AAO not so low powered

I have an AAO 10" D150-1920 with 2G RAM. It is running Linux Mint 10 Julia with Compiz which provides a wide array of 3D graphics and animations and AWN (avant-window-navigator) which is a special tool bar with special applets animations and graphics. I also have Conkywizard which is a monitor program that tracks CPU usage, Ram usage, Swap (a special partition the Linux uses to swap functions in and out of like memory) usage, CPU and disk temperature among other things. Now with all this running in the background I tried to over load the computer by doing multitasking. I copied a large amount of music from an external USB hard drive to the AAO's hard drive while at the same time watching videos surfing the web on a second browser and performing complex computer graphic modifications. The computer did not slow down or run erratic even though the CPU did register as 100% usage and the RAM registered up to 80% usage with no Swap memory usage.

Conclusion: When people say that the AAO Netbook is an under powered computer they are really just talking about the Windows Operating System.

 

Okay, under linux, on your uber-powerful AAO, please install and run GTA San Andreas and report back with how many FPS you get, or any other quazi recent game....

Your comments about how "powerful" the AAO is, under the conditions you layed out, don't really make a point at all. Yes you're running linux, which (when it's finally installed and FULLY operationl) utilizes system resources pretty wel. But, hardware monitoring apps take up bugger all resources I can run any number of hardware monitoring tools without effecting system performance or stability under windows. Or I can just do CTRL+SHIFT+ESC to see what my CPU, RAM and swap file are doing.

Under Windows 7 (which installs and runs fine out of the box), Aero is enabled and provides all the fancy 3D effects and eye candy, which gets turned off anyway, the time taken for animations to play through is time saved when aero is disabled, and this is by no means a guage of how powerless, or powerful the machine is. Personally i'd rathe have an app close, minimise or restore when I click the button, I don't need to watch it shrink, grow, wobble, fade etc.

If you're saying that moving files around in the background while doing other things on the system is supposed to overload the machine, then you're pretty much out of luck there. Under Win7, my user account on my AAO has my downloads folder set as a network drive to my server, over a 54Mbps WiFi network. So when I'm downloading files they're coming to my machine, being cached and transfered back through the network to my server. A wee bit more system-intensive than copying files from a much faster source (USB) to a conventional hard drive. While this is going on, I'm generally youtubing, or working in Excel or Access.

As for graphics, I've also been working in a variety of programs, ranging from the ancient JASC Paint Shop Pro, right through to Adobe Photoshop on my AAO under Windos. The machine does indeed handle this well, but to be honest, if I want a machine to do graphic work, I generally prefer a bigger, faster, generally more powerful system, with a much larger monitor.

Yes under linux your system may be working fine, but I guarantee you a computer (or even laptop) with a faster CPU, more RAM, faster graphics chip, more dedicated graphic RAM, will be much more powerful and generally better.

In all honesty, your post just makes you out to be a Linux fanboy. Yes your AAO has some power, so does mine, so does everyone elses. But the big limitation is the machines ability to do high-end graphic work and it's ability to play games. You won't even get GTA San Andreas to run properly on the AAO in a decent resolution with decent FPS. When gaming, it's all about FPS, not your operating system, not your ability to do graphic art with still images or anything along those lines. On comparison, my two year old quad-core server (which I play my games on) absolutely sh*ts all over my AAO.

The point to be made, is that on comparison to any machine of recent specs, the AAO is powerless. it's 1.6GHz CPU, max of 2Gb system RAM and incredibly low maximum dedicated graphic RAM, makes it powerless and weak. For a few hundred dollars more than an AAO, you can build a brand new desktop computer with specs 2-3 times that of an AAO. So yes the AAO is powerless.

Todays netbooks were designed for portability and for internet-based applications. If you want to play games, do graphic intensive operations, multi-task at a decent level, don't want to have to learn a new OS, don't want to have to hunt around for hours on end on the net for answers to problems that sometimes no one has an answer to, buy a decent laptop or desktop computer with specs that match or outweigh the requirements of the programs / games you wish to run.

Long story short, if you want a powerful machine, either buy a laptop with better spec's than the AAO, or buy/build a desktop with spec's you want/need. The AAO IS crippled by a 1.6GHz cpu, it's RAM and it's p*ssweak graphics chips. They were designed for internet surfing, youtubing and general low-mid range operations. Don't go buying one thinking you'll be able to play games. It's not what they were built for and with the exception of older, low-prerequesite games they just won't do it.

Final thought, back in the day people thought a 25Mhz 286 With 4Mb RAM and a massive 150Mb hard drive were poweful, now, the average desktop PC in the average home has nearly double the spec's and performance of an AAO. Face it, the AAO is just not up to scratch for more than low-mid range operations. Linux is a choice, not the answer.

 

If you want to play games on your machine then I doubt you would pick a 10 inch screen in the first place.

