Dell Inspiron Mini 9 Review.
Screen
The 8.9” SVGA (1024x600) LED backlight screen is impressive. Outside, with full sunlight directly on the screen I am able to view this review with no problems!
XGA (1024x768) is still the standard resolution (established in 1990) and many applications, websites, etc are optimized for XGA not SVGA. You might have to do some side scrolling but it’s definitely tolerable. For example, I wrote this entire review on the mini 9 (no cheating).
Keyboard
The only other netbook I’ve been able to use is the ASUS eee PC 900. Compared to the ASUS’s keyboard the mini 9’s is great! It may take some time getting used to but this keyboard it is bearable, unlike the ASUS. The function keys (F1, F2, etc)have been replaced with function keys, meaning you have to press the Fn key to access the function keys (i.e. Fn + A = F1). The F11 and F12 keys are gone, no ifs and or buts about it. Keep that in mind if any of your applications require these two keys.
Batty Life
GREAT! I clocked 3 and a half hours under some pretty heavy usage.
Memory card reader
I only tested a SD card, it works fine and the card fits fully into the machine. Some notebooks only insert ½ the card leaving the other half hanging out.
Solid State Hard Drive
Unfortunately the SSD hard drive in the mini 9 is the biggest bottleneck. Write speeds are extremely slow, 25MB/sec. installing any large programs or coping files larger then 2GB is going to take a long time. I had to copy an 8.2GB folder and that took 1 hour and 45 min! On a good note, this is better then some other SSD out there. I copied the same 8.2 GB folder to the ASUS eee PC 900 netbook and that took 4 hours!
Good new is the read time is totally acceptable and the seek time is almost instant.
In simple terms, installing your applications and copying large files (>2GB) is going to be painful. But once you have everything loaded it runs fine. It's rare I need to copy something >2GB so I think the drive fine.
Out of the box the entire C:\ drive is completely compressed. This is actually how the OS is installed. I reinstalled Windows XP home from scratch and the C:\ was completely compressed. This will save you some disk space, but your read and write speeds will be even slower.
CPU
The Intel Atom is a new line of Intel processors. This is Intel’s smallest processor and requires the least amount of power. The processor is designed for Mobile Internet Devices (MID) and netbooks like the Dell mini 9.
The CPU is hyperthreaded (HT) and supports multithreaded applications. We last saw HT technology in the Pentium 4 and Xeon processors.
CPU Behavior
The CPU automatically scales its frequencies by demand. For the 1.6Ghz Atom processor I only see two modes. When there is demand on the CPU it runs at full speed, 1.6Ghz, with a CPU multiplier of 12x.
When idling or with minimal demand on the CPU the multiplier drops to 6x making the core speed 800Mhz.
The dynamic scaling works well, and performs exactly the same on AC and battery power. My only complaint is there is no way to disable this (SpeedStep). There is a SpeedStep option in the system BIOS, but if you disable SpeedStep the CPU is stuck at the lower frequency (800Mhz) and does not scale. RMClock is not working on the Atom processor (yet). At least the scaling works well.
CPU Heat
CPU temps are very low, as low as 21C at times.
After running a CPU stress test, keeping the processor at 100% for 20 minutes, the CPU temperature stabilized at only 56C.
Memory
The 1GB stick that ships from dell is actually DDR2-800 (PC2-6400) not DDR2-533 (PC2-4200). The system just downclocks the memory down to 533Mhz. It’s probably cheaper for dell to include the newer memory vs. finding some old PC2-4200 memory.
Memory upgrade
Dell really made upgrades easy on the mini 9. Only two screws to remove and you have access to the memory slot, SSD, and wireless NIC.
I went all out, and got the Kingston HyperX 4GB 800MHz DDR2 Non-ECC Ultra Low-Lat CL4 (4-4-4-12) SODIMM (Kit of 2) http://www.ec.kingston.com/ecom/conf...X6400S2ULK2/4G
There is only one memory slot, so I’m using the other DIMM on another notebook.
Most notebook memory, including the DIMM that ships with the mini 9, has a CAS latency of 5. This Kingston stick has a CAS latency of 4, meaning it’s more expensive and faster.
The upgrade was easy and the memory works flawlessly. This is very good memory, CPU-Z registers it has a CAS latency of 3!
