2. Specifications
We pit two new Ion-based netbooks from HP and Lenovo against a budget Gateway ultraportable with the mobile GS45 platform and see Intel's platform comes out on top.
HP Mini 311 | Lenovo Ideapad S12 ION | Gateway EC1437u | |
|---|---|---|---|
Processor | Intel Atom N270 (1.6 GHz, 533 MHz, 512 KB L2 Cache | Intel Atom N270 (1.6 GHz, 533 MHz, 512 KB L2 Cache | Intel Pentium SU4100 (1.3 GHz, 800 MHz FSB, 2 MB L2 Cache) |
Operating System | XP Home | Windows 7 Home Premium | Windows 7 Home Premium |
Memory | 1 GB @ 1,067 MHz | 3 GB @ 667 MHz | 3 GB @ 667 MHz |
Hard Drive | 160 GB | 320 GB | 320 GB |
Display | 11.6" LED (1366 x 768) | 12.1" LED (1280x800) | 11.6" LED (1366 x 768) |
Chipset | Nvidia ION 270 | Nvidia ION 270 | Intel GS45 w/Intel graphics media accelerator 4500MHD |
Dimensions | 1.2" x 11.4 x 8.03" | 1.4" x 11.5" x 8.5" | 1.18" x 11.22" x 8.03" |
Weight | 3.22 lbs. | 3.42 lbs. | 3.08 lbs. |
Wireless Network | a/b/g | a/b/g w/Bluetooth | a/b/g/Draft-N |
Price | $400 | $650 | $550 |
At $400, the HP Mini 311 is the cheapest Ion-based netbook available. HP’s base model, which we tested, can be improved by upgrading the CPU, the Ion chipset, the RAM, the WiFi adapter, the hard drive, or the operating system. HP is currently the only manufacturer that offers customizable Ion-powered netbooks. It is also the only company to offer the Windows XP operating system on an Ion machine.
Lenovo offers two Ideapad S12 models with the Ion chipset with two or three GB of RAM, a 250- or 320-GB capacity hard disk, and a white or black body, respectively. The S12 ION starts at $600, although HP’s closest model is $50 less expensive. The S12 also includes many of Lenovo’s extra hardware and software add-ons, including facial recognition login and a cushioned hard drive.
Gateway’s ultraportable, the EC1437u, retails for $550, which is an excellent price for a full-fledged laptop. Side by side with the S12 and 311, the Gateway is easily mistakable for a netbook. However, inside, things are very different. The dual-core Pentium processor, even with a slower clock speed (1.3 GHz vs. 1.6 GHz) is superior to all other netbooks thanks to higher bandwidth, a larger cache, and more power. 
The specifications behind these three machines show us two things. First, these two Ion netbooks offer different degrees of customization—the Mini 311 is as feature-rich as you want it to be, but Lenovo’s S12 comes in only two options. An equally powerful Mini 311 is slightly cheaper than the S12, but if you’re in the market for either, it’s a question of design preferences, not speed or parts.
The second is that older, low-cost parts don’t condemn a machine to the trash heap. Nearly everything in Gateway’s ultraportable could have been found in low-end laptops from two years ago, but so what? This older technology has proven itself over the years and has been fine-tuned for both performance and battery life.
- Laptops and Notebooks,
- Intel,
- Nvidia,
- Lenovo,
- HP,
- Gateway,
- Atom ,
- ION ,
- Netbook ,
- Ultraportable
I agree... with the last line.
How in the world do you justify calling the Gateway machine an Atom in the title?
How in the world do you justify calling the Gateway machine an Atom in the title?
Agree!!!
Totally misleading title
Agree about the title.
My question is why not compare the Core 2 Duo with the SU7300 from Acer, also 11.6", and $599???
After all, you were looking for price comparison!!!
Original title all fixed up. Slight mixup, sorry about that.
zzz_b, we chose the Gateway because originally we intended to test an Acer netbook, but the good folks asked about their new line of ultraportables. I'm not sure which model you mean, since their website doesn't list any 11.6" laptop with the SU7300, but we would have stuck with the Gateway because it's cheaper.
Indeed, we were looking for comparable machines, but more in parts and performance than price. Price is clearly a factor, but in comparing an ultraportable to a netbook, it's more important to know which performs well.
For taking notes in class and web browsing, i think your standard atom netbook without ion is perfect.
Netbook + Arch Linux + LXDE = plenty fast enough
This review is interesting, but everyone knows that the 4500 is juk, and Atom is overkill for netbooks. I really wish that you could have also looked at one of AMD's offerings. Right now the 13" HP DM3 should be easy to get your hands on, and the Wind U230 and Lenovo X100e are both the same size as these guys, and should be out within the week.
This review is interesting, but everyone knows that the 4500 is juk, and Atom is overkill for netbooks. I really wish that you could have also looked at one of AMD's offerings. Right now the 13" HP DM3 should be easy to get your hands on, and the Wind U230 and Lenovo X100e are both the same size as these guys, and should be out within the week.
jamezrp - the model is the Aspire 1810T with 11.6" display, Core 2Duo SU7300, GMA4500, 4GB RAM, 320 GB HD, 802.11a/b/g/n, bluetooth, about 7h battery life. All this for $599.
Just a comment, the Lenovo is more expensive than this one.
Much better title, thank you.
Given that the Gateway machine is dual-core, vs. the single-core HP and Lenovo offerings, I do not think anyone is really surprised that the Gateway ultraportable comes out on top in cpu benchmarks.
What I would like to see is a direct comparison between a dual-core Ion netbook, such as the Asus Eee PC 1201N, and a dual-core (SU4100) with GMA 4500MHD netbook/ultraportable such as the Acer Aspire 1810TZ-4484.
With a current price difference of only $10.00 on ncix, I believe the competition will be a lot tighter, the only clear advantage for the SU4100-based machine being battery life.
In my mind, such a comparison would be much more beneficial to those looking for a relatively small, lightweight machine (around 12") that would have more power/usability/longevity attached to it and still cost under/around $600.00 (Canadian).
I will keep my fingers crossed and hope for an update/review to surface (^_^).
4500 is junk for what purpose? its power efficient, drives HDMI/DP displays, handles HD media fine, runs aero. Yes, its slower than ION chipset for 3D - is that the compelling usage model for these systems?
Of course, it won't be long before we will see Arrandale based CULV systems showing up which will meet or beat ION in 3D and media while offering even more CPU muscle than the Gateway reviewed here with the same or better battery life...
In september I picked up an 11.6 inch acer aspire 1410-8804 for $449. SU3500 is only 1 core at 1.4ghz but it runs so much better than an atom. I had one of the first msi wind which was nice but this thing is so much better.
In this area the gma4500 is lousy but better than the 950 and the atom is horrid so the culv is decent. I would pick culv over ion anyday in this device market.
But my question is if my acer $389 today (vista mine had free upgrade to win 7 - and don't run vista on culv) why can't I get culv + nvidia 9400m ($50-100) on an 11.6-12.1 device for under $500? I figure it would cut batt life by 20-30% but 6cell 5600mAh batt would still get like 4-5 hours I would think and only add 20-30 dollars to the cost.
I sat in a jury room waiting to be pulled for a possible jury. 20% of the room, overwhelmingly female, had their netbooks out and love them!
I call netbooks purse computers. Not to be sexist, but it is the killer app. It fits charged in a purse. I see the same for the Apple tablet and HP slate.