It sounds like you are implying that Linux Mint is difficult to install and get running. If so you could not be more wrong. I find it easier and simpler to install than Win7. In Windows 7 when I have run much in the way of desktop gadgets to monitor the system they tend to bog down the system and slow down things like youtube videos, not so in Linux Mint.

Not everyone turns off the eye candy in fact some people like it but the eye candy in Windows does not even compare to what you can have in Linux. The AAO D150-1920 works with all the eye candy that I have setup (setup is simply selecting the eye candy I want, and if I don't want the default, then I simply change the selection or slide the slide bar for the item). Linux Mint runs fine out of the box.

You seem to be under the impression that I am claiming the AAO under Linux Mint is the fastest and most powerful computer made and that is not true. I am saying that there are a lot of people that say the netbook computers are completely underpowered and are only good for surfing the web and checking email which is also untrue.

I don't have a server so I can not comment on that.

I have not said anything personal about and will not so I ask you to be careful about labeling me. However your calling me a Linux fan is almost true. But it would be more accurate to say I am a fan of Linux Mint 10 and the Open Source concept.

In Windows to get even close to the eye candy of Linux Mint you need to buy StarDock software while the eye candy software for Linux Mint is free, installed and works out of the box. If you want to run a spreadsheet in Windows then you need to install something like OpenOffice or buy one of the Windows office packages and install it as it doesn't come in the box. The same is true for almost anything productive you want to do.

So the short story is if you want to play games then get the OS the game is designed for and buy the hardware the game needs. If you have a lot of money and want to be like everyone else then Go Windows. However if you want to get the most out of an AAO D150-1920 and have a limited budget the go with Linux Mint 10. It couldn't be easier. If you need or want a larger screen the don't buy an AAO netbook.

As for Linux being a choice you are 100% correct and it is due to Linux and the Open Source community that the choice is available. Windows gives you no choice but makes you pay for it anyway. So Linux is the answer to having a choice.

 

Believe it or not, but when your average user reads a review stating that a particular brand / model of computer is "powerful" and "fast", they will belive this to be gospel. The power of a computer weighs heavily on the purchasing decision. The whole point to my reply was to illustrate that the AAO's aren't up to spec for the common user instead, they are a good machine for office work and web surfing. Hell I'm a complete power user and will attempt to userp every iota of power from my computers. But the AAO just doesn't cut it for anythign more than light duty, either on Windows or under Linux, there is power there, but it's really only good for a basic office machine, even then I have a 4 year old desktop that out-performs it. The only reason I have and use an AAO is because I belive laptops/netbooks were invented to make computing portable, the AAO is the most portable machine I've seen / used, but there are far better options when it comes to weighing performance against portability.

Gadgets will indeed bog down your system, which is why most people who want to know exactly what their system is doing, will use other apps like Speedfan for an example. Such apps take up virtually no resources and can actually be more accurate than the computers BIOS itself. Half the reason the gadgets bog down a system (more noticably on an AAO) is that they are graphic-intensive. There's a better alternative to gadgets, which I used to use all the time called Serious Samurize. I'm not too sure if it works on Vista or Win7, but it can read any number of system hardware monitors, its free and doesn't bog down a system. Besides the point, that your average user, doesn't use hardware monitoring tools, as there really is no need to. Except maybe in cases where they're trying to diagnose a problem. Even so, the whole idea behind an AAO is being minimalist, to reserve resources for the aplications you wish to use. Gadgets and eye candy are just a waste of time.

I wasn't necessarily being Linux Mint specific, just Linux as a whole. In a previous post I've stated that Linux has a looooong way to go before it could be considered mainstream. It's highly configurable, but there is it's downfall for the common user. Someone who just wants a computer to work without having to perform a thousand steps just to make a piece of hardware to work, is better off with a Windows system. I personally could go either way. I run Win 7 on most of my machines, and my Linux flavour of choice is Ubuntu which runs on several of my other machines. A Win7 install is quick and painless and works out of the box. Most times I've played with Linux I've had to install it, then manually download and install drivers, which I've had to use terminal commands to make them work.

I agree not everyone turns off the eye candy, and to be honest, if you were to turn off the eye candy you wouldn't realy notice a difference. Which makes you wonder why they install it in the first place. I even turn it off on my linux distro's. Turning off eye candy doesn't save too much on performance, but every penny counts.

I agree that for gaming, you would normally steer clear of such a small screen, but when people see the price tag on a netbook, and hear/read about someone claiming it to be a powerful computer, will sacrifice the smaller screen for the price tag. Only to get it home and realise they could have done better. The message here is buyer beware.

