast reply.

2-3 effective hours of battery time isn't enough and since Windows 7 starter doesn't have any (big) drawbacks compared to XP I think my choice is clear.

Thanks for the help.