I had been on the lookout for a nice netbook since a couple of months, but I wanted something much more powerful than the cheap Atom powered ones which are commonly available now.

I had three options

Dell M101z
Asus EEE PC 1215T
MSI x340

After about a day of research, I decided to go with the Dell M101z. I ordered the base version of the Dell M101z (with Windows 7 Home Basic) for Rs 22265 on December 28, 2010 and it was shipped to me in about 15 days.

Dell M101z Specifications

Display: 11.6 inches, 1366 x 768 pixels
Processor: 1.7 GHz AMD Athlon II K125 Neo
RAM: 2 GB DDR3 RAM
Graphics: ATI Mobility Radeon HD 4225
Hard Disk: 250 GB SATA, 5400 RPM
OS: Windows 7 Home Basic
Other Features: 3 USB ports, Wi-Fi 802.11 b/g/n, Bluetooth, HDMI, VGA, Mic, Headphone, Ethernet, 1.3 MP webcam
Battery: 6 cell 56 WHr Li-ion battery
Price: Rs 21,800 (Base) + Rs 465 (Windows 7 Home Basic)

I have been using it for about 2 weeks now, and finally have time to post a short review.

Dell M101z Review

Design

The Dell M101z has an excellent design with a glossy black look. The build quality is great and it is quite light and portable at just 1.56 kgs, despite having a 11.6 inch display. There is no flex near the keyboard or the display area and the chassis is very sturdy.

Display

The Dell M101z has a nice 11.6 inch display with a resolution of 1366 x 768 display. The resolution may seem a bit high for such a small display, but in time, you will get used to it. It’s perfect for watching movies. The brightness and contrast are great, but the viewing angles aren’t very great.

Keyboard and Touchpad

The Dell M101z has the best keyboard I’ve seen in any netbook. It has a chiclet style keyboard which is almost full-sized. The typing experience is awesome; I get a typing speed of about 65 WPM, slightly more than on my desktop. The arrow keys are a bit weirdly shaped though, but they hardly takes 2 mins to get used to. The touchpad is also very responsive and the mouse buttons below it are perfect.

Performance

The Dell M101z offers much better performance than standard netbooks. It is powered by a 1.7 GHz AMD Athlon II K125 Neo processor and comes with 2 GB DDR3 RAM and an ATI Mobility Radeon HD 4225 graphics chipset. It has a 250 GB SATA, 5400 RPM hard drive. It comes with Windows 7 Starter but I upgraded it to Windows 7 Home Basic. It also has Ubuntu Light, an instant-on OS pre-installed.

The performance is very good. It is very fast once you remove the crapware that Dell bundles it with. Windows 7 boots in about 25-30 seconds. The processor is quite fast and the RAM is more than adequate for basic computing. I can easily play Counter Strike and Warcraft: DoTA, and many old games, without any issues. It’s perfect for watching movies, browsing the web, video conferencing, working on Office and some light programming. It handles 720p videos with ease. I get a Windows Experience Index score of 3.4 on my Dell m101z.

Other Features

The Dell M101z comes with 3 USB ports, Wi-Fi 802.11 b/g/n, Bluetooth, HDMI, VGA, Mic, Headphone, Ethernet, 1.3 MP webcam and a card reader. It is powered by a 6 cell 56 WHr Li-ion battery which lasts for about 5 hours with casual usage. Watching videos drains the battery in about 3.5 hours.

Should You Buy It?

Hell yeah! It is the best netbook I have used in ages and offers much more than a standard netbook. It is almost like a laptop, only much more portable, much cheaper and much more awesome. I would definitely recommend it.

If you are looking for a full-sized, desktop replacement notebook, I would suggest the Dell XPS 15. It is much more powerful than the Dell M101z and a bit more bulky.

Intel and Nokia had merged the Moblin and Maemo projects a while back to form MeeGo. It’s a new mobile OS which will work on both smartphones (ARM) and netbooks (X86 – Atom).

If you have a PC, laptop or netbook powered by the Intel Atom processor, you can install MeeGo on it.

You can check the list of supported hardware platforms here.

