UPGRADING KAV60, USED N257 1648 OR HAPPY2

Hello,

I was going to purchase a new laptop for my daughter who has recently started college. Her needs are for word processing and internet. She has an Acer Aspire One KAV60, XP Home, 150 Gb HD, iNTEL Atom N270 (1.6 Ghz, 512 Mb), 1Gb DDR2/533. The battery has stopped charging but the system works well enough as a desktop with a 19" LED, keyboard and mouse while plugged into the wall power.

I was considering the following upgrades for the KAV60:

1) $20-$30; 4400mAh Surperb Choice 6 cell or a 7800mAh Tech Rover Max Life 9 cell battery
2) $13; 2 Gb Hynix DDR2/800
3) $30; iNTEL 7260ac Dual band Wifi+Bluetooth 2x2, mini PCI express half/height card

a) $20; 2 Tyco wireless/bluetooth mPICe antennas
b) $ 6; 1 mini PCI express half height card to full height card adapter​

I can get a newer used AA0 D257 1648 or Happy2 with WIN7 Professional, 250 Gb HD, 2 Gb DDR3/800 RAM, 802.11n built-in, 4400mAh 6 cell, and the iNTEL Atom N570 (dual core 1.66 Mhz, 2x512 Mb) for $150.00. Money is unfortunately tight but I can go either way if I wait a month.

She is happy with her KAV60 AAO but does need a replacement battery to use as a portable. I don't mind upgrading but for a little less than double the cost of the upgrades, on paper, the newer D257 1648 or Happy2 model offers a lot more performance, even stock.

I am very interested to hear thoughts from AAO D257 1648/Happy2 owners about the reliability of these units and KAV60 users in regards to how friendly they are to these type of upgrades. Any thoughts or opinions?

 

From the specs of the KAV60 you provide, this netbook appears to be the same as my AOA-150. That being said, I would not recommend this computer for a college student. Firstly, I don't think this netbook will allow a 2 gig memory module. I think the max you can have is 1.5 gigs. 512k of memory is soldered on the motherboard and the CPU won't recognize over 2 gigs of memory. As memory modules come in 1, 2, 4 gig sticks you are stuck using a 1 gig stick in order to not exceed the 2 gig limitation. Others have tried and the netbook will not post with a 2 gig stick installed. Also, you mention the OS is still Windows XP. Microsoft stops supporting XP next April. I've upgraded my AOA-150 over the years piece by piece. I have 1.5 gigs of memory, Windows 7 and a different wireless card as the original didn't have a Windows 7 driver that was reliable. That being said, I wouldn't do it again at this point as it really isn't cost effective. In addition, it is a tedious task to take this machine apart and back together without mishap. I still use this little laptop when I travel as it is fine for checking e mail and light surfing or word processing. However, for a main computer for a college student, I would say no. A college student will be required to do lots of word processing and on the little keyboard, that would be tough. In addition, all college students I know want to watch You Tube videos, Twitter, Facebook and the like. Both netbooks you mention are slow. due to the limited power of the CPU and video. So, I'd say get the battery for the Kav60 so your daughter will have the portability of having a netbook in her backpack and look for a desktop CPU. You mention you already have the 19 inch monitor, keyboard & mouse. If you have a good look, around online, you can find a desktop unit loaded with Windows 7 for $150 or so with much better specs than either netbook you mention here. Plus, it will have a DVD drive that could be necessary for a college student. Here is an example what is available on eBay in your price range: http://www.ebay.com/sch/Desktops-All-In-Ones-/171957/i.html
Good luck!

 

Checking further, I see the KAV60 is actually the same as a AOD250, It will take 2 gigs of memory. However, all my other reservations remain the same.

 

Nestone50, thank you for your input. my duaghter and i have several desktops that i have built over the past few years, along with external hdds, dvd and cd burners of varying design and purpose.

my duaghter is 5 foot 4 inces and she is comfortable with the keyboard size. i hear you on the use of spacebook, mypage and youthube. she realy only needs ms office and good internet.

i have not dismissed aquiring a newer more powerful machine, i have an asus laptop in mind. i am a fan of the new amd processors, sawpping out the stock for the big cheese with max ramis a reasonable upgrade.

thanks again, you have provided some new angles for me to consider. i supose, i have to figure out if i am buying the correct tool, how long and well it will serve her.

 

I've noticed a lot of Google Chromebooks when I visited the Arizona State campus the other day.

 

pm4hire,
i have not accomplished all my goals in thjs cenario but my daughter is packing a very spanky little netbook to class today.

i decided on an AA1 happy2 in blueberry shake. i am impressed, the kav60 just can not touch it.

thanks everyon e who cared to offer assistance, every bit helped.