Netbook accessories – must have upgrades and accesories

Netbooks are all in all very good devices that can work perfectly just out of the box. However, there are a couple of netbook accessories and upgrades every user should get. They improve the performance of the device, make it last longer and also make the overall experience with the mini netbook just more pleasant.

Upgrade RAM memory

As almost every netbook these days comes with at most 1 GB of RAM, it’s crucial to buy one more GB and install it. That’s because most Atom powered netbooks support just 2 GB of RAM. You should know that you’re looking for a standard DDR2 667 MHz 1GB module and the brand doesn’t really matters. It will cost you around $20 tops and you can pick one from this list of RAM modules here . And yes, you could buy a bigger 2GB memory, but you won’t be able to use the full capacity it offers (because you already have a RAM module in your netbook).

Before buying the RAM, just be sure to check if your device can be upgraded. There are some versions that lack the extra RAM slot and use a module soldered to the motherboard. But popular devices like the Asus EEE 10xx, the Aspire Ones or the Samsungs NCxx can be easily upgraded.

And talking about how easy it is to install the new RAM module, most netbooks have a cover on the back, fixed in 1-2 screws. You just have to get that off and introduce the module. Some might not though, like the Asus 1108HA, and in their case, you will have to unscrew the entire back cover to gain access to the RAM slot. And there’s of course the easier option of buying the extra RAM from the beginning and requesting the seller to install it for you (might cost you extra though).

Overall, upgrading RAM memory is not that complicated and is a must do for every netbook owner.

Upgrade hard-drive

This is kind of a geeky upgrade but it’s translated in quite an increase in performance levels for your netbook: you have to replace the standard 5400 rpm hard-drive equipping thr netbook with either a faster 7200 rpm one or an SSD. If you have the right money, i would suggest definitely going for an SSD, but you should know that a 32 GB SSD drive will cost $99, with bigger ones being a lot more expensive.

Installing the drive wont be very difficult, you will have to unscrew the entire back of your netbook to gain access to the existing drive and replace it with the new one. Careful though, some shops might not allow you to do this (unscrew the entire back cover), with the risk of loosing warranty.

Buy a proper mouse

A netbook mouse should be small

Although netbooks come with functional touch-pads, in most cases those are pretty small and incoveneient to use. And still, if you plan to use the netbook continuously for a longer period of time, you’ll get a lot more productive with a mouse. That’s why buying a proper mouse is a must for every netbook owner and you can get decent choices for something between 15 to 50 bucks, according to your taste and needs.

Here you can find out more about the best netbook mice on the market right now.

Use protection

Using a protection sleeve is a must

Netbooks are kind of fragile and sensible to shocks, like all the other regular laptops. Also, the glossy ones scratch quite easily and are fingerprints and dust magnets. That’s why it’s important to use protection accessories for your netbooks if you want to keep them in good shape for a longer period of time.

You have quite a couple of different choices, with sleeves, cases, bags and different types of skins and folios for your screen you can buy right now. Most such accessories will only cost a couple of bucks, with proper bags being a little more expensive, but still, i consider them must have investments in your netbook’s safety everyone should make.

Here you can read more about some of the best bags, cases and sleeves for netbooks you can get right now.

Get an external USB memory stick

Memory sticks have become so affordable these days that you can get a 16 GB one for around 30 bucks. They are very useful as compact, portable and also maneuverable storage devices. I remember that back when i was a kid, 7-8 years ago, i had to use rewritable CDs to transfer things from a computer to another or to get some files or images from someone. A lot has changed and now these are a lot easier with memory sticks: you just stick them in the USB slot, copy the files and that’s about it.

Here you can get a couple of recommendations on what USB sticks you should use along with your netbook.

Get an external DVD Drive

This is one netbook accessory i don’t really find useful anymore, but many of you asked me how can they read CDs and DVDs on their netbooks. And since these devices lack internal such drives, because of the size aspect, you could easily use external DVD drives.

There aren’t many options for such netbook accesories on the market, but here you can find the ones i consider best right now. They are slim (around 1 inch), very light, very easy to use and cost around $60 bucks each. If they’re worth this kind of money is just up to you.

And of course there could be other interesting accessories for netbooks you might consider, like:

• an extra battery you could swap in when the current one gets empty,
• an external storage drive for even more storage space,
• a touch screen that should replace your ordinary one,
• a chiclet style keyboard instead of the regular one you have (these last two are hardcore upgrades that should only be performed when you’re sure you know what you’re doing )
• or maybe some stickers to personalize your device, who knows.

And many other netbook accessories i couldn’t think off right now. So, if you known more or just have something to say about this article or the subject, please leave a comment via the form bellow.

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Tags: cheap netbook, netbook accessories, USB accessories

Last updated: September 27, 2011 | Published: April 1st, 2011 | See the comments or add yours!