How to Install MeeGo on your Netbook / PC / Laptop

1. First of all, download the MeeGo image on your PC. Download any one of these two MeeGo images.

Download MeeGo v1.1 for Netbooks

Download MeeGo v1.1 for Netbooks (With Chrome)

Download Win32 Image Writer

2. Run the Win32 Disk Imager and select the MeeGo disk image you downloaded.

Also insert a USB drive in your PC, and select the USB drive in W32 Disk Imager. Write the MeeGo image to the USB drive.

3. Insert the USB drive into your netbook or laptop (Atom only) and boot from the USB drive.

4. You should see a Welcome to MeeGo screen.

Select Boot MeeGo if you want to try out the MeeGo OS before installing it.

You should see a MeeGo MyZone screen. You can now run MeeGo on your netbook or PC.

Select Installation Only if you want to install MeeGo on your PC, netbook or laptop.

Click next, select the language, select the partition you want to install MeeGo in, and select the Write Changes to Disk option next.

MeeGo should now be installed on your PC or netbook. You can now proceed with the initial setup.

via MeeGo

Intel Core i3 vs Core i5 vs Core i7 – The Difference
Intel Core i7 vs Intel Core 2 Duo – The Difference
Intel Core i5 vs Intel Core 2 Duo – The Difference
Intel Core i3 vs Intel Core 2 Duo – The Difference
-

Intel Core i3 vs Core i5 vs Core i7 Comparison- The Difference

This post explains the difference between the Intel Core i3, Core i5 and the Core i7 processors.

Intel Core i3

Codenamed: Clarkdale (Westmere)
Fabrication: 32 nm
Instruction set: X86, X86-64, MMX, SSE 4.2
Socket: LGA 1156
Bus: Direct Media Interface
RAM: DDR3
Chipset Support: P55, H55, H57, Q57

Intel Core i5

Codenamed: Lynnfield (Nehalem), Clarkdale (Westmere)
Fabrication: 45 nm, 32 nm
Instruction set: X86, X86-64, MMX, SSE 4.2
Socket: LGA 1156
Bus: Direct Media Interface
RAM: DDR3
Chipset Support: P55, H55, H57, Q57

Intel Core i7

Codenamed: Bloomfield (Nehalem)
Fabrication: 45 nm
Instruction set: X86, X86-64, MMX, SSE 4.2
Socket: LGA 1366
Bus: Quick Path Interconnect
RAM: DDR3
Chipset Support: X58

Intel has classified the Core processor range into Core i3, Core i5 and Core i7. Both the cost and the performance goes on increasing as you move from Core i3 to Core i7.

Intel Core i3

The Core i3 processors are dual core processors based on the Clarkdale (Westmere) architecture. They have a 32 nm fabrication and work with LGA 1156 socket motherboards. Direct Media Interface (DMI) replaces FSB in the Core i3 processors, unlike the faster Quick Path Interconnect in the Core i7 processors. They have clock speeds ranging from 2.93 to 3.06 GHz. They have 2×256 KB L2 cache and 4 MB L3 cache. They are compatible with these chipsets – P55, H55, H57, Q57. They don’t support Turbo Boost (dynamic overclocking) unlike the Core i5 and Core i7. They also have an Integrated graphics processor. They also have Hyperthreading support.

Intel Core i5

There are two types in Core i5 – Dual core and Quad Core. The dualcore Intel Core i5 processors are similar to the Core i3s while the quadcore Core i5s are much closer to the Core i7 in terms of features.

DualCore Core i5 Processors – They are based on the Clarkdale (Westmere) architecture like the Core i3. They also have a 32 nm fabrication and work with LGA 1156 socket motherboards. Direct Media Interface (DMI) replaces FSB in the Core i5 dualcore processors. They have clock speeds ranging from 3.2 to 3.6 GHz. They have 2×256 KB L2 cache and 4 MB L3 cache. They are compatible with these chipsets – P55, H55, H57, Q57. They support Turbo Boost (dynamic overclocking). They also have an Integrated graphics processor and also include Turbo Boost (dynamic overclocking). They also have Hyperthreading support.

