The MSI U230-040US is MSI’s attempt to become “King of Netbooks.”  By pairing a dual core AMD L335 processor and ATI HD3200 graphics chip and 6 cell battery MSI’s goal is to bring web surfing, online movie watching, and gaming together in a 12.1 inch computer.

Did they succeed?  In a word: Yes.

The U230 applies several innovations to become the top of the line when it comes to consumer netbooks.  Sure, the Dell M11x is out there but the market of people looking to pay $800 for a netbook is small.  The U230-040US attacks the sub-$500 netbook market which is current lead by the 1201N from Asus, X100e from Lenovo, and T115D-S1125 from Toshiba.

Keyboard

The keys are flat and springy, but they are nice and big, they seem a bit bigger than the full sized keyboard

Usability

The computer took longer than average to boot up.  There are several trialware programs you’d want to consider removing to help it boot faster and perform better.  One such program for example is Norton Antivirus.

Conclusion

The Wind12 US230 is a great choice if you’re looking for a new netbook, it offers the portability of a netbook but the power of a notebook in the same form factor.

The Wind12 is nicely made and it seems durable. The battery life is a bit short, but that’s expected for most netbooks out there today. The keyboard is nice and large, the keys are about the size of a desktop keyboard so you’ll be typing easily on it.

MSI U230-040US Netbook Specificiations
Processor & Cache: AMD Yukon CPU MV40/ L335 Processor
Operating System: Genuine Windows 7 Home Premium
Chipsets: AMD RS780MN + SB710
System Memory: DDR2 667/800MHz, 2 SO-DIMM slots, Max: 4GB
LCD Display: 12.1″ 1366*768 HD Ready
Graphics & Video Module: ATi Radeon HD3200, share with system memory
Audio: 2 high quality speakers
HDD: 160GB/250GB/320GB SATA
Webcam: 1.3M
Card Reader: 4-in-1 Card Reader, SD/MMC/MS/XD

Communication Port:
Built-in 10/100/1000 LAN
Built-in 802.11b/g/n WLAN Card / Bluetooth V2.0 EDR Supported (Bluetooth is optional)

I/O Port:
Graphics Card Output (15-pin, D-Sub) X 1
USB2.0 Port X 3
Mic-in Port X 1/Headphone Output X 1
LAN Port X 1
HDMI X 1

Keyboard: 87 keys
AC Adaptor: 65W
Battery Pack & Life: 3/6 cells (Optional)

Dimension & Weight:
297(L) X 190(D) X 24-31(H)mm
1.3KG with 3 cell battery

[Via Testfreaks]

1. AMD Netbook Battle: Toshiba T115D-S1125 vs. MSI Wind12 U230

2. Netbook Battle: MSI U230-040US Vs. Asus 1201N

3. MSI Wind U230 Preparing To Hit The Market

4. U230 MSI Wind Netbook Now Available

5. MSI U230-040US Netbook PowerNow Problems