How to Pick a Netbook That's Right for You

This article was inspired by a Twitter users request to me. Upon reading some of my other articles she promptly realized that I was well versed in technology and sent me a DM. In this DM she asked me "what netbook would suit me to use for work.paperwork n stuff."

Never mind the poor use of grammar, this is twitter after all. If you don't shorten everything you can't say much with that horrible limitation to 140 characters. Moving on, that inspired me to write the article you see before you now, "How To Pick A NetBook That's Right For You". There are many aspects which one must cover, but I'll try to keep this as simple as possible.

How To Pick A NetBook That's Right For You, hardware requirements.

When choosing a netbook, one of the first things you need to do is ask yourself, what are you planning on doing with the netbook? If it's gaming you seek, a netbook may not be the best option. In this particular case we are talking about a work computer, one which a person might use to browse the Internet for researching topics, and writing articles.

For such a task a netbook doesn't need much in terms of functionality, all it really needs is enough processing power to run a browser. Of course you still may want something that is capable of a few browser based games at the same time, so lets look at what the hardware means.

How To Pick A NetBook That's Right For You, what hardware means.

When we speak of hardware we are talking about the actual physical components that make up a computer these components include RAM, Hard Drives, CD-ROMs, CPUs, and video cards. Each of these components serves a purpose in your computer, netbook, or laptop, and the quality of each of these components will determine how well it performs the functions you ask of it.

How To Pick A NetBook That's Right For You, What is RAM?

RAM is an acronym for Randomly Accessed Memory, and it's purpose in your computer is to allow frequently accessed data to be accessed by the processor in real time, without the delays of a hard drive. RAM has read and write speed that is unparalleled to any other device, yet once you turn your computer off the RAM is cleared instantly. RAM does not retain data, this is why you need a good Hard Drive as well as good RAM.

How To Pick A NetBook That's Right For You, What is a Hard Drive?

A Hard Drive is a physical device which stores information regardless whether it is powered or not. While you must have power to retrieve this data, you do not need power to the drive simply for it to continue storing the data. A Hard Drive writes information to a magnetically aligned high speed rotating disc operating much like a CD-ROM without the laser.

How To Pick A NetBook That's Right For You, What is a CD-ROM?

Software distribution companies have long been trying to improve the methods they use to resell their products to consumers. With each upgrade the devices are capable of storing more and more data on a physical medium, such as floppy disks, and CDs. A CD-ROM is simply another device the end user must have in order to read these disc formats.

How To Pick A NetBook That's Right For You, What is a CPU?

The CPU is your Central Processing Unit intended to process all of the information your computer receives. The faster the CPU is, the faster your computer will be able complete the tasks you give it.

How To Pick A NetBook That's Right For You, What to look for.

CPU,
Now that you know what these devices are, you're ready to determine which netbook is right for you. When speaking in terms of GHZ, people are referring to CPU speed, and higher numbers are better.

Hard Drive,
When some one online or a sales person refers to Gigabytes of storage, they are referring to your hard drive and higher numbers again are better.

CD or DVD,
CD-ROMS are not the only technology out there, but they are the most widely used. DVD is becoming more prevalent in netbooks, so if you want to watch movies you may want a netbook with a DVD player in it.

Memory,
When you see XX gigs of ram this is referring to your memory, and more is better. This is where data which needs to be retrieved fast is stored. Memory is extremely important in gaming, watching movies, and multitasking.

How To Pick A NetBook That's Right For You, Cheap netbook.

Here is a site with some very cheap netbooks which are all very capable of performing the common tasks you would expect of a netbook, some of these are even running for as low as $99.

Cheap Netbooks

Remember what to look for in your netbook memory, CPU, CD-ROM or DVD-ROM and size of Hard Drive. By remembering these things you will get the best netbook for your money. My recommendation based on experience and the factors in this list is the Toshiba Mini NB205-N210 10.1-Inch Black Cheap Netbook. This netbook is both inexpensive and powerful enough to make sure you get your work done, and have some room to spare for entertainment.