Which Netbook/Processor to Buy

Hello All,

I am going to purchase my first netbook and I am trying to decide between 2 broad options:

1) A dual core Acer AOD 255-1268 - With Windows 7 (n550 @ 1.5gHz). This machine can only support 1GB Ram with Windows 7 (It can support 2GB Ram, but only with Windows XP OS).

2) A single core Acer with a 450 or 455 processor - With Windows 7 - This machine can be upgraded to 2GB Ram with Windows 7

All other things being equal, including price, what machine do you think is a better purchase.

I am using it to play music, surf the web, maybe some movies, occassional Offic software, no games really. No heavy computing.

By biggest concern is not being able to upgrade to 2GB Ram with the dual core processor. Is the performance from the dual core with 1GB Ram going to be at least equivalent to the single core machine with 2 GB Ram?

Thanks

 

You'll probably find that the 1Gb RAM limitation is only imposed by the version of Windows 7. I've read that Windows 7 Starter Edition (which you get with the netbook) only uses 1Gb RAM, any other version of Win 7 should work fine. I have 2Gb in my D250 with Win7 Ultimate and it works fine, I personally would go for the dual core machine as it will prove more powerful and potentially more stable.

Have a read around the forums here, you might find some interesting information regarding limitations, bugs, etc for the AAO.

 

I have an OAD255-1268 and am running WIN 7 Home Premium. I have installed 2GB of DDR3 ram, and the system DOES recognize and use it (the processor is also a 1.6 GHz, not 1.5)

We also have an AOD533 (1.8Ghz N475 Single Core) with 2 GB of DDR3. The performance of the 1.6 GHz dual core is marginally better than the higher clock speed N475 with 2GB of ram, but significantly better than when the 533 had only 1 GB of RAM.

I upgraded from Win 7 Starter before I upgraded the ram on the 255, so I don't know if the OS limits the ram recognized or not, but would assume that limitation would be the same for either netbook if both were running Win 7 starter. Yo do have to do a bit of teardown on the 255 to upgrade the ram, so ACER doesn't recommend it, but it WILL work. Search YouTube for instructions to upgrade the ram on the 533. There is a very well done video that shows how to do it. Steps are the same for the 255.

Costco has the AOD255-1268 for $298.00. Twenty seven bucks for a 2GB DDR3 SODIMM from Crucial.com, and sixty-eight bucks fort he Win 7 starter to Home Premium. Expect that you would spend the same (or very nearly so) on the single core alternatives like the 250 or 532, and even a bit more on a 533 that gets the N475 proc and DDR3 memory.