HP Mini 311 on sale!

I for one dont see what the big deal is with the RAM. Do you need 4 gigs on this little thing? I dont think you could push the Atom far enough to use 4 gigs of memory anyway...

 

Anyone notice this part?

Once again, another mistake or lack of information on HP's website for this thing. That is a very low watt hour for a 6 cell. Now it happens to be that the Mini 1000 uses a 3-cell 26Whr. So the question is - Does the HP Mini 311 come with a 3-Cell 26Whr, or does it come with a 6-Cell 52Whr? Everything about this screams that I should cancel my order... The lack of information the DIMMs, the lack of accurate information in their specification list.

I have been noticing this among companys lately. The attention to details and accuracy is quite lacking. I see it on HP quite frequently, let alone many other MFGs. I don't find this acceptable for a company.

I may call in my order tomorrow and cancel it. I really want ION but everytime I have ignored the warnings sign in the past I have ended up regretting it. I have the cancel button ready just in case a review does not come out before mine is built.

 

well you can play with it for 21 days supposedly on HPs return policy. HP already charged me and either way if I return it I have to pay shipping back and I can't refund shipment to me... only way i see full refund is refusal of shipment

 

Yep, I just noticed that. I never knew that HP did not allow you to cancel orders. I suppose that is why they have a decent return policy. It looks like they refund the full amount save for the shipping. So I would be out 39 bucks for 21 days of trying it.

Anyway, it is what it is... Maybe we both will be happy with the purchase, or maybe we won't... I guess only time will tell.

 

For the most part I agree with you. However, from a truly technical stand point you don't need a fast CPU to make use for 4GB of ram. At some point, excessive ram is jus useless for most applications. But some applications can take full advantage of it.

For Windows XP, I see little reason to require more than 2GB for most tasks. Even games won't require that much memory as typically the settings you would run games at won't require as much texturing.

Take LOTRO for example. On my main beefy rig, I have the game maxed out with everything turned up as high as it can go, 4XAA/16XAF, TSSAA and the LOTRO.EXE eats about 1.5GB of memory alone.

However, when I played the game on a GMA 4500MHD with the settings pre-set for very low. The game took up a mere 400MB or so in memory. Stark difference and is another reason I pretty much agree with your post. A netbook does not typically need that type of memory.

Where it would come in use is for a file server. Generally file servers make very little use of the CPU, but make tons of use of the extra memory. It really hits the I/O subsystem hard too. Which explains why the desktop version of the Atom is x64. A netbook for a file server? I doubt it. Intel probably felt the same way.

So, all in all, I would say that not having 4GB isn't an issue and doesn't bother me one bit. However, it does potentially bother me that these were not built with dual channel in mind. As mentioned previously, having a 1GB + 1GB setup would double effective bandwidth, which does come in handy for IGPs. With that said, it probably would not be a big issue with the Atom because it does not have the horse power to push the 9400M to its full potential. The SU3500 would, though. Either the SU3500 or the SU9400 would have been a great match for the 9400M Integrated GPU. Although I admire Atom, it is overhyped. On a purely performance per watt basis, it has been demonstrated to be behind some of Intel's latest CPUs. But most of that is the chipset's fault, not the Atom. Intel needs to get its butt in gear and produce a chipset that doesn't require so much power. They have the chip, they just need the chipset... There is where AMD, if they were smart, could take over. While they can't compete with the CPU side of things, at least on a performance per watt basis, they can produce a better chipset which could be a competitive package overall.

 

Already done. That CPU is the nettop x64 version but otherwise quite netbook-like features.
http://www.hp.com/united-states/campaigns/mediasmart-server/lx-series.html
http://www.smallnetbuilder.com/content/view/30819/75/

Netbook with a broken screen, bunch of usb-drives and suitable OS: cheap fileserver. It should be powerful enough for basic networking tasks. Better than just throwing away the broken netbook

 

I would never have thought it, but perhaps we have reached the point where the majority of computers are more than fast enough and buying decisions are going to be based on others factors.

We than may see manufacturers try to address different markets with different balances of features.

