MSI Wind U230

MSI Wind 12

The MSI Wind12 U230 ($430, as of April 16, 2010) offers the performance of an ultraportable in the chassis of a netbook. But poor battery life turns a strong contender into a lame duck. Weighing 3.3 pounds and equipped with a 12-inch screen, MSI's Wind12 U230 is large for a netbook. It runs on a 1.6GHz Athlon Neo X2 dual core processor, carries 2GB of RAM, has a spacious 320GB hard drive, and uses Windows 7 Home Premium. It posted a mark of 56 in our WorldBench 6 test suite, much superior to the spate of scores in the mid-30s we're used to seeing netbooks earn. (For example, the reigning netbook king, the Toshiba Mini NB205-N310 ambled to a mark of 36.) Still, it isn't in the same league with ultraportables in performance. (At the top of the ultraportable heap currently is the overclocked Alienware M11x which zoomed to a score of 77. The Wind12 U230 delivers aesthetically, too. Its simple, glossy black shell gives an understated elegance--but also serves as a fingerprint magnet. The netbook has a glossy 12.1-inch screen with an HD-friendly resolution of 1366 by 768, though its display quality is a mixed bag. Viewing angles are fine, and the display is glare-free under typical fluorescent lighting, but outdoor viewing is not an option.