Netbook Madness Game 2: MSI Wind U100 vs. Dell Inspiron Mini 12

The results of the first game are in, and the Samsung NC10 handily beat the ASUS EeePC 1002 HA, getting about 87 percent of the votes. Today’s matchup pits the MSI Wind U100 vs. the Dell Inspiron Mini 12. Back in June 2008, when we reviewed the Wind, it won an Editor’s Choice for its 10-inch screen–the first netbook to feature a display this large–and for its 1.6-GHz Intel Atom processor, also a first for a netbook. Its PCMark05 score of 1538 still holds up well, as does its 3DMark03 score of 606. Also, its battery life of 5:13 (with a six-cell battery), while about half an hour shorter than the average,  is still very respectable. Not to mention, at 2.6 pounds, it’s one of the lighter netbooks out there. ($379 at J&R with a 160-GB hard drive). Going up against the Wind, the Inspiron Mini 12 stands tall in the paint; it’s the first netbook to feature a 12-inch screen, and is less than an inch thick. As the chassis has to accommodate a larger screen, that also means that the Mini 12′s keyboard is the most spacious, and one of the best we’ve seen on a netbook. But, like most teams with a lot of height, the Mini 12 sacrifices speed; loaded with Vista and just one gig of RAM (which is not upgradeable), the Mini 12 chugged along when we had more than one app open. (As of this writing, an XP version of the Mini 12 can be bought on Dell’s site for $549). It also sports a pokey 4,200 rpm hard drive. Still it was able to go the distance: its six-cell battery lasted 5:20, which is all the more impressive given the larger screen size. So who will win this matchup? Despite its great performance, has the MSI Wind U100, like Greg Oden,  aged prematurely? Even though the Mini 12 is slower, will its larger screen size and greater endurance carry the day? You decide! Voting in this game is closed.