For our mostly mobile company, battery life and small size have always trumped everything else and to get the most of that we paid a hefty premium with the sony tt and tz and toshiba porteges. Intel's new push with CULV and netbooks themselves have made us do a much more in depth evaluation of what staff really needs out of a computer and what makes them productive.

Raw performance was much less important than usability especially screen resolution, keyboard and battery life.

Even for me personally, battery life and size are the top considerations as i tote my machine everywhere. What i'm looking for is that plus the ability to play most video (including hulu) without hiccups.

 

Hopefully by that time I will have already found something that appeals to me lol. I really don't want to wait until next year to get a new notebook. I'm hoping that with Win 7 coming, the right thing will pop up in October. We'll see - I hope I'm not waiting until next year lol.

 

Eager to find out if this will easily be upgraded to 3 GB memory. Let us know when you receive your 311.

 

I been reading alot about Adobe working on Hardware Acceleration. So its not CPU based but GPU base, taking advantage of Nvidia ION.

What i am curious about is when they do come out with solution. Will it be just an update on software (flash players) or you have to get different hardware??

I will be ordering 311 soon. So i just want to make sure, when they come out with support for high def video like HULU. All i have to do is update some program. Not go looking for different hardware.

 

Previews have said it's a 6 cell.

 

Adobe showing working streaming Hi Def on an HP Mini 311:

http://www.liliputing.com/2009/09/n...hardware-acceleration-for-hd-flash-video.html

Software announcement thought to be in october:

http://gizmodo.com/5370126/gpu+accelerated-flash-player-provides-smooth-hd-video-arrives-next-month

 

The Mini 311 looks to be having 1GB of memory onboard or preinstalled....So that should leave us with max of 2GB that can be added in the single DIMM slot that is available...This is given, 3GB memory sticks are not available in open market....the other thing being that this is an XP unit, so HP has to ship with 1GB of memory under the ULPC licence, so that should leave the DIMM slot empty as well....

 

still wary about it...this is the model number in the link VT111PA...in my online invoice I have VL838AV...so I'll see when I get mine early next week

EDIT:My status says shipped. I paid two day shipping, maybe Ill see it this friday

 

Awesome!, do let us know about the memory slot when you get urs

 

You SOB! I am envious... I hope mine ships soon.

EDIT *

Item shipped

 

I think these are assembled in Hong Kong... That means it is Thursday there right now? Which means it would put us at Monday for delivery... :-( I paid for 2 day shipping too. I'll be happy if I get it Friday, but I am not expecting it until Monday at this point.

Yah, that settles it. Monday or Tuesday.

 

Looks like the RAM is not upgradeable. Now, how stupid is that?

 

DAMN ! If that ^^ is true...

it SUCKS !!!

 

I reserve the right to be incorrect about this. But from my point of view, I am very skeptical that the ram cannot be upgraded. Just simply reasoning is all that is needed.

1) These machines are going to be using Windows 7 very shortly. Do you really think HP will do a respin of the motherboard, and in addition to that, redesign the case? I highly doubt it. Very improbable. That would be a foolish move on their part and flat out would not make any sense from a business stand point.

2) Regular netbooks based on the 945GSE chipset support 2GB no problem. Would an Ion, which is dubbed to be 'more powerful' overall than 945GSE be limited to only 1GB? I doubt it.

Now, I could be wrong. But I wouldn't bet against myself on this and would be willing to wager a rather large sum of money that I am right and that 1GB is not the limit for this machine.

And... Now I am all bent out of shape as a result of this. Mainly because if this thing is returned because of THEIR error, then I want my shipping and handling charges refunded. But they say they won't do that... I won't get to far ahead of myself, but I will be a nightmare to them should this situation occur.

And if it turns out that 1GB is the maximum amount of memory this machine can use, then I would be bitcing at HP and demand my money back from the shipping. When I ordered the unit, I was sure that the unit was said to be upgraded to 3GB. Now the specifications say 1GB. But, these guys are clowns anyway and rarely know what their machines can do and can handle...

