Pocket Change - Shopping Blog

Although they look very similar, there are a lot of differences between a netbook and a notebook. Netbooks are smaller, less powerful, and less expensive versions of traditional notebooks (for a full account of the differences, see my post: Notebooks vs Netbooks).

It can be hard to decide if a netbook is the right computer to get, so here are 10 questions that will help you through the decision process:

1. What do you want to do with your computer?

   This is perhaps the most important question to ask yourself before buying any computer. There are many different types of computers to choose from these days, from desktops and laptops to ultraportables, tablets, and even cellphones. A computer purchase is a big decision, so it’s important to choose one that will fit your needs.

2. How much are you willing to pay?
   

   One of the biggest benefits of netbooks is that they’re extremely affordable. Most netbooks sell for less than $500, and some sell for as low as $100-200. However, netbooks have fewer features than regular questions. So the question becomes, how much are you willing to spend?

   If you only have a few hundred bucks, and just need a small laptop to surf the web and check your e-mail, the netbook is for you. If, however, you have a little more money to spend, and want a computer that can do a lot more, you may want to look into a notebook or a desktop.

3. Do you want to play games on your computer?

   This is a big one for a lot of people, and an important question to ask because the processing power and graphics cards of netbooks is inferior to those of other computers. This makes them useless for playing the latest 3D games, like the ever popular World of Warcraft. If you don’t mind playing simple games like solitaire and mine sweeper, and maybe a few older titles, the netbook can work. Otherwise, you’ll want a computer with more processing power.

4. Do you want to watch DVDs?
   

   Most netbooks don’t come with optical drives, so you won’t be able to watch your favorite DVDs while traveling with a netbook. If you’re looking for a portable computer that also plays DVDs, you may want to look into getting an ultraportable laptop, rather than a netbook.

   Of course, even with a netbook you can still watch YouTube videos and digital video from sources like iTunes that are stored on the computer itself, so if you don’t mind watching video on a tiny 12 inch screen, the netbook may be right for you.

5. Do you mind using a smaller keyboard?

   In addition to having a smaller screen than typical laptops, netbooks also have smaller keyboards than normal computers. This means that typing on a netbook can be uncomfortable, especially if you have bigger hands. If plan on doing any significant amount of work on your computer, be sure to actually get your hands on a netbook and test it to see whether the smaller keyboard is something that you can deal with.

6. Do you need the portability?
   

   One of the questions that a lot of computer buyers forget to ask themselves is whether they really need the portability of a laptop. If you’re just looking for a computer that you and the family can use at home, and don’t plan on doing any traveling with your computer, desktop computers are often comparable in price to higher end netbooks, and offer a lot more features and processing power.

   If you already own a desktop, and are looking for a super-small computer that you can easily carry around with you to surf the web and manage your documents and presentations, then the netbook is for you.

7. Are you a power user?

   Netbooks are made mostly to handle simple tasks like browsing the internet, checking your e-mail, and doing simple word processing. If that’s all you need out of a computer, then a netbook might be what you’re looking for.

   However, if you are a “power user” that likes to have tons of windows and programs open at once, and dozens of tabs open on your web browser, then doing even the simple tasks listed above will slow down the performance of your netbook. The bottom line is that the netbook is a slower computer, so if you’re looking for zippy performance, look elsewhere.

8. Do you want edit videos?
   

   Sharing and editing videos is becoming an extremely popular activity, thanks to the ubiquity of video cameras in digital cameras and cellphones, like the brand new iPhone. If you want to do video editing with a netbook, though, you can forget it because the computers are way too slow to do anything that complicated. If you want to edit movies, you’ll want a more powerful machine.

9. Do you want to organize your photos?

   One of the most popular things to do on a computer are organizing and sharing photos. Because netbooks have very small hard drives, they may not be the best choice for organizing your photos. If you still decide to go with a netbook, make sure you go with one with an actual hard drive, rather than a smaller, solid state drive, or you will quickly run out of space. Or you can consider storing your photos on an external hard drive.

   If you actually plan on editing your photos with programs like Adobe’s Photoshop, then the netbook is probably out of the equation. Consider getting a laptop with a faster processor and better graphics card.

10. What operating system do you want?
    

    If you do decide to go with a netbook, it’s important to decide what kind of operating system you want. The operating system is what manages all of you computer’s folders and files, and determines the look of your computer. Some examples of operating systems include Microsoft Windows and Apple’s Mac operating systems.

    Most netbooks come with Windows installed on them, but many come installed with Linux instead, which is a free, open source operating system. Although both operating systems work fine, using Linux may take getting used to if you’re more familiar with Windows. If you don’t mind learning how to use a new OS, netbooks with Linux installed are often more cheaper than one’s with Windows. If you’re not willing to go through the learning curve, then you’ll have to shell out a little extra for Windows.

If you can answer each of the above 10 questions above, then you should have a solid idea of what kind of computer you want to get. Deciding whether or not to get a netbook doesn’t have to be a hard decision, as long as you know exactly what you want out of your computer.

-Takeshi, shopping blogger and computer questionnaire writer