Mini laptops, or netbooks as they have become known, are a phenomenon of the last eighteen months or so, ever since Asus unveiled its first Eee PC aimed at the education market.

VNUnet, along with other technology sites, has covered many of these models, which are characterised by a relatively small size and low purchase price when compared to traditional ultraportable laptop machines.

Since Intel introduced its Atom processor last year, netbooks have standardised on this platform to such an extent that there is very little difference in specifications between any of the models. Almost all have a 1.6GHz processor, 1GB of memory, and are based on the same Intel motherboard components.

Apart from the screen and keyboard, which are often subject to the personal taste of the buyer, it seems that just about the only differentiator is the choice of storage device, with some models using Flash memory solid state disks (SSDs) while others stick with laptop-style hard drives.

With this in mind, is there any point at all in benchmarking the performance of these models?

We have found that there are can be some differences in overall system performance, depending on the technology used. Many Flash SSDs deliver performance equivalent to that of a hard drive, although they are more costly, so buyers tend to get less storage for the same price. Netbooks with SSDs tend to have about 20GB, while similar models with a hard drive offer up to 160GB, for example.

However, some types of Flash memory deliver less impressive performance. To quote Wikipedia; "Lower priced drives usually use Multi-level cell (MLC) flash memory, which is slower and less reliable than Single-level cell (SLC) flash memory."

While this difference shows up in benchmark tests, the average user probably would not notice, especially if they are just using the device for browsing the web, accessing email, or typing up the occasional document.

It seems that potential buyers would be best advised not to worry too much about performance, but about other aspects of the system, such as the keyboard, screen and other facilities provided.

27 Jan 2009