MSI Wind12 U230 reviewed – powerful AMD 12.1 inch netbook

More and more AMD powered netbooks are entering the market lately. Now it’s time for the 12 inch MSI Wind12 U230, a device fresh on the market that the guys at TestFreaks.com tested already. And is seems to bring  some goodies to the table.

First of all, in terms of specs, this netbook offers:

• 12.1 inch display, 1366 x 768 resolution
• dual-core AMD NEO L335 processor with Ati Radeon HD3200 graphics
• up to 4 GB of memory
• up to 320 GB storage
• 1.3 MPx
• card reader, 3xUSB, HDMI output, etc
• 3 Cell battery (there’s a 6 Cell option)
• Wi-fi N, Bluetooth 2.1 as an option
• Windows 7 Home Premium OS

Powerful MSI Wind12 u230 with dual-core AMD CPU inside

As you can see, there’s quite some potent hardware inside. That dual-core processor is a power-horse for such a tiny laptop and while the graphic solution is not amazing, this netbook can easily multitask between several applications or run Full HD content (even output it to a bigger screen via HDMI). Unfortunately, the testers didn’t offer test results in comparison with other devices in this class, like the Asus 1201N or Acer AS1410, but expect the Asus to be better in terms of graphics (comes with ION) but poorer in terms of processor, while the Acer should offer somewhat similar performances. Update: Here’s a short comparison between the results of the 1201N and this MSI U230.

The reviewers also liked the keyboard/touchpad combo on the MSI Wind12 U230, but while not disregarding them, that keyboard is a standard flat one and not a chiclet as most good netbooks offer these days.

As for the exterior, this 12 inch MSI is glossy; also the screen is the same and as it comes in Black, expect some awful fingerprints, scratches and smudges.

the Wind12 offers a glossy case and a standard flat-keyboard

And there are two more things they didn’t like on this AMD netbook: as it only offers up to 4 hours of battery life in light browsing. I won’t say that’s awfully bad, but even its main competitors mentioned above can do better. We have the AMD platform to blame for that: you just can’t expect to get power and autonomy in the same time. Also, you should know that MSI packs their U230 with tons of bloatware, so while it works very nice, you should reconsider a fresh Windows install for best performance.

For more details, check out the review on TestFreak.com .

All in all, the MSI Wind12 U230 is a good netbook. In fact, as the testers concluded, it’s “Small and portable like a netbook but powerful like a notebook” . And that says it all. It does have its flaws, but what device is perfect?

At the moment, the Wind12 U230 sells for $479 on Amazon (available for preorder only right now), so head on to their site for more details, reviews and pictures, plus the option to buy one of course, if you like it.

Popularity: 5% [?]

Tags: 12.1" netbooks, AMD Neo processor, dual core processor

Last updated: September 30, 2011 | Published: March 21st, 2010 | Add the first comment!