# Used laptop recommendations: It has to fit in 9.5 inches. **URL:** \ **Category:** Factual Questions\ **Created:** [April 2, 2013, 8:47pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/used-laptop-recommendations-it-has-to-fit-in-9-5-inches/654665 "2013-04-02T20:47:06Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 10\ **Page:** 2
**Author:** ![robert\_columbia](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/e79b87/32.png) [@robert\_columbia](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/robert_columbia)\ **Post date:** [April 6, 2013, 6:28pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/used-laptop-recommendations-it-has-to-fit-in-9-5-inches/654665/21 "2013-04-06T18:28:47Z")
> [@kunilou](#): > > …If you need to plug something in, that could be a problem… That’s what she said! ---
**Author:** ![Mangetout](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/mangetout/32/19_2.png) [@Mangetout](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mangetout)\ **Post date:** [April 6, 2013, 8:37pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/used-laptop-recommendations-it-has-to-fit-in-9-5-inches/654665/22 "2013-04-06T20:37:13Z")
Bigger than a netbook, but still compact, and second hand… Hmmm… choices could be limited, only because Netbooks have been so overwhelmingly popular as the small end of the laptop market within the pertinent timeframe (i.e. recent enough to be decent spec, old enough to be for sale second hand). You’re probably looking for a 13 inch screen then - the Sony Vaio range has included some of these, as have Lenovo Thinkpads (I’d favour the latter of those myself). ---
**Author:** ![astro](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/9dc877/32.png) [@astro](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/astro)\ **Post date:** [April 6, 2013, 10:53pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/used-laptop-recommendations-it-has-to-fit-in-9-5-inches/654665/23 "2013-04-06T22:53:55Z")
There are some 11.6 inch Win 7 mini notebooks that will meet that spec. I have this one (see link below) (brand new in the box) that would probably meet your size spec but I’m not seeing how you’re going to get it to run Win 3.1 as I would think an OS that old and newer chipsets would tend not to cooperate with each other [Acer Aspire One AO756-2808 Ash Black Intel Celeron 877(1.40GHz) 11.6" 4GB DDR3 Memory 500GB HDD Netbook](http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16834215387) Dimension & Weight Dimension11.22" x 7.95" x 0.82"-1.09" Weight3.05 lbs. ---
**Author:** ![Cheshire\_Human](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/5f8ce5/32.png) [@Cheshire\_Human](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Cheshire_Human)\ **Post date:** [April 6, 2013, 11:56pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/used-laptop-recommendations-it-has-to-fit-in-9-5-inches/654665/24 "2013-04-06T23:56:06Z")
> [@Chefguy](#): > > I have an ASUS eeePC that I just measured at 10-and-just-under-3/8 inches wide and 7" deep. Since I’m having trouble with your descriptions, I’m just throwing that out there. Pretty much the same size as the one I’ve got. The ‘7" deep’ dimension is the one that corresponds to my 9.5". The 10 and change corresponds to the 14" dimension. I’ve got about 2 inches and change more, in that dimension, which will give me a correspondingly bigger screen. The keyboard on the eeePC is big enough that I touch-type with it, just fine. so I don’t need a bigger keyboard, but a bigger screen would be nice, and that requires a bigger base. I’ve got 2 and a half inches more available. Since I can’t get the same model, anymore, I want to make use of the extra space, when I buy its replacement. I’m looking for ‘small laptop’ models, bigger than ‘netbook’ but smaller than full size laptop. If I can’t find one, I’ll just get Asus’s current eeePC model, but I’m hoping there’s something with a bigger screen out there, that will fit in the space, and do the map job. ---
