HP Mini 5102: This Netbook Means Business
by Jarred Walton on September 22, 2010 12:15 AM ESTHP Mini 5102: Great Build, but Still Atom
Given we’re looking at a netbook that’s now past its prime, we’re still generally impressed with what the Mini 5102 offers. The build quality is far better than anything we’ve seen from a netbook to date, with the best keyboard in a 10” netbook we've ever used. It also comes with a matte screen that’s much easier to use outdoors, though contrast ratio is still poor. However, for $100 more than the competition this is essentially the same old Atom performance.
Granted, there are some other noteworthy extras. 802.11n networking, Gigabit Ethernet, and Bluetooth come standard in the ~$400 model available at various online sites, so connectivity is better than the vast majority of netbooks. The HP QuickSync software is also a potentially useful addition; if you don’t mind leaving your laptop plugged in and powered up when it’s not in use, you can have all the latest documents, images, email, etc. ready to go when you leave the office. For a quick lunch meeting, it might be a substitute for a smartphone that allows you to do a bit more typing and web browsing.
Determining what netbook is best for you is still a matter of compromise. If you want stellar battery life at a moderate price, ASUS’ Eee PC line wins, but the build quality of the 5102 is similarly head and shoulders above the competition. It’s unfortunate that we’re not reviewing the newer Mini 5103, because we’d like to see what DDR3 memory and the N475—or the dual-core N550—bring to the table. Given the similar pricing, even the base model 5103 is going to be the better choice these days, and we expect to see the 5102 inventory disappear over the coming weeks. If you start looking at more expensive netbooks, you can also add NVIDIA’s NG-ION platform to the mix.
In terms of multimedia capabilities, one thing we’re confident with stating is that NG-ION is much better than Broadcom’s Crystal HD decoder. Besides handling Flash video without problems the last time we tested, ION also gets you an HDMI port and typically a 768p display as well. NG-ION netbooks like the ASUS 1201PN also come priced similarly to the 5102/5103, but then the 1201PN is a 12” chassis—with 2GB RAM and a 250GB HDD standard. Anyway, while it’s possible the Crystal HD works better in other netbooks, unless the price is a lot lower than $425 we’d be inclined to go with the 1201PN.
Considering HP has already been on the ION bandwagon with the Mini 311, what would be awesome to see is something with the Mini 5102/5103 chassis (make it 12.1” if you have to), only put in NG-ION and a 66Wh battery and ship it with 2GB RAM and Windows Home Premium. If they can make that and keep the price of the laptop around $500, we’d have an awesome little multimedia device. For now, the Mini 5102 is a nice looking and well built take on Pine Trail and worth a look if you value build quality and durability over features and performance, or if you’re looking for a companion device with a business aesthetic. It’s more expensive than the competition, but the extra money does buy you the most solid netbook and the best 10.1” keyboard we’ve yet laid hands on.
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nukunukoo - Wednesday, September 22, 2010 - link
Never liked the Atom, with its performance and memory limitations especially in the face of AMD's upcoming offerings. I don't really mind a six-hour battery life instead of 8-9 hours if I get much more performance.And who is the moron who keep insisting 1024 x 600 is 'enough' for 'most' jobs? 10.1 and 11.6 inch displays have been available at 1336 x 768 resolution since the start of the year. Sure some are now in used (Sony uses the 10.1) but why do the bigger names still insists on this limitation? Sales erosion for their better models?
Taft12 - Wednesday, September 22, 2010 - link
Fully agreed on 1024x600. I know netbooks aren't supposed to be "primary" computers, but any and all usability is out the window with a vertical resolution that low.768 minimum please, 800 even better.
martyrant - Wednesday, September 22, 2010 - link
The Acer AO*21 series is a pretty amazing package in a netbook. It's a pretty beefy processor compared to the atom, has a integrated gpu the 721 has a 720p screen, and neither are all that expensive. It's DDR3, but I had a bunch of 2GB DDR3 laptop modules sitting around so that's an easy upgrade, as is putting in an intel x25 g2 80gb ssd. beastly machine, has HDMI out (a HUGE selling point, especially at this price point) and while the battery life isn't great, if you are just surfing doing nothing but netbook-type stuff, you can get 5 hours out of it, but if you are gaming (WoW runs on it OK, nothing you would want to make your gaming machine, torchlight ran great) or watching bluray rips (handles 720 and 1080p bluray rips) it's more like 3-4you get about half the battery life, but getting 3-5 hours out of a machine that does a good deal more than the competition at a good price point is hard to beat :P
therealnickdanger - Wednesday, September 22, 2010 - link
I've got the Acer TimelineX 1830T with the Core i3-330UM crammed in an 11.6" chassis. It's quite the little pocket-rocket... even though it doesn't quite fit in my pocket. I got mine for just over $500, it can do basic gaming (L4D, WoW), handles all HD video, and the battery usually lasts about 7 hours. I'm surprised AT hasn't reviewed one yet...JarredWalton - Wednesday, September 22, 2010 - link
Can't get them to send me one (yet?). :-\koekkoe - Wednesday, September 22, 2010 - link
What about fan/hard disk noise, fan control logic and heat? This subject is far too often forgotten in reviews.JarredWalton - Wednesday, September 22, 2010 - link
At full load, the fan noise gets to 36dB at 12". This is Atom we're talking about, so in general noise and heat aren't serious concerns. The Crystal HD was far hotter than anything else in the netbook.fabarati - Wednesday, September 22, 2010 - link
What settings did you use in MPC HC?Did you use an external filter like the ffdshow tryouts, windows 7's built in one, the ffmpeg based one in MPC or the DXVA one in MPC?
JarredWalton - Wednesday, September 22, 2010 - link
As stated, I used CoreAVC to handle the decoding on the CPU -- it's the only codec I've found that can handle 720p H.264 with single-core Atom. For the CrystalHD, I switched to the Broadcom codec.damianrobertjones - Wednesday, September 22, 2010 - link
.. If I had one, would be this:Grab a Crucial 64Gb SSD from ebay
create a nice little vLite windows 7 install dvd (Would test via VMWARE)
Done. Fast, free of some clutter, more space, fantastic road ninja.
Of, if you don't want to go into technical struff, just the SSD