Asus 1005PE Reviews and Owner's lounge

So I thought I would start a quick review thread and owner's lounge about this seemingly uncommon netbook.

NBR has their own review here:
http://www.notebookreview.com/default.asp?newsID=5437

Other notable reviews:

http://www.anandtech.com/mobile/showdoc.aspx?i=3693&p=1
http://news.cnet.com/8301-17938_105-10418924-1.html
http://hothardware.com/Articles/Asus-Eee-PC1005PE-Atom-N450-Pinetrail-Platform-Launch/?page=1
http://www.engadget.com/2009/12/21/asus-eee-pc-1005pe-review/
http://www.laptopmag.com/review/laptops/asus-eee-pc-1005pe-p-seashell.aspx


My own impressions and mini-review:

So let's cut to the chase, and see what this thing can do:

Screen:

Bright, clear, average viewing angles, good contrast ratio, lackluster resolution - 8/10

Battery Life:

Class leading, 10 + hours surfing, less than that watching videos - 10/10

Browsing performance:

Chrome recommended, not the fastest render times but still quick enough. 7/10

Networking:

Gigabit Ethernet & WiFi N & Bluetooth. Not as good as Intel WiFi card, but still a good connection. 9/10

HD Video:

Plays encoded videos like DivX, MKV, OGM etc flawlessly. Tested using CCCP. - 10/10

Flash Performance (HULU, Youtube).

Youtube SD is clean, Hulu full screen is around 20FPS and fairly fluid, if not silky. Excellent watchability. HD versions of either do not perform well. - 7/10

Here is a video of Hulu streaming Full Screen video of Heroes (may have spoilers):

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=37ymjgWiEy8

OS:

Windows 7 Starter does not have Aero, can not change background picture easily (Asus has a utility for this). Otherwise, no significant differences between my systems with Ultimate and Pro x64. - 8/10

Memory usage:

OS uses about 500mb, so you have 500mb out of the box to do stuff with. Heavy multitasking not recommended, but you can do something like Office + Chrome + Itunes + IMall open at the same time if you want.

Useability:

Cramped/small keyboard, but just a normal aspect of the small system. CTRL key is in the right place.

Sound: Loud enough, clear, but typical poor laptop quality.

Expansion/Output:

Gigabit Ethernet, Audio, VGA connection only. 3 USB ports and an SD card slot. No Express Card slot. Lack of HDMI/Display Port is a point off. Easy access to memory expansion, but no cover for HD swap (looks like I'll have to take off the whole undercover). 6/10

Build Quality:

I bought the black one, very nice finish but prone to prints. Some flex on palm rest, otherwise, fairly sturdy. No creaking. - 8/10

Heat/Noise:

Runs cool, warms up during videos and stays quiet. You'll hear the fan running on and off during heavy usage. Very lap friendly. - 10/10


Overall/Value:

$379 @ most retailers. I got a free Rosewill laptop cooler which is completely useless and I'll probably give away. 1GB RAM and 250gb 5400RPM HD, and W7 Starter leaves a little to be desired. 7/10.

Bottom Line:

This is the notebook to buy for the full day untethered usage of Office, Web, Hulu, Youtube, watching videos, music etc. No Games. No 1080p. No hooking up to a monitor with HDMI or Display port and outputting 1080p (best you can do is VGA and 720P). I'll be doing those on my Eyefinity setup with a 4.2ghz Core i7, 5870 Crossfire system.


10+ hours of battery life. Checks all the boxes for me, at a price I can accept as a Netbook. - 8.5/10

Hope this helps for would be buyers and, if you own one, post your own impressions here.

 

Your review is very appropriate for this laptop, as I also have the same one (black) . But for the wifi connection, I will have to say 8/10, because while I am writing this message, I have a 4/5 bar on the bottom right (4 white bars an 1 gray bars) when the router is less than 5 meters away. There is no obstruction from the router to my laptop.

My ther problem is the keyboard. As you can see with the previous sentence, my spelling is wrong. This is not deliberate, but that the keyboard is not registering the signal when I am pressing it because it only picks up the signal if you press the keyboard directly in the middle. If you press it on the corners, it will not type. Comparing this with my friends Asus Republic of Gamers laptop (with the same keyboard layout), his keyboard is very sturdy, and a corner press of the keys will work. Doyou not notice this type of problem? If it is just me, maybe I should ask them to send me a new one :S. What do you think?

 

Hmm I used it for a full day of browsing the other day and didn't notice the keyboard issue. You may have gotten a less than adequate keyboard.