Benchmarks
PCMark05: 1533
This is not a modern day impressive score, but given the hardware in the mini 9 it’s not a bad. I compared the results with another notebook I have, the Alienware m15x. I enabled the integrated Intel GPU (GMA 965) which is a better GFX card then the mini 9’s GMA 950. But that’s as close as I can get it. I also used RMclock to downclock the m15x’s 2.5Ghz C2D to 1.6Ghz. That’s the same speed as the mini 9’s, but the m15x its still dual core.
m15x downclocked: 3293
Given the hardware differences between these two, such as the m15x having 2 processor cores with 6MB a L2 cache vs. the mini’s single core 512MB L2, 667Mhz memory, standard HDD, and a better Intel GPU, the Dell mini 9 score is right where it should be. The SSD is definitely the largest bottleneck on the PCMark score but everything else would have the same score in a larger notebook.
3D Gaming
What! Who would try gaming on the mini 9?
That would be an inaccurate statement. Intel posts supported games for their GPU’s. here is the list of supported games for the GMA 950 http://support.intel.com/support/gra.../CS-021400.htm
Furthermore the maximum resolution on the mini 9 is SVGA. With such a low resolution the GPU demand is reduced.
So I gave WoW a shot and it works fine. This is defiantly not high end gaming. 5 min FRAPS benchmark shows and average 17FPS, but wow plays fine at these low frame rates. All settings are on low, but I kept the 1024x600 resolution and it looks pretty good.
Conclusion
The Dell mini 9 is a great netbook. Everything performs fine under general usage such as typing word documents, browsing the internet, downloading music, etc. I was impressed at how well you can play games like WoW. Using that as your “best” graphics there are 100’s of great games that require less system resources.
The Hyperthreaded Intel Atom processor makes multi-tasking possible, having multiple application opens does not severely degrade the overall system performance.
This netbook only has 1 moving part, the fan! This makes the mini 9 a very robust machine.
I’d highly recommend this netbook to anyone with two understandings.
1. The 8.9” screen might be small, but the maximum resolution of 1024x600 severely reduces your screens landscape. You’re not going to be able to view 2-3 website at the same time, or have two word documents up side by side. But viewing a single application in full screen looks great
2. Solid State hard drives are the next generation of internal storage, but the SSD in the mini is not the best SSD out there. The write speeds are extremely slow. Most people will not notice the slow write speed under normal use, but if you need to install a large application or copy files >2GB its going to take longer then you might expect. Once on your hard drive, accessing these programs/files is at a normal speed, so the only complaint is installing applications.
Screen
The 8.9” SVGA (1024x600) LED backlight screen is impressive. Outside, with full sunlight directly on the screen I am able to view this review with no problems!
XGA (1024x768) is still the standard resolution (established in 1990) and many applications, websites, etc are optimized for XGA not SVGA. You might have to do some side scrolling but it’s definitely tolerable. For example, I wrote this entire review on the mini 9 (no cheating).
Keyboard
The only other netbook I’ve been able to use is the ASUS eee PC 900. Compared to the ASUS’s keyboard the mini 9’s is great! It may take some time getting used to but this keyboard it is bearable, unlike the ASUS. The function keys (F1, F2, etc)have been replaced with function keys, meaning you have to press the Fn key to access the function keys (i.e. Fn + A = F1). The F11 and F12 keys are gone, no ifs and or buts about it. Keep that in mind if any of your applications require these two keys.
Batty Life
GREAT! I clocked 3 and a half hours under some pretty heavy usage.
Memory card reader
I only tested a SD card, it works fine and the card fits fully into the machine. Some notebooks only insert ½ the card leaving the other half hanging out.
Solid State Hard Drive
Unfortunately the SSD hard drive in the mini 9 is the biggest bottleneck. Write speeds are extremely slow, 25MB/sec. installing any large programs or coping files larger then 2GB is going to take a long time. I had to copy an 8.2GB folder and that took 1 hour and 45 min! On a good note, this is better then some other SSD out there. I copied the same 8.2 GB folder to the ASUS eee PC 900 netbook and that took 4 hours!
Good new is the read time is totally acceptable and the seek time is almost instant.
In simple terms, installing your applications and copying large files (>2GB) is going to be painful. But once you have everything loaded it runs fine. It's rare I need to copy something >2GB so I think the drive fine.
Out of the box the entire C:\ drive is completely compressed. This is actually how the OS is installed. I reinstalled Windows XP home from scratch and the C:\ was completely compressed. This will save you some disk space, but your read and write speeds will be even slower.
CPU
The Intel Atom is a new line of Intel processors. This is Intel’s smallest processor and requires the least amount of power. The processor is designed for Mobile Internet Devices (MID) and netbooks like the Dell mini 9.
