Adventures in Netbook Land

ButterBean

So I'm going to buy a netbook. I'll likely get this one: http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16834220441

I'm planning on doing a couple of upgrades though. I've heard that upgrading eee PC's is pretty simple, but I don't know anything about the parts I'd need, specifically, to do the following:

1. I'd like to upgrade the ram from 1GB to 2GB
2. I'd like to remove the hard disk and replace it with a much smaller (likely) 32GB SSD
3. Put the 160GB drive into an external enclosure

I have only ever built or tinkered with towers, so I'm a little nervous about buying all the right bits for my new netbook. I've got some specific questions, as follows:

1. Is there a standard RAM used in laptops/netbooks? The spec sheet doesn't seem to specifically mention a "type".
2. Do all portable computers use the same size drives, or do I need to buy a special size to fit into the netbook?
3. Does anyone have any recommendations on manufacturers? Does manufacturer name even matter?

I've done a few searches Google for help, but they all seem to be dated with regards to SSD and Netbook information (most of the stuff is from 2007, and being a total netbook noob it's hard to tell if it's still relevant). I'm also soliciting advice as to whether or not any of this is even a good idea, or if you guys have anything to add on the subject of netbooks in general to help in my decision making.

Houndx

1. Laptops/netbooks use so-dimms, most likely ddr2
2. Most use 2.5" drives but I think alot of netbooks use a smaller (1.7"?) drive
3. It matters, some netbooks have soldered in ram and can't be upgraded

Improvolone

I think the Dell is the only soldered one.

Houndx

No, it has to do with which intel processor is used. One of them requires soldered ram and the others do not. While I don't know which one it is offhand, I do know that Dell isn't the only oem to use it (and they also offer several models that do not use it.)

ButterBean

The eee I'm thinking of purchasing seems to be well regarded in terms of "upgradeability" and on older models there seem to be Youtube videos about how to change the RAM.

With regards to manufacturers, I was thinking more about the manufacturer of the ram and/or SSD. Like, is a Seagate drive better than "Random Taiwanese Company A", or is Crucial ram better than any of the other assorted ram manufacturers.

Maybe I'll see if I can't find a user manual for that particular model...

DusT_HounD

Hrm, i can't speak on the changing HDD thing, but i have an EEE901, which is working very nicely for me. I upgraded to 2GB of RAM (Kingston DDR2, 667MHz) some time ago, and have been problem-free.

Anywah, i also have to enthuse now about how it's probably the best portable computer i've ever owned, cheap, does what i expect it to, can even run a few games if you're so inclined.

vonPoonBurGer

ButterBean wrote: »

With regards to manufacturers, I was thinking more about the manufacturer of the ram and/or SSD. Like, is a Seagate drive better than "Random Taiwanese Company A", or is Crucial ram better than any of the other assorted ram manufacturers.

Take a look at the warranty offered with a component, that will tell you most of what you need to know about its quality. In terms of hard drives, one-year warranty = junk you should avoid, three-year warranty = decent average part, five-year warranty = quality part from a quality manufacturer. For memory, accept nothing less than a lifetime warranty, even budget manufacturers are offering them these days. I'd recommend going with a manufacturer that has a solid reputation for good support though, so you can be confident you can actually make use of that warranty should you need to. I've heard almost entirely good things about Corsair, Crucial, Kingston & Mushkin in this regard.