My WiFi is also normal (5 bars), my Router is upstairs and in another room so there's walls and stuff all around.

 

Hmm, the store that I bought it from does not do warranty, and I need to contact Asus directly. Do you know what the protocol is? I'll be asking asus, but i'm wondering if you know by chance.

 

Any update on this issue? Has this keyboard issue happened to others?

 

Are you seeing this problem too?

I sent it in for repair, but i do not know if they made any changes.

 

I just got my netbook today. I'm having a couple of problems that I hope someone can help me with.

I think this maybe related to the other poster's problem in that it's a keyboard issue. Suddenly, the key board is very slow to respond to my touch. I can type away, but the letters take maybe 30 seconds to show up. The cursor moves along as fast as I type But the letters aren't there. Right now I've typed this whole post without the letters appearing.What's going on????? Should I be asking for a new computer?

Second problem. The scroll bar doesn't show up on some websites. Or the tabs don't show up on the top. For example, when I was on Yahoo mail, I couldn't find the "send" button for a while and had to keep refreshing the page. I also am missing the side and bottom scroll barson some pages.Is this an IE problemor again this netbook?

Looking to your thoughts.

 

hmm i didn't notice any problem with my typing - the words just show up as soon as i type. But if you think this really is a problem, call asus tek and talk to some rep who will ask you what the problem is. just state the problem, and she/he will let some techie call you back to "diagnose" the issue.

For me, i knew the issue (the keyboard itself was the problem, not the netbook). but they seem to think we (the end user) are stupid. the techie called me, and i didnt have my netbook with me, but i explained the problem very clearly, and she said to send it into the asus for repair, and that she would send me an email on what to do.. as long as you do that your good. but if you can deliver it directly, i guess thats the best idea (you wouldn't want the netbook to be damaged on its way to your house).

Hope this helps. based on the problem you explained, either your netbook is running a little slow (youll have to gauge how fast your netbook opens programs, cuz thats what i would do). if it opens programs in reasonable time, it might be something else.. what would happen if you type type type, and before the letters show up, you run a program? does your typing suddenly stop?

 

Thanks for your answer. What I realized was the slow typing only came when I was posting on this forum (which I do for my Dell lappy.) Why I have NO idea. I also have no clue why some webpages wouldn't open fully... they'd be missing the scroll bar or in the case of my yahoo mail, missing the scroll bar and parts of the page wouldn't show up like the send button.

I did speak to the tech who had no suggestions except to say there was something wrong with my internet connection (even though I had five white bars). Then he offered to do a reformat with me. Since I hadn't added any software, I declined.

I'm returning the netbook to Best Buy. My only question is whether to try another one. If I had the $$ I'd just get a barebones 12-14" laptop.

What do you think? Is it worth another try? Was this one really a lemon?

 

hmm, i really like the asus netbook, but i do have to say the screen size sometimes gets annoying cuz its 10.1 inch. im not sure how much you paid, but i got mine for about $460 (250gb).

if you really want a netbook, id say give it another shot, cuz atm my netbook has no problems

 

Before I took this back to Best Buy, I decided to play with it a little. I am still having the scroll bar issue on IE. So I d'loaded Chrome. And since I've been using it everything has been fine!!! My typing on this forum is okay too. Only thing I'm having trouble with is the zoom feature on the touch pad. Anyone have any suggestions? If not, it's no biggie. BTW... I paid $329 at Best Buy.... had to get it on line because they don't carry it in the store.

Looking forward to reading more comments about this. Now that probs are solved, I may actually keep it.

 

Have most of you upgraded to the full version of Windows 7 from Windows 7 Starter? The eBay prices on completed auctions for a Windows 7 Home Premium upgrade range from $35 to $63. The Microsoft price is $79.95.
http://computers.shop.ebay.com/i.ht...upgrade&_osacat=0&_trksid=p3286.c0.m270.l1313

Has anyone put Norton Internet Security on the 1005PE ? If not, what efficient protection you using against viruses and spyware?

 

Try using a different browser??

Edit: Oops NVM.. Good to know you fixed your problem. You probably have to download the manufacturer drivers for the touchpad scrolling to work.

 

Is upgrading the 1005PE from Windows 7 Starter to Home Premium an update or a clean install once you have purchased a valid upgrade key? Permanently activating Office 2007 Student Teacher should just take entry of a permanent key.

Haven't been able to find any tech docs on it since Asus's support servers have been so overloaded. Sales must be good.

