Netbooks are capable of streaming online video content such as YouTube, and while most minis are similar to each other thanks to highly integrated parts supplied by Intel, there are differences too. To choose the best one that doesn’t break the bar you need to know what to look for.

When you’re buying a netbook you most probably have the price as your first priority. This is a good way of coming around the problem but not an optimal one. When you’re focused on the price and nothing else you might miss features that would make one deal considerably better than another that’s slightly less expensive.

The default mini netbook comes with a 10.1 inch screen, which you need to fully understand before we could step forward to picking one with such a screen size. This is small, if you have a 22 inch desktop monitor, you may be able to imagine how small it is, really. You can put 4 netbook screens next to each other in 2-2 in a row and still have a smaller visible area. The resolution is a mere 1024 by 600 so 720p videos cannot be watched directly on it in native resolution.

If you don’t have a problem using such a screen size you may start looking for one that plays streaming media well. Intel Atom N270, N280, N450, and the Z5xx series are too slow to play High Definition YouTube videos unaided, so if you want to go higher than 360p, you have to pick a netbook with either a dual core intel atom processor or a good graphic adapter, Nvidia ION for example, or both.

The problem with such netbooks is that they usually come with a 12″ screen and since more powerful components, bigger screen area use more energy, the battery will run out sooner and the computer will cost much more than a simple one. If you’re fine with the standard 360p you can have any 10″ netbook out there, they’re almost identical in hardware setup. The only difference you should be looking for is the presence of an HDMI port.

In case you have an LCD HD TV you will appreciate the native digital output to play those movies and videos on the big screen without back and forth transcoding. It adds to the price, too so you really have to know what features you really need before jumping ahead ordering the first netbook you see.

For 10″, simple ones that play things smoothly when you don’t venture to HD, you should take a look at Asus’ 1001HA,1005HA or PE, HP Mini 210, Dell Inspirion 1xxx series. They’re almost identical in both performance and build quality. Prices are also around $300-$350 for all of them.

12″ models are few and far between, but you can find them if you look at the right place. Lenovo S12 comes with HDMI, single core atom, Nvidia ION, but there are three different configurations running under the same name, so pick the one with the Nvidia chip. The other option I know of is the 1201n from Asus with dual core atom 330, Nvidia ION and all the connectors you can ask for.

They’re reasonably priced at around $450-$500 but for that amount of money you may want to take a look at other 13″ models. There is no best netbook pc for streaming videos, but there are good ones you can choose from once you’ve decided what features you want in yours.

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