The CPU is hyperthreaded (HT) and supports multithreaded applications. We last saw HT technology in the Pentium 4 and Xeon processors.
CPU Behavior
The CPU automatically scales its frequencies by demand. For the 1.6Ghz Atom processor I only see two modes. When there is demand on the CPU it runs at full speed, 1.6Ghz, with a CPU multiplier of 12x.
When idling or with minimal demand on the CPU the multiplier drops to 6x making the core speed 800Mhz.
The dynamic scaling works well, and performs exactly the same on AC and battery power. My only complaint is there is no way to disable this (SpeedStep). There is a SpeedStep option in the system BIOS, but if you disable SpeedStep the CPU is stuck at the lower frequency (800Mhz) and does not scale. RMClock is not working on the Atom processor (yet). At least the scaling works well.
CPU Heat
CPU temps are very low, as low as 21C at times.
After running a CPU stress test, keeping the processor at 100% for 20 minutes, the CPU temperature stabilized at only 56C.
Memory
The 1GB stick that ships from dell is actually DDR2-800 (PC2-6400) not DDR2-533 (PC2-4200). The system just downclocks the memory down to 533Mhz. It’s probably cheaper for dell to include the newer memory vs. finding some old PC2-4200 memory.
Memory upgrade
Dell really made upgrades easy on the mini 9. Only two screws to remove and you have access to the memory slot, SSD, and wireless NIC.
I went all out, and got the Kingston HyperX 4GB 800MHz DDR2 Non-ECC Ultra Low-Lat CL4 (4-4-4-12) SODIMM (Kit of 2) http://www.ec.kingston.com/ecom/conf...X6400S2ULK2/4G
There is only one memory slot, so I’m using the other DIMM on another notebook.
Most notebook memory, including the DIMM that ships with the mini 9, has a CAS latency of 5. This Kingston stick has a CAS latency of 4, meaning it’s more expensive and faster.
The upgrade was easy and the memory works flawlessly. This is very good memory, CPU-Z registers it has a CAS latency of 3!
Benchmarks
PCMark05: 1533
This is not a modern day impressive score, but given the hardware in the mini 9 it’s not a bad. I compared the results with another notebook I have, the Alienware m15x. I enabled the integrated Intel GPU (GMA 965) which is a better GFX card then the mini 9’s GMA 950. But that’s as close as I can get it. I also used RMclock to downclock the m15x’s 2.5Ghz C2D to 1.6Ghz. That’s the same speed as the mini 9’s, but the m15x its still dual core.
m15x downclocked: 3293
Given the hardware differences between these two, such as the m15x having 2 processor cores with 6MB a L2 cache vs. the mini’s single core 512MB L2, 667Mhz memory, standard HDD, and a better Intel GPU, the Dell mini 9 score is right where it should be. The SSD is definitely the largest bottleneck on the PCMark score but everything else would have the same score in a larger notebook.
3D Gaming
What! Who would try gaming on the mini 9?
That would be an inaccurate statement. Intel posts supported games for their GPU’s. here is the list of supported games for the GMA 950 http://support.intel.com/support/gra.../CS-021400.htm
Furthermore the maximum resolution on the mini 9 is SVGA. With such a low resolution the GPU demand is reduced.
So I gave WoW a shot and it works fine. This is defiantly not high end gaming. 5 min FRAPS benchmark shows and average 17FPS, but wow plays fine at these low frame rates. All settings are on low, but I kept the 1024x600 resolution and it looks pretty good.
Conclusion
The Dell mini 9 is a great netbook. Everything performs fine under general usage such as typing word documents, browsing the internet, downloading music, etc. I was impressed at how well you can play games like WoW. Using that as your “best” graphics there are 100’s of great games that require less system resources.
The Hyperthreaded Intel Atom processor makes multi-tasking possible, having multiple application opens does not severely degrade the overall system performance.
This netbook only has 1 moving part, the fan! This makes the mini 9 a very robust machine.
I’d highly recommend this netbook to anyone with two understandings.
1. The 8.9” screen might be small, but the maximum resolution of 1024x600 severely reduces your screens landscape. You’re not going to be able to view 2-3 website at the same time, or have two word documents up side by side. But viewing a single application in full screen looks great
2. Solid State hard drives are the next generation of internal storage, but the SSD in the mini is not the best SSD out there. The write speeds are extremely slow. Most people will not notice the slow write speed under normal use, but if you need to install a large application or copy files >2GB its going to take longer then you might expect. Once on your hard drive, accessing these programs/files is at a normal speed, so the only complaint is installing applications.
] great review marker 
I said:
