Netbook vs Laptop

• Chris
• Netbook News, Reader Questions
• February 8, 2010
• 3 comments!

This is a series of posts based on reader questions. If you have a question about netbooks feel free to ask it by contacting me and I may share it on the blog as well (In either case I'll be sure to provide you an answer).

Netbook vs Laptop - which to buy? In this often discussed battle I've decided to share my thoughts on the differences between the two in an effort to help people better decide which option would be best for them. In fact, I receive emails from readers daily on this exact subject so when I looked back through my past posts I couldn't help but notice I never took the time to actually discuss netbooks vs laptops before so that's why I'm doing it today. These are some easy questions you can ask yourself to help determine whether a netbook or laptop is right for you. If you answer yes to more of these questions in one category than the other then you should have an answer as to which product will work best for you.

Netbook:

Is your budget less than $500?
Do you prefer your device be something small and light weight? (10 or 12 inch screen size? around 3 lbs or less)
Do you plan to use your device for MS office suite, Facebook, email, iTunes, Skype video chat
Do you plan to use your device to play intense games? If so, consider a netbook with Nvidia ION built in
Do you need a battery life that can last a full day without needing a charge?

If you answered yes to most of these questions you should buy a netbook. Every month I discuss the bestselling netbooks and on a semi regular basis I discuss netbook deals (look there as a starting point for which netbook to buy)

Laptop:

Is your budget over $500? Over $1,000? Over $1,500?
Do you prefer larger screens and don't mind the increase in weight? (13 inches up to 17 inches? 4 lbs to 7 lbs [sometimes more])
Do you plan to use your device for tasks that are considerably more processor intensive than using the MS office suite, Facebook, email, iTunes, Skype video chat? i.e. 1080P HD video editing, Highest possible graphic settings in a PC game
Do you need a battery life that can last a full day without needing a charge? (If so expect to spend more)

If you answered yes to most of these questions than you should buy a laptop. I also run Notebook Reviews which focuses more on laptop information. You can also simply check out Amazon's bestselling laptop list to get an idea of what is most popular with consumers.

Conclusion:

What this argument really comes down to is a few key points: what is your budget, what do you need the device to do and does the size and weight of the device matter. It's really that simple. I believe that most people only need a netbook and even if you can afford to buy a laptop why waste the money if all you plan to do is use the Microsoft Office Suite, Facebook, write emails, video chat on Skype and store music for iTunes? Besides I've already proved you can play some intense netbook games as long as you buy a netbook with Nvidia ION inside so why spend considerably over $500 when you don't need to?

Tagged: laptop, netbook, netbook vs laptop

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