[iFerret]

I'm looking at getting a netbook, and I've narrowed it down to two choices which are easily available in New Zealand: the HP Mini 210 and the Dell Mini 10. I'll be keeping my MacBook and desktops for actual heavy duty work. I just want something super-portable for school and the library and whatever. If anyone has any better suggestions than these two, I'm all ears.

The HP has a superior design/appearance in my opinion. This is worth a lot to me. The Dell is easier to Hackintosh, which isn't all that important. I can get the HP for $499 (with Windows XP I think) and the Dell for $549. The HP has a 160GB HDD and the Dell a 250GB HDD and Windows 7 Starter.

Pros for HP: better design, cheaper.
Cons for HP: smaller HDD, Windows XP
Pros for Dell: bigger HDD, easier Hackintosh
Cons for Dell: worse design, more expensive

[turtle]

The Dell's Pros and Cons out weigh the HP if you asked me. You might even be able to order the Vostro version with Linux and save even more money. It'll do everything you'd need it to do and be Hackintosh material with ease.

I'm still running 10.5 on my Mini 9 and it works great. Otherwise, the Win7 Starter is better than WinXP any day. So my vote would be for the Dell.

Edit: I just went to Dell's site and it doesn't look like they have the Vostro version anymore. You'd have to look at the Inspiron Mini now but there is a $270 USD version with Linux there.

[Capella]

I'd go with the Dell because I was very satisfied with my 9 until I murdered it.

1, for a netbook, is HDD size really that important? I mean, netbooks are primarily for note-taking, quick web browsing, not lots of file storage. I mean, are you going to be syncing an iPod/touch/phone/pad? Are you gonna be storing lots of music and videos? I had a 16GB SSD and I didn't have a single problem with the storage space because all I used it for was text documents.

2, is Hackintoshing important? I know you said it isn't that much, I'm just asking why it's not important. Personally, with that much HD space on both, I'd go with a Hack because you already know the OS and you don't have to deal with XP (or 7) and all your apps and stuff will work normally, rather than having to find and use Windows equivalents. I mean, you have a Mac for a reason, why not make your netbook fit that comfortable paradigm?

One point to consider: DROPBOX. If you're trying to keep notes and stuff you take on one machine synced to the other, Dropbox is your friend. I could not have handled a netbook + other machine without it.

[Robo]

Dell. Deeeeelllllllllll. HP's net books are crap. "appearance" is not "design"...

[torifile]

Make sure the mini is the right version for easy hackintoshing. I think there are two very similar sounding minis 10 and 10v. Not sure which is the easy one. Just make sure you choose the right one.

[thegeriatric]

Originally Posted by Roboman Dell. Deeeeelllllllllll. HP's net books are crap. "appearance" is not "design"...

I had a HP netbook looked beautiful ally case etc, had to have the motherboard replaced after less than 6 months.

[turtle]

Originally Posted by torifile Make sure the mini is the right version for easy hackintoshing. I think there are two very similar sounding minis 10 and 10v. Not sure which is the easy one. Just make sure you choose the right one.

10v is the Hackintosh version. You need the GMA950 for it. I think the Nickelodeon version works too though.

[iFerret]

Ahh, see now we don't have the Mini 10v or the Nickelodeon version of the Mini 10 in NZ. We just have the Dell Mini 10. It says Intel graphics, but I wonder if its the GMA950... Actually I think I would rather like to Hackintosh it. Basically, I've realised how true all of what Capella said is.

As an aside, a friend of mine has the HP Mini 1000. He dropped and submerged it in a flooded gutter outside the library. After 24 hours of low heat, it worked perfectly (aside from a dent in the case). His insurance replaced it with a brand new Mini 210, which he likes. Another friend of mine has a Dell Vostro laptop that has survived being dropped (but not drowned) several times. He claims it's built like an absolute tank. Right, so that whole paragraph had no point in helping me decide.

As another aside, it's great that this forum is so fast and friendly in responding. Thanks guys.

[turtle]

Well, check out the refurb section at Dell and see if your country's Dell Outlet has any of the Mini 10s with the GMA950. Pretty much all the other parts Dell uses are hack friendly. You could head over to mydellmini.com and they can point you to what people are using on your side of the globe.

[digitalprimate]

Please allow me to BUMP this one up?

So, iFerret, what did you end up buying and are you happy with it?
Did you turn it into a Hackintosh?

I've also been looking into this possibility of getting an iMac and for portability's sake a netbook or MBx.

[beardedmacuser]

Just to chip in, I bought a Dell Inspiron mini 10 (or whatever it's called) a month or two ago. I'm fairly happy with it. I have to say it now has 2 gigs of RAM, W7 Pro and an SSD, which took the cost from £270 to almost £400! It's a bit chunky but so far feels pretty solid and it has taken a real pounding with no ill effects noticed. It's just about fast enough and the battery easily lasts all day; I never take the charger with me!

In general, it's just fine. Solid but a bit chunky. Just about fast enough but with great battery life.

Looking around online it does not look easy to Hackintosh, although that's not a requirement for me. It doesn't look like the drivers exist for hardware accelerated video. I spent a whole day reinstalling Windows in order to avoid all the crapware it shipped with! Dropbox is, of course, a necessity.

[iFerret]

I ended up buying a MacBook and yes, I'm very happy.

[turtle]

Yea! I still love Mork, but it certainly isn't a real Mac. If I ever replace him it'll be with an MBA.