adding my 2 cents, the n2600 dual core has enough grunt to run any windows version including win 8 pro, just make sure there's at least 2gb RAM and 4GB if doing heavy surfing + multitasking

my 1000he boots into win 8 desktop in 10 seconds and opens up IE 10 in 1-2 sec

netbooks are still suitable for light applications and surfing, but not much for Photoshop, gaming and HD videos