Saying that an AAO is underpowered is one thing. Because it is, as per my previous post, you don't really get much for the price. The AAO is the first computer I've bought in several years that comes stock with a CPU less than 2GHz and less than 2Gb RAM as stock. When looking at computer spec's, the AAO is verging on being below entry-level for computing. Again what you're paying for is portability. You say that the AAO is good for more than just web surfing and office functionality. Other than multimedia, what use is there for a 10" screen and such low processing power? Sure you can watch movies on it, but your average movie is about 2 hours in length, which is going to suck up most of your battery power anyway, unless you spend more money on a bigger battery. Sure you can do video and graphic editing, but do you really want to be sitting there all day while your AAO takes it's time to do such a task, or would you rather use a machine with more power and get the job done in a reasonable amount of time? Saying that the AAO is good for much more than that is indeed untrue. The small screen plays a part, but the sheer lack of power means that you're not really going to be too much on an AAO. But what do you really expect from a <2GHz CPU and <2Gb RAM.

I did not mean any offense by calling you a Linux Fanboy, but that is the way your post came across. You were explaining how simply by installing linux mint, your AAO became a powerhouse. Not to mention several other posts by you basically state that Linux Mint is the answer. Linux or windows, you're still suck with a less than entry level computer in regards to specs, and the power you can expect from those spec's, and It's important that readers and prospective buyers realise that there are far more powerful computers out there for just dollars more. You also don't need money to buy a computer with Windows, yes it's part of the price, but computers that ship with OEM windows editions aren't terribly pricey. XP may be on it's way out, but you virtually get it for free with $200 worth of netbook. Windows 7 is the same, there are OEM licenses which bring the price down. It's only in the event or necessity of upgrade that Windows will cost you.

Bottom line, the AAO has just barely scraped in for entry level computing, it doesn't have an uber powerful processor, can't handle large amounts of RAM, has a less-than-powerful graphics chip, then you're split between just over a hunderd gig HDD or a tiny SSD that you'll end up upgrading to a larger size. You can get more bang for your buck in other laptops / desktop computers, but the AAO and other netbooks are the best for portability. donec has taken more of a grasp of the available power in their AAO by installing Linux mint, but you can't expect the same results from one netbook to another. You also have to realise that the leap from Windows to Linux isn't by any means a small one and in the end, changing software, operating systems etc, is not going to make your netbook a physically more powerful machine. The ONLY answer to making a computer more powerful is a FASTER processor, MORE memory and a FASTER graphics chip WITH more dediated graphic memory. Such upgrades cannot be done to such a tightly integrated system. If you want power pay for it, if you want the ultimate in portability, buy an AAO.

 

That is exactly why I didn't say the AAO is powerful. Instead I said it was not so low powered. People read "The point to be made, is that on comparison to any machine of recent specs, the AAO is powerless." they think whoa I'm not going to buy a powerless computer. It is an exaggeration to say "on your uber-powerful AAO" as I never claimed it was powerful just that it is not powerless. Saying "the AAO just doesn't cut it for any thign more than light duty, either on Windows or under Linux" will turn off any potential buyer while saying "AAO not so low powered" will make them think about whether they really need a lot of power. Most users only need a basic office machine and the AAO running Windows or Linux Mint 10 is that and more. IMO a basic office machine can not be used to edit graphics complex, be used by a digital artist, to watch videos and run the normal office tools all at the same time the AAO can. You are correct the AAO is not as powerful as many laptops but it is plenty powerful for it's size and price.

The average user doesn't know about alternatives to gadgets so they will continue to use gadgets and blame the OS or computer for bogging down. This is much less to happen in Linux Mint 10. "Gadgets and eye candy are just a waste of time." is your opinion and if I may say IMO so it is a very one sided opinion.

Many distros of Linux are quite difficult to work with especially if you are coming from Windows and have no Linux experience. However that is where Linux Mint 10 is different it doesn't need you "to perform a thousand steps just to make a piece of hardware to work". It is as easy as Windows to get things working with the possible exception of some of the absolutely newest hardware that the companies have written the drivers for Windows and have not released the code for Linux due to money considerations with MS.

"A Win7 install is quick and painless and works out of the box." I agree well almost as it is not able to do many things I do without downloading or buying and installing software and drivers to get it working.

"Most times I've played with Linux I've had to install it, then manually download and install drivers, which I've had to use terminal commands to make them work." This is true for most Linux distros but Linux Mint 10 has really changed that.

"Donec has taken more of a grasp of the available power in their AAO by installing Linux mint" that says I did something to utilize the power of the AAO and while it is true that I did install Linux Mint I did nothing else. Since installing Linux Mint is as easy (maybe easier) than installing Windows for me then installing Linux Mint 10 was no big thing. "But you can't expect the same results from one netbook to another." That is very true but this thread is about my AAO.

"You also have to realise that the leap from Windows to Linux isn't by any means a small one". Hmmm! That is a mixed statement. Because it is true the change is not a small step but that does not mean it is a difficult change. It is a big change due to the lower cost, the different way of looking at your computer (which Linux Mint 10 has worked to make very similar to Windows operation) and the power you can have over your computer if you want it.