QuadCore Core i5 Processors – They are based on the Lynnfield (Nehalem) architecture similar to the Core i7. They have a 45 nm fabrication and work with LGA 1156 socket motherboards. Direct Media Interface (DMI) replaces FSB in the Core i5 quadcore processors. There are 2 processors with clock speeds of 2.4 and 2.66 GHz. They have 4×256 KB L2 cache and 8 MB L3 cache. They are compatible with these chipsets – P55, H55, H57, Q57. They do support Turbo Boost (dynamic overclocking). However they don’t support Hyperthreading and don’t have a Integrated Graphics Processor.

Intel Core i7

They are the most powerful of the lot. They are based on the Bloomfield (Nehalem) architecture. They have a 45 nm fabrication and work with LGA 1366 socket motherboards. They have Quick Path Interconnect (QPI) which is faster than both DMI in Core i3/i5 and FSB. They are native quad cores which offer the best performance. They have 4×256 KB L2 cache and 8 MB L3 cache. They are compatible with the X58 chipset. They support Turbo Boost (dynamic overclocking) and Hyperthreading (8 virtual cores). However they don’t have an Integrated Graphics Processor.

All the three – Core i3, Core i5 and Core i7 comes with Smart Cache (cache sharing between two cores) and support hardware virtualization.

Intel – Difference between Core i3, Core i5 and Core i7

Intel Core i3 vs Core i5 vs Core i7 – The Difference
Intel Core i7 vs Intel Core 2 Duo – The Difference
Intel Core i5 vs Intel Core 2 Duo – The Difference
Intel Core i3 vs Intel Core 2 Duo – The Difference
-
Intel Core i5 vs Core 2 Duo Comparison- The Difference

This post explains the Difference Between Intel Core i5 and the Core 2 Duo processors.

The Intel Core i5 series is based on two architectures:

1. Westmere (Core i5 6xx – Clarkdale – 32 nm – Dual Core)
2. Nehalem (Core i5 7xx – Lynnfield – 45 nm – Quad core)

Intel Core 2 Duo

Codenamed: Conroe, Allendale, Wolfdale – Core 2
Fabrication: 65 nm / 45 nm
Instruction set: X86, X86-64, MMX, SSE 4.1
Socket: LGA 775
Bus: 1333 MHz FSB
RAM: DDR2
Chipset Support: 965, P3x, G3x, P45, X48

Intel Core i5

Codenamed: Lynnfield, Clarkdale
Fabrication: 45 nm, 32 nm
Instruction set: X86, X86-64, MMX, SSE 4.2
Socket: LGA 1156
Bus: Direct Media Interface
RAM: DDR3
Chipset Support: P55, H55, H57, Q57

LGA 1156, Direct Media Interface, Smart Cache

Like the Intel Core i3 processors, The Core i5 are also native dual cores; they have both processors on the same die which leads to better processing speeds. The quadcore Core i5 processors are native Quad cores – 4 processors on the same die – much faster than two dual cores stitched together. While the Intel Core 2 Duo processors work on the LGA 775 socket, the new Core i3 and Core i5 processors use the LGA 1156 socket and support motherboards based on the following chipsets - P55, H55, H57, Q57.

All the Core i5 processors sport the DMI (Direct Media Interface) which is much faster than the FSB used in Core 2 Duo processors but is not as fast as Quick Path Interconnect in the Core i7. They also have a on die memory controller which helps in much faster memory access than the Core 2 Duo processors. They also support Smart Cache which allows cache memory sharing between the two cores reducing memory latencies.

Difference between dualcore Core i5 and quadcore Core i5 Processors

Like the Core i3 processors, the dualcore Core i5 processors also have a 32 nm fabrication, they are much more power efficient and run faster than Core 2 Duo processors which have a 65 / 45 nm fabrication. There are 5 dual core Core i5 processors (Core i5 6xx) with clock speeds ranging from (Core i5 650) 3.2 GHz to (Core i5 680) 3.6 GHz. They have 2×256 KB L2 cache and 4 MB L3 cache. They also have an on die graphics processor for better graphics performance like the Core i3 series. They also support Hyperthreading enabling 2×2=4 virtual cores.

