Compare Netbooks

[Chris]

I've added a netbook comparison table that allows you to sort and compare netbooks by various features such as: processor speed, video output, size, price, weight, battery life, usb ports, Wi-Fi and more. You can compare netbooks by visiting the netbook comparison page. Please contact me with any suggestions for improvements and please keep in [...]

More...

[ericinboston]

Love it!!!

[safetyobc]

AWESOME! Thank you for your hard work and putting this together!

[mike01]

In the interest of accuracy, I have both the Toshiba 305NB and Asus 1005PE...the Asus has the same battery life as the Toshiba, which is no where near 14 hours.

The online reviews botched the test because they failed to account for the fact that the Toshiba's screen is substantially brighter than the Asus'.

[ThisIsNot]

Right. However, with your test, the Asus' screen brightness was at the same level as your Toshiba. Netbook manufacturers aren't going to set their brightness to the same level for testing. This means that level 0 on the HP Mini 311, 0 on the 1005HA, etc. are all going to be different.

Besides, I think most people out there know the differences between advertised battery life and real world numbers.

Chris, thanks for the chart. The only change I would add is to put a disclaimer next to your statement regarding the Atom N450 processor. Though it is the most recent, it does not add any performance enhancements over the N270 or N280 Atom processors. It is more power efficient (when combined with the GMA 3125 or whatever it is called) but has received the same performance scores as the N270 and N280. Some people automatically assume that newer is better when that isn't necessarily the case with the Atom N450 (especially when compared with previously released netbooks that get 10+ hours with either the N270 or N280 processors).

[mike01]

Originally Posted by ThisIsNot

Right. However, with your test, the Asus' screen brightness was at the same level as your Toshiba. Netbook manufacturers aren't going to set their brightness to the same level for testing. This means that level 0 on the HP Mini 311, 0 on the 1005HA, etc. are all going to be different.

Fair enough, but the comparison chart says 14 hours for the Asus, and the only way you are going to get that is to turn off the screen, wifi, hard drive and not touch it at all for the entire run, and then charge it when it dies after 11 hours.

I think the chart should just stick with Asus' claim of 11 hours, which is already generous.

[ThisIsNot]

Chris's 14 hour statement comes from Asus as they are claiming that is with the Atom N450+GMA 3125 (or whatever it is called, I keep forgetting the name). I haven't followed the 1005PE model but the previous 11 hour statement was probably given using the Atom N280+GMA 950 (if the 1005PE ever had that configuration, I don't know).

[ericinboston]

Originally Posted by mike01

Fair enough, but the comparison chart says 14 hours for the Asus, and the only way you are going to get that is to turn off the screen, wifi, hard drive and not touch it at all for the entire run, and then charge it when it dies after 11 hours.

I think the chart should just stick with Asus' claim of 11 hours, which is already generous.

Chris' chart should reflect the manufacturer's quoted specs...not what Chris has tested...otherwise these charts would be different all over the internet.

Again, I think most consumers understand that the rated battery life does not equal real-world-use battery life.

-Eric

[mike01]

When I bought my Asus, it's stated battery life, in a sticker on the netbook, read 11+ hours. The Toshiba had the same claim. If Asus claims something else, they certainly aren't doing it at the store level.