**Author:** ![Cheshire\_Human](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/5f8ce5/32.png) [@Cheshire\_Human](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Cheshire_Human)\ **Post date:** [April 7, 2013, 1:42am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/used-laptop-recommendations-it-has-to-fit-in-9-5-inches/654665/25 "2013-04-07T01:42:53Z")
> [@astro](#): > > Dimension & Weight > Dimension11.22" x 7.95" x 0.82"-1.09" > Weight3.05 lbs. YEAH! That’s getting in the ballpark! That’s what I’m looking for. Something with a bit bigger screen than the eeePC, that will still sit in the space it has to go in. But BTW, it doesn’t have to run win3.1. The map prog I’ve got is a win3.1 app I’ve been using for, well, over 20 years, now (yes my beard is grey), but I’ve been running it under 2k on my desktop for many years, and under XP on this netbook since I bought it, when XP was starting to get old. It will almost certainly work OK under 7, too, but if not, I can always run a VM, and do 3.1 or XP on that, and use it anyway. But I looked at your link, and that machine looks pretty good, but I’ve _still_ got an inch and a half more space, than even _that_. I’m hoping someone can come up with a model that will just _barely_ fit. That’s what I’m looking for. One that will _just barely fit_ in that space, and will still do the job. And not be quite so obsolete. ---
**Author:** ![astro](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/9dc877/32.png) [@astro](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/astro)\ **Post date:** [April 7, 2013, 4:29am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/used-laptop-recommendations-it-has-to-fit-in-9-5-inches/654665/26 "2013-04-07T04:29:40Z")
See this > **[u260\_tech\_specs.pdf](https://www.lenovo.com/shop/americas/content/pdf/system_data/u260_tech_specs.pdf)** [http://shop.lenovo.com/us/laptops/ideapad/u-series/u260](http://shop.lenovo.com/us/laptops/ideapad/u-series/u260) Dimensions 4-cell: (WxDxH): 12.5" x 8.1" x 0.71"; 318mm x 204.5mm x 18mm ---
**Author:** ![Bear\_Nenno](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/bear_nenno/32/3358_2.png) [@Bear\_Nenno](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Bear_Nenno)\ **Post date:** [April 7, 2013, 2:09pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/used-laptop-recommendations-it-has-to-fit-in-9-5-inches/654665/27 "2013-04-07T14:09:36Z")
A Fujitsu Lifebook U820 should be small enough. I have one that has only ever been used for about an hour with Windows Vista. I’ll ship it to you for $400. ---
**Author:** ![BigT](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/bigt/32/12044_2.png) [@BigT](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/BigT)\ **Post date:** [April 8, 2013, 2:18am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/used-laptop-recommendations-it-has-to-fit-in-9-5-inches/654665/28 "2013-04-08T02:18:27Z")
No, it won’t run under Windows 7 unless you get the 32-bit version of that OS, which is getting harder and harder to find. (Except, coincidentally in netbooks). I’d do that rather than take the performance hit of a VM. ---
**Author:** ![Cheshire\_Human](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/5f8ce5/32.png) [@Cheshire\_Human](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Cheshire_Human)\ **Post date:** [April 10, 2013, 12:35am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/used-laptop-recommendations-it-has-to-fit-in-9-5-inches/654665/29 "2013-04-10T00:35:11Z")
Sorry not to get back to this, but I’ve had to deal with IRL (mother in hospital) problems. I’m going to read this thread tomorrow, and I’ll get back to everyone. ---
**Author:** ![Cheshire\_Human](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/5f8ce5/32.png) [@Cheshire\_Human](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Cheshire_Human)\ **Post date:** [April 13, 2013, 9:42pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/used-laptop-recommendations-it-has-to-fit-in-9-5-inches/654665/30 "2013-04-13T21:42:37Z")
> [@Bear\_Nenno](#): > > A Fujitsu Lifebook U820 should be small enough. I have one that has only ever been used for about an hour with Windows Vista. I’ll ship it to you for $400. Sounds good. What are the base dimensions, and can I torture it into submission, by filling it’s brain with XP? Or any other OS, including ‘7’. Vista _has_ to be sucked out of it’s brains. It’ll _have_ to come with 7 and not have the Microsoft standard: we “BeShatOurDevices”. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/used-laptop-recommendations-it-has-to-fit-in-9-5-inches/654665.md?page=1)