 

Either scenario is plausible. If max memory is 3GB, it's possible that means 1GB soldered on the motherboard. Nvidia has done this before (dell studio 14z)

Additionally dont rule one configuration with xp (1gb on the motherboard, no Dimm slot) and another configuration with Win 7 with the dimm slot.

Also Microsoft may be getting even more strict about what machine configurations vendors can offer XP with. It would be real easy froma manufacturing point of view to just manufacture the motherboard and just leave off the DIMM slot on a certain percentage. You essentially just pull these off the line before the DIMM slot gets attached.

I'm speculating as much as anyone here, but I'm taking the pessimistic tack that the XP machines may be limited to 1GB. As further evidence i would point out that HP is not offering a 2GB/Vista Basic config. It could be they are just waiting on Win 7 but maybe not

 

Yeah, you are probably right.

 

If they hardwire the 1gig mem to the MB.
Down the line, if that memory goes bad, that would mean full replacement of Motherboard. So if you dont have life time warrnty on that, it be very expensive...

 

Just found out this notebook uses Alps touchpad. Pass! I'll wait for the dm3 I guess. Bummer, I was hoping it used the Synaptics. Bad experience with Alps touchpad.

 

I have been keeping an eye on this machine and really tempted. This whole RAM issue is bugging me though. The 311 has now shown up on the UK HP site with three different models. I cannot see any difference specs between them which is strange. The other thing I spotted is they are all listed as 1 gig maximum RAM support:
http://h10010.www1.hp.com/wwpc/uk/en/ho/WF25a/321957-321957-3832385-3832386-3832386-4011345.html

Whats going on there? HP need to get their info sorted out

 

I cant see any difference between the first two so guess its colour.
The third option (£360) has a wwan modem installed.

I am sure these models are 1gb soldered onto the motherboard and if you want more than 1gb then you will need to wait til after windows 7 is released and no doubt a lot more expensive mini 311 will be released

 

I purchased one of these netbooks when it was first released Sept 23rd. With my EPP discount, 2 day shipping ($39.99 which is ridiculous), & MO tax it came to $506.

HP Mini 311
• Black Swirl
• Genuine Windows XP Home with Service Pack 3
• Intel(R) Atom(TM) Processor N280 (1.66GHz, 512KB L2, 667Mhz FSB)
• 1GB DDR3 System Memory (1 Dimm)
• 160GB 5400RPM SATA Hard Drive
• NVIDIA ION LE with a 5-in-1 Digital Media slot (For the N280 processor)
• 11.6" diagonal HD LED BrightView Widescreen Display (1366 x 768)
• HP Mini Webcam
• Wireless-N Card with Bluetooth
• HP Color Matching Keyboard
• 6 Cell Lithium Ion Battery
• Microsoft(R) Works 9.0
• HP Home & Home Office Store in-box envelope


It was shipped from the factory on Sept 30th but tracking is still "Not Found" so who knows when ill get it.

Once I do I will write a full review w/ pics/benchmarks and pull off the bottom so we can all know the answer to the RAM question.

 

I purchased essentially the same system, except with the white swirl and an extra battery. I received an email on Sept 30th, 10:04pm CST saying my item shipped and provided me with a tracking number. Now, October 2nd, 1:29 PM there is still no information on the Fedex website for my tracking number. I remember this happening when I purchased my DV5T from them back about 18 months ago or so. I am very dissapointed with their service and I had sort of forgotten, but the same exact thing happened with the DV5T that I ordered.

For God's sake HP, don't fricking tell me the item shipped and provide me with a tracking number if the damn thing isn't at the Fedex facility. More than 36 hours after a tracking number was provided, I still have no record of where it is or that Fedex even received it.

This might be my last dealing with HP. Two strikes are your out is about where I am right now.

 

Ok this portion "• 1GB DDR3 System Memory (1 Dimm)" gives me hope that the configuration is just a single DIMM slot and not something like 1GB soldered to the motherboard and that's it for XP configs.

