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Performance
We were highly impressed by the graphical tests, which showed that the Aspire One 522's integrated GPU is around seven times more powerful than the typical netbook GPU. Basically, we found we could edit photos and even play HD movies with very little stuttering.
Of course, you won't be able to play any games more complex than Plants Vs Zombies, and video editing is a write-off.
And unfortunately the AMD C-50 processor proved no more powerful than the latest Intel Atom CPUs, so multi-tasking is out unless you like your programs to regularly stop responding.
The Aspire One 522 is definitely a secondary or backup machine, to be used for checking emails and working on simple office applications.
One of the key things we look for in netbooks is a lengthy battery life, since these machines are supposed to be highly portable. Unfortunately, we found that the Aspire One 522 died after just 204 minutes of use, and that's with the display on half brightness.
This is one of the worst results we've seen for quite some time. You'll definitely need to pack the charger on almost every trip, to avoid the cold terror of your portable shutting down in the middle of an important email. Anyone demanding longevity should look to the likes of the Packard Bell Dot SE , which manages nearly nine hours of life away from the mains.
