Best Small Netbook to replace my ASUS EeePC901Go

[ukkid35]

Now that i386 support is being phased out, with what should I replace my 901Go?

Ideally I would like something similar in size, perhaps a bit lighter, with a screen size less than 11", ideally no more than 10"

The 901Go has an integral 3G sim slot, this would be welcome but is not essential

It does not need to be new, and ideally it should be cheap

Your suggestions would be very welcome

[TheFu]

After my Asus Eee, I moved to a chromebook 11 inch, 2995u CPU, but only 2G of ram for $212. Replaced the 16G ssd for a 120G ssd and put a lite-ubuntu flavor on it. The 720p screen drove me nuts.

When that wore out a few years later, I got a beautiful Toshiba 13 inch core i3 chromebook w/ 4GB ram, 1080p screen, for $430. Replaced the 16G ssd for a 64G ssd. And put a light ubuntu on again. I still have this machine. It needs a new keyboard and battery. Wish it had 8G of ram. This is under 3 lbs with 10+ hrs of battery.

Sometime around 2017, I learned about used laptops and pcked up an asus 7th gen core i5 w/ 8G ram, 1080p, 8+ hrs of battery for just over $300. It is a little heavier and larger, but over 2x faster than the i3. I regret that. The current generation core i3 laptops are extremely fast.

Note that I'm not using AMD in laptops. I think intel does the iGPU and battery management better. I could be wrong.

I'd avoid HP. Check out Acer 11 inch chromebooks. If you can find one, that toshiba cb2 is a gorgeous machine. They stopped making them.

I also tried using android tablets with keyboards for a few years. This was a huge hassle. The 10 nch table weren't fast and rnnng ubuntu insde a chroot, then sing vnc to access that OS was jst too much overhead.
The best I found was a Nokia N800 (4 inch screen) w/ a travel BT keyboard. It ran debian+Maemo. CPU was good for the time, battery sucked, but was replaceable, so I'd carry 4 batteries for a day use.

I haven't tried any of the MS-SURFACE devices, those are interesting, if they are unlocked.

Oh - not all chromebooks can be unlocked. Beware before purchase.

I think you'll be happiest with a used chromebook from Acer. Be certain to get a CPU with at least 1500 passmarks and 4gb of ram and a user-replaceable ssd. Probably avoid all the Nxxx CPUs that intel put out after 2014. Don't be afraid of the celeron or pentium CPUs if the performance is good.

[ukkid35]

Many thanks for the comprehensive reply

You said avoid the Nxxx CPUs, but my budget may not stretch beyond an Acer Aspire One with an Intel Atom N570

I am right assuming that the 64bit N570 will be supported ongoing?

I am quite content with the performance of the N270 powered 901Go, would the Acer be any slower?

The Acer One S1003 with Intel Atom X5-Z8350 might be an option if I can find one cheap enough

[TheFu]

A used Acer C720 with 2955U should be about $75 now. That would be a huge step up from an N570.

Performance for comparison: https://www.cpubenchmark.net/cpu.php...1.66GHz&id=623
The Celeron 2955U: https://www.cpubenchmark.net/cpu.php....40GHz&id=2073
is about 2x more powerful and very cheap for a vt-x capable system with 4GB of RAM and 8+ hours of battery.

But it is your choice, obviously.

At Linux install-fests over the years, I've learned to avoid specific laptop lines and certain vendors because they make running Linux hard. Acer Aspire is one and any laptop from HP is the other. I'm not saying those make it impossible, just that extra steps are necessary and certain BIOS capabilities are often locked out on these cheaper laptops.

[CelticWarrior]

The Intel Atom N570 is a 10 years old (and discontinued) CPU that supports up to 2GB DDR3 RAM. Definitely NOT the way forward.

Think Intel Celeron N4000 as the current bare minimum recommended.

[ukkid35]

Many thanks for the Acer C720 suggestion, but it is 50% larger than the 901Go (90 sq in vs 60 sq in)

Also thanks for the Acer Aspire / HP warnings

Performance is really not so much of an issue, as long as the OS itself doesn't feel clunky, as it will mainly be used for browsing

I find the 901Go's admittedly slow performance perfectly adequate for my needs, and Xubuntu 18.04LTS runs flawlessly

Perhaps the closest match would be the GPD Pocket with Intel x7-Z8750 (or Pocket 2 with Intel 3965Y), provided I can find one cheap enough

[TheFu]

I owned a Eee and found the C920 to be lighter and much faster, especially for web and video. The battery life was much better too. Had my N800 been better on battery, I'd probably still travel with that.

For a time, Dell mini was popular. Those were smaller than Eee. Dell would include one with some desktop and laptop purchases. I never had one, but some friends did.