subject: The HP Mini 5103 is the Best Netbook Available [print this page] The HP Mini 5103 is the Best Netbook Available
The exterior of the device is pretty much the same as that of the previous models, with its aluminium finish. What are new are the Espresso colour and the Day Starter instant-on operating system.
The HP mini 5103 stands out among others in the HP family as well as netbooks by most other brands because of the Intel Atom N550 dual core processor used in it. This makes it ideal for corporate honchos who need to stay in touch on the Internet and access files constantly.
Other than the 1.5 GHz processor, this netbook runs on the Windows 7 Starter edition operating system and is hooked with a 2GB RAM. As long as the double security programs of McAfee are not loaded on to the system, the processor runs faster than most other netbooks.
The HP 5103 netbook is definitely a class better than the others that run on the N450 processor. However, running too may windows as well as Internet browser tabs can slow the system down more than the netbooks hooked with N525 Atom processors.
The Broadcom Crystal HD incorporated into the HP mini 5103 makes a world of difference to the experience of watching videos. Therefore, this has little to do with the dual core processor installed into this model. The Broadcom played videos of 720p through 1080p configuration effortlessly. However, the 5103 is not equipped with an HDMI outlet.
Most netbook experts were sceptical of the effect of a dual core processor on the battery life of the device. However, the N550 processor seemed to have little effect on the battery. At 6 hours of average battery life, it is better than the AMD Nile range of netbooks. Additionally, the high-resolution 10.1-inch display screen does good justice to full screen video playback. The touch screen is probably of little use to netbook users at this point. Bit the keyboard is comfortable to work on.
The netbook is hooked with an inbuilt Wi-Fi system and has USB ports. Priced at $399 it is as good as, if not better than most other netbooks of other brands in the same price range. Although there are not too many significant differences between the 5102 and the 5103, the touchpad cum keyboard is a combination well appreciated by netbook enthusiasts.
