Buying acer AO522-BZ897 netbook - need ram advice

[casemods]

OK so I have decided on this netbook.

http/www.microcenter.com/single_product_results.phtml?product_id=0355304

http/www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16834215021&nm_mc=OTC-Froogle&cm_mmc=OTC-Froogle-_-Netbooks-_-Acer+America-_-34215021

Acer AO522-BZ897

The only question I have is:

1. The max upgradable ram amount? Sounds like 4gb.

2. Will 4gb of ram kill the battery life? Help performance enough to justify itself? Or would 2 gb be good enough?

2b: if it does drain battery life sooner, by how much?

3. What is the normal battery life on this model if I'm just browsing the internet, say, browsing newegg 24/7?

My main uses for this are:

google earth

inSSIDer with GPS logging

peer block with perm allow frequently used (very cpu intensive)

netstumbler with GPS logging

firefox and thunderbird



Side note: people in newegg reviews report the screen is "glossy". What does that mean? Is the screen clear? Does it use glass like the sony vaio notebooks? I tried a sony vaio notebook and the screen was unbelievably clear.

 

[WR2]

1. Windows 7 Starter edition is limited to 2GB of RAM.
2. No amount of RAM would kill the battery life. 2GB will definitely help. Windows 7 Starter is limited to 1GB in the Netbook when shipped.
3.. 6hrs is the claim. Your experience will differ. Try and find an independent review for your model for the best available info.

Glossy (glare) vs Matte (non-glare) are the two types of LCD screens.
http/www.squidoo.com/matte-vs-glossy-screens

 

[Zenthar]

I have the same netbook (AO522-BZ499), I don't know what the difference is, but the specs seems identical. Anyway as it was stated before, Windows 7 Starter will limit the RAM to 2GB (excluding the 256MB used by the GPU I think), but it can physically support 4GB (only 1 DIMM). Upgrading should change much to the battery life as the voltage required is controller, anyway with only 1GB the netbook seems slower so it might be less effective to keep only 1GB. For battery life, my personal experience is 5-6hrs using wireless, but not watching HD video.

If you want to upgrade your netbook, you can go check my blog entry on my experience doing so.

 

[WR2]

Excellent work on that blog entry Zenthar.

 

[casemods]

I should have noted that I would install windows 7 ultimate as soon as I received it to clear all the bloatware.

Would I be accurate in describing glossy screens as looking like glass? http/www.notebookreview.com/assets/zepto/6214w_sidebyside_glossy.jpg

Glossy looks a lot clearer.

Anyways, it won't matter as I've chosen the netbook I want - I was just curious.

I am still wondering if I should go with 24 gb or 4gb. I'm leaning towards 4gb as ultimate 32 bit will use 3.2 of it or something like that? 3 is always better than 1 or 2.

My only remaining question of significance/importance is what kind of ram the netbook takes.

Secondly, where the lowest price 4gb stick is for sale that is worth getting and not junk.

 

[Zenthar]

Yes, "glossy" is the most reflective surface.

As for the 2GB vs 4GB, I though of it too and decided to just go for the 4GB since it's only ~20$ difference and I don't want to have to open that thing up again .

The netbook seems to be using DDR3-1333 and the "cheapest 4GB worth getting" is probably the G.SKILL F3-10600CL9S-4GBSQ; that is what I used and it worked just fine.

 

[casemods]

Yes, "glossy" is the most reflective surface.

As for the 2GB vs 4GB, I though of it too and decided to just go for the 4GB since it's only ~20$ difference and I don't want to have to open that thing up again .

The netbook seems to be using DDR3-1333 and the "cheapest 4GB worth getting" is probably the G.SKILL F3-10600CL9S-4GBSQ; that is what I used and it worked just fine.

Thanks, I will be ordering that along with the netbook today

$40 is really cheap

I guess that answers my questions.

Only other thoughts I have are:

SSD - worth it or not?

Carrying case with a handle? Perhaps one that is hard shelled like a briefcase?

Bluetooth module? My 1005ha didn't come with the bluetooth but I was able to buy the module and install it.

 

[Zenthar]

My problem with putting an SSD in there is mostly price. I mean this netbook costs 250-300$ and, unless you don't need lots of storage space and 64GB is enough, an SSD might actually double that price :-/. Moreover, the CPU is "only" a dual-core 1GHz, it's not like it will ever be lightning fast. Just by adding the RAM, you will see a nice speed improvement, I don't know if it's worth putting an SSD on top of that.

 

[casemods]

Ok, not going with an SSD. Too expensive.

My only last question is, is walmart ok to buy from? The netbook is $30 cheaper, 1 day shipping is only $20, and I can take a short drive to return it.

The 2 year accidental warranty is $10 more than newegg but the shipping and initial cost make up for that.

I have this ram in mind

http/www.walmart.com/ip/Patriot-Memory-Signature-4GB-DDR3-1333MHz-PC3-10600-SODIMM-Memory-Module-PSD34G13332S/15773495

 

[Zenthar]

Ok, not going with an SSD. Too expensive.

My only last question is, is walmart ok to buy from? The netbook is $30 cheaper, 1 day shipping is only $20, and I can take a short drive to return it.

The 2 year accidental warranty is $10 more than newegg but the shipping and initial cost make up for that.

I have this ram in mind

For]http/www.walmart.com/ip/Patriot-Memory-Signature-4GB-DDR3-1333MHz-PC3-10600-SODIMM-Memory-Module-PSD34G13332S/15773495

For that kind of product, Walmart would be as good as any other; this is a sealed box, it's not as if they could have done anything to make it worst . As for the memory, Patriot is is good brand and the spec seems to match what I bought so I don't see why it wouldn't work.

 

[casemods]

Ok good. Walmart is $50 cheaper than newegg for everything.

Last Q:

crucial or patriot?

http/www.walmart.com/ip/Patriot-Memory-Signature-4GB-DDR3-1333MHz-PC3-10600-SODIMM-Memory-Module-PSD34G13332S/15773495

http/www.walmart.com/ip/Crucial-4GB-DDR3-1333MHz-PC3-10600-SODIMM-Memory-Module-CT51264BC1339/15540336

Crucial is $10 more.

 

[Zenthar]

I don't see any reason why you should go with the Crucial for 10$ more.

 

[casemods]

Best answer selected by scarslilpyro.

 

[casemods]

Alright, I'm ordering the patriot stick.

Thanks everyone!

I will look at your blog zenthar, when the netbook and ram get here so I can upgrade it.