 

Added to Info Booth & Owners' Lounges Index, thanks!

 

As you know, I was having trouble loading pages on my 1005 until I started using Chrome. My question: If I can't use IE successfully (some pages had no scroll bars, some overlapped) should I consider an exchange before my 14 days are up? I might have to pay shipping since I bought it on line from Best Buy.

How many of you are using IE successfully?

 

Battery life question. Last night I used the 1005 for about 30 minutes and shut it down. Now I've turned it back on and it says I have 92% remaining/4 hrs. and 31 minutes. I put it on power save a little bit ago.

So where are my 10 hrs or even 8 hours?

 

a) I would advise you against using IE at all. It's the most common vector for malware.

b) I don't think software issues such as IE not rendering properly, warrant a hardware exchange, but I may be wrong about that. Did you try a reinstall?

The latter number is the one given by marketing? That's not a realistic number. To use a car analogy: it's the miles per gallon your car would get left to run idling on a gentle downward slope.

Although, half the official number is worrying. Are you sure you have the same size battery (#cells/capacity) as the one with which those numbers were computed?

Other than that, make sure you use properly the CPU (and GPU?) power saving modes.

 

<<Although, half the official number is worrying. Are you sure you have the same size battery (#cells/capacity) as the one with which those numbers were computed?

Other than that, make sure you use properly the CPU (and GPU?) power saving modes.>>
__________________

Thanks for the hints. I had put it power saving mode. It just took maybe five minutes for the battery indicator to realize that. Then it went up to 9 hours.

Yes, I'm done with IE. Chrome works great on this computer. Oddly enough I'm having trouble adjusting the magnification on my xps. Unlike IE, it doesn't seem to have the option to change it. The magnifier on Win 7 only gives 100% or 200%. Know this is OT. But if you can tell me where I can adjust the view, IE and I will part company.

 

Don't know, I use Firefox (Ctrl + "+" magnifies font+image size).

 

Thanks. Just tried it with Chrome on my xps. Works perfectly.

 

Okay... I've got one more question. If you've upgraded to 2G, do you feel it makes a big difference in the speed?

 

Since no one answered my question, I'll do it for the benefit of other new owners.

Last night I bought an Win7 HP upgrade on eBay for $43. The seller sent me the key by email this morning and we used the upgrade utility on the 1005PB to enter the key and activate Home Premium. The netbook took about 12 minutes online to upgrade the necessary files, but the upgrade did not affect non-Windows OS files. After the upgrade restart, we ran Windows Update from the Control Panel to get any residual updates. I think there were four. We were ready to go in no time.

We never saw a choice for 32-bit vs 64-bit. Seems the upgrade software made it for us.

 

It didn't make any sense to consider putting Norton Internet Security on the 1005PE since Microsoft has recently come out with a free antivirus and spyware program that will update definitions continuously. Am going to give it a try for a while before considering NIS.

Below is Microsoft's info on it.
----------------------
Microsoft Security Essentials provides real-time protection for your home PC that guards against viruses, spyware, and other malicious software.
http://www.microsoft.com/security_essentials/

 

14 hours is the marketing number, 10 hours is the realistic one. Anandtech found actually usage around 10-11.

You need to use battery saver mode, and reduce your backlight slightly.

 

There is no need for 2GB of RAM.

Normal usage will not exceed 600MB of memory usage for me.

 

I'm still struggling with the battery on this and I'm wondering whether other people are experiencing the same thing. I find that the battery meter keeps giving me different figures about how much time is left. For example, a few minutes ago it said I have five hours (89%) left. Now I just checked and it said I have 8 hrs 55 minutes (88%) left. Does the number vary with what I'm doing? Mostly I'm browsing the web and playing a very low usage game (Snood). I still have time for an exchange. So all input would be appreciated.

Thanks

 

How do I erase the hard drive without a CD?

 

Got to Computer, right click on C: drive and choose Format.

 

Should I return or try to sell my brand new 1001P purchased today, 3/21/10 for this guy? with the minor difference in spec? I do really love the keyboard layout though?

 

*****Never mind, I figured it out. Same cell battery but smaller.

I am having difficulty figuring out the difference between the 1005pe-p and the 1005pe-m. The "m" is being sold in Canada where I currently live. From Amazon all the specs are the same but the "p" gets an advertised 14hrs battery life vs. the 11hrs for the "p." Processors and battery are the same.