The quadcore Core i5 processors (Core i5 7xx) have a 45 nm fabrication, and like the Core i7 processors, are based on the Nehalem architecture. There are 2 of them – Core i5 750 (2.66 GHz) and Core i5 750S (2.4 GHz). They have 4 x 256 KB L2 cache and 8 MB L3 cache. They don’t have an on die graphics processor. Also, Hyperthreading is disabled in quadcore Core i5s.

The Core i5 processors are meant for those who need more power than Core i3 processors. The Core i5 650 offers excellent value for money in a gaming rig.

Dual Core Intel Core i5 Prices

Core i5 650 – $176
Core i5 660 – $196
Core i5 661 – $196
Core i5 670 – $284
Core i5 680 – $294

Quad Core Intel Core i5 Prices

Core i5 750 – $196
Core i5 750S – $259

Intel Core i3 vs Core i5 vs Core i7 – The Difference
Intel Core i7 vs Intel Core 2 Duo – The Difference
Intel Core i5 vs Intel Core 2 Duo – The Difference
Intel Core i3 vs Intel Core 2 Duo – The Difference
-
Intel Core i3 vs Intel Core 2 Duo Comparison- The Difference

This post explains the Difference Between the Intel Core i3 and Core 2 Duo processors.

Just like the Intel Core i7, the Core i3 is based on a new architecture – Clarkdale which is based on the new Westmere microarchitecture. The Intel Core i3 range offers only dual core processors unlike the Core i5 and i7 which offer Quad cores as well.

Intel Core 2 Duo

Codenamed: Conroe, Allendale, Wolfdale – Core 2
Fabrication: 65 nm / 45 nm
Instruction set: X86, X86-64, MMX, SSE 4.1
Socket: LGA 775
Bus: 1333 MHz FSB
RAM: DDR2
Chipset Support: 965, P3x, G3x, P45, X48

Intel Core i3

Codenamed: Clarkdale
Fabrication: 32 nm
Instruction set: X86, X86-64, MMX, SSE 4.2
Socket: LGA 1156
Bus: Direct Media Interface
RAM: DDR3
Chipset Support: P55, H55, H57, Q57

LGA 1156, Direct Media Interface, Smart Cache

Both the Intel Core i3 and Intel Core 2 Duo processors are native dual cores; they have both processors on the same die which leads to better processing speeds. The Intel Core 2 Duo processors work on the LGA 775 socket, the new Core i3 and Core i5 processors use the LGA 1156 socket. The Core i3 processors support motherboards based on the following chipsets – P55, H55, H57, Q57.

As the Core i3 processors have a 32 nm fabrication, they are much more power efficient and run faster than Core 2 Duo processors which have a 65 / 45 nm fabrication. There are two processors in the Core i3 series – Core i3 530 (2.93 GHz) and the Core i3 540 (3.06 GHz). Both have 2 x 256 KB L2 cache and 4 MB of L3 cache. Both the Core i3 processors sport the DMI (Direct Media Interface) which is much faster than the FSB used in Core 2 Duo processors but is not as fast as Quick Path Interconnect in the Core i7.

The Core i3 processors also have a on die graphics processor which offer much better graphics performance. They also support Hyperthreading which means that each core can run 2 threads simultaneously which results in 2×2=4 virtual cores. They also have a on die memory controller which helps in much faster memory access than the Core 2 Duo processors. Also their chipsets are compatible with DDR3 RAM. The whole combination of Core i3 + DDR3 RAM offers much better performance than Core 2 Duo + DDR2 RAM. The Core i3 processors also support Smart Cache which allows cache memory sharing between the two cores reducing memory latencies.

However, unlike the Core i5 and Core i7 processors, the Core i3 processors also don’t support Turbo Boost which allows dynamic overclocking for better performance. Nevertheless, they are priced very low, which makes them a very good deal for budget PCs.

Intel Core i3 i530 – $113
Intel Core i3 i540 – $133