Please let us know when you get it. My finger has been hovering over the "buy" button for a week

 

Future, Arch, Desert. SAME HERE ordered mine on the 23th, but on the 30th it said shipped but no fedex info. I called them. Gotta say there customer service is horrible after your sale but the sales end is much nicer. Anyway i called and they said they upgraded their shipping system and they have to call in each shipping order to fedex and thats why they are all delayed. he was like your build date is oct 2nd so it will take 5-7 days after today. After i already said it shipped 30th. They are really bad. I think they might be worse than DELL.
The 1gb ram... maybe its just a mobo bios limitation. this might be able to be worked around.

 

y'all are confusing me -- earlier in this thread there was a photo
http://www.flickr.com/photos/13815526@N02/3925887861/in/photostream/
which clearly shows one dimm slot (which happens to be equipped with a 2 gb module), just like all the other n270/n280 netbooks out there ... if i were hp, leaving out the dimm slot would very quickly kill sales and result in lots of returns (since the site says 3 gb) compared to their competitors (samsung n510, lenovo s12), an overall losing strategy, all for what -- to save a dollar on the slot? ... it wouldn't be good for nvidia ion either ... it's probably also illegal to send a product out for review and then actually sell a different product under the same name ... i hear microsoft is preventing pre-installed 2 gb modules on netbooks before windows 7 but they haven't prevented ram upgrades on any other netbook and it's probably illegal for them to single out ion and insist that only this platform cannot be upgraded ... intel might want to kill the ion, but they have n450 coming out soon anyway, ion caters to a small population (netbook gamers? it's an oxymoron), ion is relatively expensive, and plenty of other manufacturers make motherboards that use intel chips ... but then again, who knows, maybe they're the stupidest company ever ...

 

I share your same thoughts for the most part, in fact, I said something similar several posts back. I do believe that it will have a slot, but I am also very pessimistic. Like I said, were this a bet, I could wager some rather large money that it will not be limited to 1GB due to the reasons both your and others posted, but at the same time, I also know that HP might have done something that incredably stupid.

 

Thanks for the information. One thing that I am not clear about in your post is the tracking information. If they can provide a Fedex tracking number, then that means the system is not down. In order to get a tracking label (I know how this works because my company deals directly with Fedex and UPS daily) the system needs to be up. Typically you will get a tracking number a few hours before Fedex or UPS actually pick up the item. However, the tracking number DOES in fact activate when the item is picked up and scanned.

What doesn't make sense in all of this is the fact that we have the tracking number, we have had now for almost 72 hours, but have absolutely no information on the package. This would seem to indicate that Fedex does not have our items in their possession yet, which would imply that HP screwed something up in a serious way. However, it could also mean that Fedex system is down and that the item really is in their possession but the website doesn't know where it is. With that said, I find that rather unlikely due the nature of how these businesses operate. I can't believe the Fedex, UPS or HP with all of their vast technical resources and IT would have a system that is down more than a 'few hours'. Every hour they are done is millions and millions of lost revenue. Which is why they invest millions into their IT so when this happens, they have a backup plan in place so that the system is only down a few minutes at most.

Either way you look at it, someone is dropping the ball here. HP's line they gave you sounds like they just wanted to get you off the phone. Who knows... I am to lazy to call them and generally more so because I know the people you typically speak to don't even know what the hell they are talking about and are just lemmings who are told to repeat lines and stories.

 

Still not found... *sigh* maybe Monday.

 

"hi, can you upgrade the ram on the hp mini 311 to 2 gb or 3 gb? thanks"
"3gb Max. 1gb on board and a slot for 1 DDR3 stick. I have mine maxed at 3gb"
http://forums.whirlpool.net.au/forum-replies.cfm?t=1292368

 

no idea if US is getting HP Mini 311-1005TU...so its still a wait and see

 

Has anyone called Fedex and asked them.. i tried the automated system and same as online. but maybe if we called them
atsai: i was under the impression you could only put 1gb and not upgrade it because the product info page says max 1gb under specs.
Has anyone noticed that on the 311 main page if you click product demo the demo says comes with windows 7 but it only lets us get windows xp and theres no upgrade free.

