This is a followup to a previous post in which The Coach’s Advisor wrote about our first Netbook purchase – an HP Mini 210. Sadly, this post is one of “what on earth were they thinking?”.
Here’s the short version…
We purchased an HP Mini-210 in mid-February from a local Staples retailer. We did this after performing a lot of research, and waited for the 2010 models equipped with the Intel Atom 450 processor.
Normally, The Coach’s Advisor would have made this purchase online, configuring the unit to perform optimally in the event that it was under-equipped at the factory.
But this was not a normal case, because Netbooks offer a new platform for a number of coaching software products and it seemed to make more sense to purchase a popular and typical retail model.
Based on our retail purchase of an HP Mini 210, we have a few observations:
1. There are simply too many HP Mini 210 models. This makes performing accurate, pre-sale research very difficult, if not impossible.
2. HP’s decision to cripple some, but not all Mini-210 models by restricting its memory to 1 GB is, first and foremost, a questionable engineering decision.
In our opinion, 1GB of Ram is not enough for Windows 7 Starter Edition – over time, frustration over lackluster performance is likely. We understand some Mini-210 owners are happy with their Netbooks after upgrading them from 1GB to 2GB Ram. We are disappointed that we could not do the same, even though we too have an HP Mini-210.
Unforunately, our favorite memory manufacturer, Kingston, www.crucial.com is not aware of HP’s engineering inconsistencies with the 210, listing all Mini-210’s as upgradable to 2GB. Yet, installing a 2GB DIMM in the wrong Mini-210 will render the computer inoperable if it just happens to be the variation of the Mini-210 with Ram that is not upgradable.
3. HP’s decision to ship Windows 7 Starter on ANY computer that has its memory expandability crippled to 1GB is even more questionable. In fact, its flat out a mistake, a big mistake.
The simple fact is that an HP Mini 210 purchased at a retailer is unlikely to be the same, under the keyboard, as an HP Mini 210 bought anywhere else.
Recommendations
If choosing an HP Mini-210 with Windows 7, make sure the Ram can be upgraded. Insist on a model that has upgradable Ram and get it in writing. At least if you, like The Coach’s Advisor, decide you need to upgrade the memory in order to make the performance tolerable, you will be able to do so.
Manufacturers – if you feel the need to create so many model variations that research is difficult, at least deliver the same basic upgrade capabilities across the same model. If one HP Mini 210 with 1GB Ram can be upgraded to 2GB Ram, ALL HP Mini 210’s should be upgradable to 2GB Ram. When it comes to adding something so critical to a satisfactory customer experience as memory, buyers should not have to guess, or find out after the fact that they got the wrong box.
HP - you really let us down on this one, and The Coach’s Advisor does not agree with the representative on your Customer complaint line .. that “HP is not responsible for buyer remorse”. When buyer remorse results from flawed engineering, you are responsible.
2 comments:
So after all of that information you neglect to mention the most important part. The models that can and can't be upgraded. I assume you know which one's they are as you wrote an article on it.
I'm in the process of buying an HP Mini 210 and have wondered about the upgrade path to 2GB of RAM. If you have no idea please site that on your post.
Thats an incorrect assumption (that the writer knows the models of the HP Mini 210 that can be upgraded), or, for that matter how many different models exist.
The safest way to ensure an HP 210 can be upgraded is to order a model direct from HP with the memory pre-installed, unless a retailer offers a model with 2GB.
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