 

It's like you said, 14 hours means 63whr battery, 11 hours means 48whr. They're both 6 cell, but just higher capacity in the 14 hour model

 

Hi all,

I have just purchased a 1005PE and so far I am very happy with it. However, I wish to upgrade the 1 gb memory stick with af 2 gb one to make it a little more snappy.


But I have read that many people upgrading are having problems with different modules (some crucial might work, while some corsair won't etc etc).

Do you have any experience with this?

And also, would you go with 2 GB DDR2 667 MHz or 800 MHz?

Best regards and happy easter,
Tissie

 

Well I decided to return my new 1005PEB today. Loved it, but it is not able to play back my iTunes movies, it pegs out the CPU @100% and cause stuttering and audio being out of sync. Did everything else well, but did not want to have to jump thru hoops just to download and play back a movie. I had upgraded to 2GB corsair gaming memory and Win 7 premium. Too bad it would only let me play the iTunes movie trailers otherwise I would be keeping it.

 

Run msinfo32 or msinfo64 in the Start window to see what in versions of hardware, software and drivers you have.

Here are the latest software updates as of April 9, 2010:

16Mar10, BIOS v0901, 416.93KB.
16Mar10, EG-1_2_17_25_User.zip, ASUS ExpresssGate Utility for Windows v6.1.7177.0, 306.62MB
4Jan10, Bluetooth Driver for Win 7 v6.1.7177.0, 50.57MB
4Jan10, AHCI Driver for Windows XP & Win 7 v8.9.0.1023, 22.71MB
4Jan10, Wireless Lan Driver for Win 7 (Wlan: NE785H/GE112H) v8.0.0.238, 32.3MB
4Jan10, ECam Utility for Win 7 v2.0.2.3, 12.87MB
4Jan10, Touchpad Driver for Win XP & Win 7 v13.2.6.1, 30.53MB
4Jan10, Lan Driver V1.0.0.10 for Windows 7 v1.0.0.10/1.0.0.23, 5.1MB
4Jan10, Graphics Driver for WIN7 v8.14.10.1929, 22.82MB
4Jan10, Chipset Driver for WIN7 & Win XP v9.1.1.1020, 2.86MB
4Jan10, BIOS Updater Utility under DOS v1.12, 37.82MB
4Jan10, 3G Adapter Driver V2.0.3.825 for Windows 7 v2.0.3.824/2.0.3.825, 85.87MB

 

Just ordered this netbook from Newegg as well as a 2G stick of RAM to upgrade right away. Can't wait to tinker!

 

For those of you upgrading Windows 7 to one of the 64-bit versions, The x64 chipset drivers are on the disc that comes with 1005PE. However, the imbedded Graphics Media Accelerator 3150 driver is not. Here is the latest GMA 3150 Win 7 64-bit driver.

Intel® Graphics Media Accelerator 3150 for Windows* 7 64 bit (.zip) v15.12.75.50.64.2023, 12/15/2009
Installs 64 bit graphics driver version 15.12.75.50.2.64.2023 (8.14.10.64.2023) for the integrated graphics controller of Intel® chipsets for Windows*
http://downloadcenter.intel.com/Detail_Desc.aspx?agr=Y&DwnldID=18886&ProdId=3235&lang=eng

 

More RAM doesn't make the system faster...

I have yet to need RAM on this Netbook, the system boots up with about 500mbs free, which is more than enough for most usages.

I did have a chance to hook it up to my Monitor as my desktop was down for a day.

Browsing on the left, and DivX video @ 60+ FPS on the right side...

This can EASILY replace any laptop for daily usage in most general usage scenarios.

 

I notice it is kind of slow (especially starting up compared to other laptops).
I was also thinking of upgrading the RAM, but i think i read somewhere that netbooks (N450) dont take 2 gig, only 1 gig. however the N470 (newer) will be able to take 2 gig. The 1005PE netbook only has N450 CPU, so i doubt 2 gig will do anything... perhaps im wrong, because now when i search for it, i see more results for 2 gig..

 

It'll accept a single 2 gb stick of DDR2 memory.

To improve start up, eliminate unnecessary startup programs in msconfig

 

I have had everything in msconfig that is nonvital to be disabled at startup, and it takes about 2 minutes to get into windows. don't know if its the same with everyone else.

 

I have Windows 7 Home Premium 64 on mine and it takes about 2:35 min.

 

Just got one of these! Gonna be doing a fresh installation of Windows 7. Debating if i should keep Expressgate. It might be useful as a quicker means to analyze hotspots but that's about it. Damn MS for not allowing background changes on Starter Edition...that is just plain stooopid.