 

There is a TON of ambiguity that we have already rehashed several pages back. Several spec sheets show that 3GB is the max, others say 1GB (1 DIMM) to imply there is a DIMM (Dual Inline Memory "Module") thus implying it is not soldered directly on. The spec sheet lists the 6-Cell as having 26 Watt Hours, when that is in fact not true. No matter how you look at it, their specifications are very innacurate. So you can't even trust the specifications themselves.

The questions that come up are:

Is this in fact 1GB DIMM in there?
Is there 1GB on-board with an extra DIMM slot?
Is there 1GB on-board without an extra DIMM slot?
Is the reason that the US Version only lists 1GB max is because of the Windows XP Lite Licensing restriction?
Do the US Versions differ from the rest of the world being that much of the other part of the world has Windows 7 launched (Europe, I believe) already?

Again, several of us have already hashed over this topic and over and over. Skilled people who understand that all of these scenarios above are very plausible. Until we actually crack one of these open, there is no way to know for sure what the real story is. The post above mine stating that there is 1GB Soldered on-board and 1 DIMM slot does not have the US Version of this laptop. So that isn't proof either... Same with the reviewer samples. If they truly did leave the DIMM slot off on some of these, then we can't really know anything for sure until we crack them open.

Sorry to belabor the point, but for every person that comes in here and says we are confusing you - Nay. Read the entire thread and then you will understand that there is a ton of ambiguity when dealing with HP and their specifications.

I gave HP a huge fail and thumbs down for this issue alone. This is absolutely atrocious to have so many different specifications and yet most of them have some sort of error on them. The 6-Cell 26 Watt Hour is one of the best examples. Who the hell publishes this information? It doesn't take anyone intelligent to figure out that a 6-Cell is typically 52+ Watt hours and that when they post specifications like this, we have no way of knowing if they really meant a 3-Cell* 26 Watt Hour, or a 6-Cell 52-Watt Hour*. I tend to lead towards the latter, but that is not mandated. Bottom line - I hate HP right now. I think they fail as a company and being in the position I have with my job I can influence their sales in a significant way. They better get their *bleep* together.

 

HP UK site seems to confirm 1GB RAM standard and one DIMM Socket only.

 

^ It all depends what model you look at...

heres one for 1 GB DDR3 max from HP uk...

http://h10010.www1.hp.com/wwpc/uk/en/ho/WF06a/321957-321957-3832385-3832386-3832386-4011345.html

 

3 gb makes the most sense ... it's like science/physics/medicine -- everything is possible, but not everything is likely

 

I just think it will be pretty stupid if they are gonna limit the one we get to 1gb but in 2 weeks the w7 will have 3gb limit. And if they were going to do that wouldnt the smart thing be to get it to us so we sould have it longer than the 21 day return policy. Its just simple business logistics.

 

When most of you say the 311 (with the nvidia graph processor and all that) cannot handle hulu full screen hd, does that only refer to high definition? That is, would I be able to watch hulu that's not hd?
I have an old hp, with an old pentium 4, single core, 2.8 ghz, 512 MB ram, and I can watch hulu. Some episodes do come with some stuttering, but for the most part I can watch anything, without the stuttering. Would I be able to do that with the 311? Thanks!!!

 

ok just got off the phone with FedEx. They are not, and have not upgraded their systems within the past 2 months. I told them how hp was telling us that it was FedEx who was screwing it up. They told me all that was done is a shipping label was created. All we can hope. is that some how there was a mix up between our shipping lables. I will be calling hp and asking why they are misleading us and telling us it was fedex.

 

Dialed HP: "Thank you for calling Hewlit Packard, We are currently experiancing system problems please try your call again later" CLICK.

 

fedex updates today...lies on HP part my guess is as my ship date says Oct 5 on fedex's site.

with a deliver date of 7th...one day off my original eta delivery time

 

My tracking is now functional as well. Its actually just now shipping from Shanghai on Oct 5th and has a delivery date of Oct 7th.