Netbook that'll run CoH?

I'm thinking of getting a netbook so i can browse the forums on my 2 hr lunch breaks on a bigger screen than my iPhone.

I was thinking of getting an Asus eee 1000H something, but then I wondered if there was a netbook I could get that'd maybe run CoH.

It's probably a pipedream, but any suggestions?

I'd rather not get anything bigger than 11 inch screen as my daily encumbrance total is limited.

Eco.

Quote:

Originally Posted by Samuel_Tow [The Incarnate System is] Jack Emmert all over again, only this time it's not "1 hero = 3 white minions" it's "1 hero = 3 white rocks."

Pipedream.

Best Buy has Netbooks in their own category now, and even has an "official" explanation of what a netbook is:

I have the Verizon Wireless HP Mini 311 with the 1.6 Atom and the Nvidia Ion and 2GB DDR3 and it handles CoH well, although I suspect that Mothership raids would be out, lol. I've just ordered a 2GB stick to replace the 1GB stick that's in the slot, so I will end up with 3GB ddr3.

I think it's the best you can do with a netbook format right now.

I agree that an actual laptop with a good GPU would be better for playing CoH, weight and size aside.

I have an MSI Wind U100 that runs CoX decently in XP Pro (and OS X ).

Yeah I had to bring the graphics down, but it really plays quite well as long as

A) You're not in the middle of a Massive Raid (Rikti, Hami, Zombie Apoc)

or

B) You're not in the Shadow Shard or RWZ

In those two cases you're playing City of Slideshow...
(CoV maps espec. Arachnos can be slowwww too)

I have 2GB of RAM in the little booger and have used the 1.0A firmware to set the CPU to +15%. It's been great for Auction House/Inventions in boring meetings or just quick solo radio mishes.

An SG mate of mine has a netbook that he sometimes runs COH on (Minimum settings and almost nevers teams when on it.)


I'll ask him about which one it is.

a netbook? Seriously???

I have an Asus netbook with an Atom 280 1.6ghz processor. I need to upgrade to 2 gigs of ram. I never imagined I'd be able to do anything in CoX with that thing. Heck, I'd be happy if I can just use the markets on my netbook.

I also await the information you get from your friend.

Thanks in advance.

I would look into any netbook based on the ION platform. They are dual core with nVidia mobile chips. these would be your best bet. I had an Apsire One before I exchanged it for a full sized laptop (i needed the keyboard) and as someone else mentioned, you could get away running a mission or 2 in it but it would look dirty.

I play on a netbook, and I've been keeping up with changes. If you can stand to wait, Ion2 Netbooks from Lenovo (C200), ASUS (Eee 1201PN), and Acer Aspire One will arrive in the next two months. Unfortunately, without the machine in front of me, I can't really size it up. But there is info on them. As a comparison factor, the Ion Netbooks (GeForce 9400M) are speed-wise as capable as a Ion2 (GeForce G305, around 400 MHz) but for some models, the Ion2 may be better depending on the machine used. 12" netbooks will use a more powerful chip equivalent to GeForce G310, desktop/nettop versions will use the full 500 or so MHz since power restrictions are not an issue. Initial reports have the 10" Atom Netbooks based on Ion 2 benchmarking at the same level as an Ion 1 netbook.

The big reason to consider these at all for netbooks is that Ion 2 netbooks use the new Atom processors that are dual-core (Pine Trail) and closer to 2.0 Ghz without sacrificing battery power. For gaming, you'll be clinging for dear life to your DC Adaptor regardless, since to get the 6+ promised hours of use your netbook will run on Power Conservation which will cut processor power and turn graphics features down or off. It runs at it's specifications only when plugged in and set to High Performance. Regardless, Multithreaded/Multicore support, more memory, and better graphics may make netbooks very desirable for entry-level CoH or in your case, backup play or on the road use.

These netbooks are around where the GeForce Go 6000 series or ATI Mobility Radeon X1800 series were a few years back... same fill rates, but with better shaders, DirectX/OpenGL support and unlike their predecessors, contains stream processors (at most, 16... again, not a great performance.) Granted, it will perform... at low to medium settings at best pushing 20-30 fps with everything turned down, the power settings on full performance and on a good internet connection. If you want better performance than that, this isn't going to go well for you.

Curious to what you're referring to as encumberance. If weight, can't argue that, lighter is better, and honestly Ion1 or Ion2 won't make enough of a difference for you to consider waiting for if a 12" netbook is too big. Cost, the larger netbooks do cost more than the smaller ones. Power use/consumption... well, for gaming, netbooks get hot and power use is equivalent to running a gaming console. The magic of a netbook isn't a powerful battery, it's "power-miser"ing circuits which cut performance to save all of that energy. When playing games, unfortunately, all of those circuits will be ran at full blast. If you try to run CoH on a battery, it'll drain it like crazy.

Any netbook that doesn't use NVidia Ion, TexasJustice is absolutely right. On Intel GMA, my Mom's netbook (Eee PC 901) crashes after server selection. If it costs less than $350, odds are it won't have NVidia Ion installed, and will not even run City of Heroes at all. On my netbook (Gateway LT3101u), it uses Radeon X1270, which barely cranks out 15-20 FPS in enclosed areas and falls to 12 FPS in open-sky areas. (Gateway claims my netbook is really a Subnotebook. AMD decided from the start to not take part of anything "netbook" due to low margins and high return rates reported from manufacturers.) I can play City of Heroes on it, as it's my only option since my PC died, but I certainly don't recommend it for that use. (I don't recommend anything that can't go over 20 FPS regularly on the lowest settings.)

But I have tried the NVidia Ion: my nephew's netbook, HP Mini 311, does have it, and runs City of Villains in the Mercy Island area around 22 FPS once High Performance is turned on in Windows 7. In Atlas Park, it averages around 28 FPS.

Thanks for all the great advice.

By encumbrance, I meant it as used in D&D I already lug around textbooks etc, adding a netbook probably won't kill me, but a laptop would be a pita.

After reading all the sugestions/advice so far, i'll probably just go for a netbook that'll be good for browsing and writing. I'd not be going anywhere with it that would have a DC connection available for me, so it's pointless I guess.

Not to worry.

Cheers, again.

Eco

Quote:

Originally Posted by Samuel_Tow [The Incarnate System is] Jack Emmert all over again, only this time it's not "1 hero = 3 white minions" it's "1 hero = 3 white rocks."

Yeah... laptop power technology hasn't changed all that much in the last 10 years I'm afraid.

Good luck with your studies!