Is a Cheap Windows 8.1 Tablet faster than a Cheap Netbook?

[froggyboy604]

I think a Cheap Windows 8.1 tablet like the Dell Venue 8 Pro is better for quickly launching apps and programs because it have a 32GB SSD/Flash Memory which has faster read and write speeds compared to a slower 5400RPM laptop hard drive found in most cheap Netbook.

But, a Netbook maybe better for running very RAM intensive tasks since they usually have 3-4GB or more RAM instead of the 2GB of RAM found in cheaper Windows 8.1 tablets like the Dell Venue Pro for $299 or less, but a Netbook usually cost $350. A Netbook may also have a better CPU, and Video chip espiecally those AMD Netbooks with an APU which have AMD HD Radeon graphics chip.

 

[coolframe]

Re: Is a Cheap Windows 8.1 Tablet faster than a Cheap Netboo

windows 8.1 has some problems, well, it does on my laptop, I went back for windows 8.

 

[froggyboy604]

Re: Is a Cheap Windows 8.1 Tablet faster than a Cheap Netboo

I read on Tomshardware.com there are some people experiencing Wi-Fi problems with Windows 8.1. I use Windows 8.1 on a desktop which is connected to the internet with a Wire, so I don't experience internet problems.

I use Windows 8.1 on an old computer with a dual-core 1.9GHz CPU, 1GB of RAM, 320GB hard drive, and Nvidia GT620 1GB. Windows 8.1 is not as fast XP or Puppy Linux on the same machine, but it is faster where it is good enough for web browsing, watching videos, and older games compared to Windows Vista and 7 which slow down more when I used it with 1GB of RAM on the same machine.

 

[Gamer Outpost]

Re: Is a Cheap Windows 8.1 Tablet faster than a Cheap Netboo

It depends on the specs of the netbook.

The SSD doesn't have much to do with launch speeds (maybe a second faster than an HDD at most for 90% of applications). The CPU and RAM are more important. Having more cores helps when running/opening more applications as well.

I'd go with the Dell Venue 8 Pro if you can get it for under like $270. Any more and you'd might as well get a netbook/laptop or a top of the line Android tablet like the Nexus 7 (which can do a lot of things your desktop can, like creating spreadsheets, documents, watching videos, browsing the web, playing games, etc.).

 

[froggyboy604]

Re: Is a Cheap Windows 8.1 Tablet faster than a Cheap Netboo

Does a SSD also improve the SWAP/Page file performance which is like a virtual ram file which acts like RAM when a PC needs more RAM?

I heard that if Windows is using too much RAM , a hard drive would read and write a lot of the files from a Swap/page file on a hard drive or SSD which can make a computer slower.

The Dell Venue 8 Pro uses a Intel® Atom™ (2MB Cache, up to 1.8GHz Quad-Core) which seems to have better performance than older desktop CPUs which I own which are Dual-Core clocked at 1.8GHz as well.

Although, the Intel® HD Graphics may not be good for playing many games except for Minecraft, and games made in the late 90s to 2000s.

 

[Gamer Outpost]

Re: Is a Cheap Windows 8.1 Tablet faster than a Cheap Netboo

Does a SSD also improve the SWAP/Page file performance which is like a virtual ram file which acts like RAM when a PC needs more RAM?

I heard that if Windows is using too much RAM , a hard drive would read and write a lot of the files from a Swap/page file on a hard drive or SSD which can make a computer slower.

The Dell Venue 8 Pro uses a Intel® Atom™ (2MB Cache, up to 1.8GHz Quad-Core) which seems to have better performance than older desktop CPUs which I own which are Dual-Core clocked at 1.8GHz as well.

Although, the Intel® HD Graphics may not be good for playing many games except for Minecraft, and games made in the late 90s to 2000s.

I actually have a Dell Venue 8 Pro, and I have gotten The Elder Scrolls IV: Oblivion and Minecraft to work on it (Oblivion runs at a good FPS on 800x600 resolution and low settings).

An SSD will improve virtual RAM performance, so if you need to use extra RAM, using an SSD as virtual memory will be a good deal better than using a regular HDD.

Keep in mind that the SSD in the Dell Venue 8 Pro isn't one of the better ones, I've read that it isn't too much faster than an HDD.

So far I have had no issues with the Venue 8 Pro, its processor is actually pretty good for a tablet of its price. As long as you don't have too many programs running at the same time, the tablet is as smooth and snappy as any desktop PC or low-to-mid range laptop.

At the moment, you can get the 32GB Dell for $270 on Amazon.com (you have to look at the additional sellers), and the 64GB version for about $290, which is a much better deal.

The tablet also supports microSD, so grabbing a 32GB microSD card would further increase your storage space. Since the SD card is obviously slower than the SSD, I recommend storing things like music and documents on it rather than games, movies, and other large files.

Windows 8.1 has its fair share of issues, but they are mostly just general compatibility problems. I have had problems installing certain older games on the tablet, but it is usually a software issue, not a hardware one. If you are a fan of Windows 8 already, than it won't bother you much.

 

[froggyboy604]

Re: Is a Cheap Windows 8.1 Tablet faster than a Cheap Netboo

Thanks for the reply.

 

[Gamer Outpost]

Re: Is a Cheap Windows 8.1 Tablet faster than a Cheap Netboo

Thanks for the reply.

Yeah, no problem man. Glad to help.

 

[jhony117]

Re: Is a Cheap Windows 8.1 Tablet faster than a Cheap Netboo

I didn't use windows 8 yet. I only use windows 7 in my laptop and it is very best for me.