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    Asus Eee PC 2G Surf User Review

    Discussion in 'Notebook News and Reviews' started by lewdvig, Jan 22, 2008.

  1. lewdvig

    lewdvig Notebook Virtuoso

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    by Perry Longinotti

    Over the past couple of years computers designed for developing nations have received a fair bit of media attention, especially in the tech community. Immediately, the implications of computing for the masses gained traction and immediate attention from the world's poorest economies. Could this be a great equalizer?

    While the altruistic ambitions of organizations like OLPC are laudable, for many people in richer countries the introduction of small, simple to operate computers with low prices was just as interesting. We've all known for many years that the needs of most computer users could be met with relatively modest machines. Indeed, a minority of users have found happiness using efficient operating systems on the hot hardware of yesteryear. Clearly this recycling is counterintuitive to the massive PC industry.

    Big PC makers would rather see you buy their latest computational monstrosities. Software makers add evermore features to their products thus choking current hardware and encouraging upgrades. It is strange to see one of the companies that benefits most from the PC industry as it exists today, come forward with a revolutionary computer that defies convention.

    I am of course referring to the Asus Eee PC. This tiny computer has been reviewed quite a bit lately in its various configurations. The Eee PC 2G Surf edition will be the subject of this review.

    [​IMG]
    (view large image)

    Asus Eee PC 2G Surf Specs:

    • 800 MHz Intel Celeron ULV processor
    • 512 MB DDR2 RAM (Soldered to motherboard)
    • 2 GB Solid State Disk (Soldered to motherboard)
    • 7" 800x480 LCD monitor
    • 10/100 Ethernet
    • 802.11b/g wireless
    • VGA port
    • SD Card Slot (supporting SDHC)
    • 4400 mAh Battery (4 cell)

    Initial Impressions

    The "Eee" represents a philosophy; easy to work, easy to learn and easy to play. Just about the hardest part of using this computer is deciding on which model to buy - both in terms of specifications and color. Versions consist of 2G, 4G and 8G units (the number refers to the size of the unit's solid state drive). Black, white and (at least in the case of the 2G) pink, blue and green are your color choices.

    When you grab an Eee PC off the shelf at your local computer store, you will probably do a double take at the box. It looks like a video card or motherboard box ... it looks very small. The packaging is very consumer friendly and feminine with comforting images of happy Eee PC users. When you open the box, the tiny computer is nestled inside with a restore disk, driver disk (for Windows installs) and documentation.

    Handling the Eee PC for the first time the matte "Galaxy Black" plastic feels pretty durable. It is no ThinkPad or MacBook, but it is creak free. The hinges are solid and the battery fits snug and secure with nary a rattle (even some ThinkPads can't say that).

    [​IMG]
    (view large image)

    There are zero removable access panels on the 2G Eee PC. While this gives a very nice - almost Apple-like - cleanliness to the design it will represent a challenge if you ever have occasion to open the Eee up for upgrades (more on that later).

    [​IMG]
    (view large image)

    Hardware and Performance

    The 2G version of the Eee PC is the most modest configuration available as of this writing and it is doubtful that you could shave off any more from the specifications and have a usable computer. Form factor is unchanged between the models except for the addition of VGA webcams and access panels on the more expensive versions. Differences between the 2G, 4G and 8G are primarily inside.

    First, the CPU in the 2G Eee PC is downgraded to a Celeron-M 800 MHz operating at 571 MHz. You might not know this looking at the specs because Asus is being vague about what exactly is (or isn't) inside these things.

    Other than a small drop in clock speed, the biggest difference is in the 2G Eee PC's CPU versus its bigger brothers is lack of level 2 cache. Without getting too technical, this inhibits the 2G Eee PC's brain from caching instructions as its more robust siblings can. Performance in many applications will suffer as a result. During usability testing, I found performance to be poor. This was primarily manifested by sluggishness when launching applications, switching between tabs in Firefox and jerky playback of video on sites like www.gametrailers.com (unrelated to network performance because I let most of the data buffer). YouTube was equally disappointing, for example TayZonday's delivery of chocolate rain looking even stranger as the Eee PC failed to deliver stutter free playback.

    [​IMG]
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    [​IMG]
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    Having spent a lot of time using computers with similar Intel low voltage architectures and clock speeds, I have to admit I was disappointed by the 2G Eee PC's performance doing basic tasks. I know that banias-based Pentium-M 900 MHz CPUs are quite usable, so in this case I am going to chalk up the poor performance to the lack of cache and CPU under clock. The EEE PC 2G did not meet expectations exhibiting a general lack of responsiveness that tried my patience during the test.

    Low CPU speed should translate into reduced heat build up, the Eee gets warm to the touch even when on battery power. I found the right palm rest was where the heat was most concentrated, but the temperature does not make Eee uncomfortable to use. Fan noise was tolerable, although the high pitch of the fan might annoy some people.

    System memory, at 512 MB suits the intended purpose of the Eee PC - as the name indicates this is meant for surfing. Its operating system and applications are very efficient and I don't require lots of memory. Realistically, 2-3 concurrent applications should be the limit - unless you are really patient. If you need to run more apps, consider the 8G model or an upgradable 4G unit (either can go as high a 2GB of RAM).

    Memory in the Eee PC 2G, both RAM and the Solid State Disk (SSD), are not user upgradable. Unlike the 8G and early models of the 4G Eee PC, the memory is soldered into place. I understand the need to differentiate the product line from bottom to top, but I think this was an unfortunate decision by Asus. The 2G model, if it possessed the socketed RAM and SSD slots would have made a very attractive and risk free entry point.

    Boot and shutdown time are extremely fast by Windows standards. It took just under thirty seconds to cold boot and just under nine seconds to completely shut off.

    Using the Eee PC for cloud computing, whereby you rely on web apps and storage, the 2 GB of storage should be fine. You can of course add an SD memory card in the available flash memory reader slot, but read/write performance on these cards (even the fastest ones) does not come close to that of the SSD.

    Read/write performance on Linux

    You might expect the keyboard to be terrible. The diminutive size of sub notebooks always presents a problem to PC makers. You need to make some sacrifices to get everything jammed into the limited space. I don't like flexy keyboard bases and loose rattling keys. Although some of the Eee PC's keys rattle the base itself is rigid. It only takes a short while to get used to the size and key feel.

    [​IMG]
    (view large image)

    I found the touchpad well made but it took some serious tinkering to get it setup the way I like it. Its single mouse button is firm and feels durable. But as someone that taps his mouse pad instead of button clocks, it took a while to get the Eee PC to register clicks reliably. The page scrolling feature works well and is appreciated on a notebook without dedicated page up/down buttons.

    Wireless performance was good. I encountered a problem whereby the Eee would not reconnect automatically to my wireless network on resume from standby or restart. This is probably a software issue.

    What can I say about the Ethernet port? It worked.

    [​IMG]
    Left side view (view large image)

    [​IMG]
    Right side view (view large image)

    Chipset is the venerable Intel 910GML with integrated graphics (shared memory). Some people are squeezing old 3D games onto this device and claiming to be seeing playable frame rates. I think that is hogwash. This GPU could not handle 3D games when mated to CPUs running three times as fast and with much more memory. I suspect games like Fallout, Baldur's Gate and Planescape should work fine.

    The 7" screen is bright with good contrast. Screen width, in terms of usable desktop space, is a challenge. Increasingly, web designers are creating pages that are wider than 800 pixels across. On sites like this you will have to do some horizontal scrolling. Video playback performance on the screen was acceptable - no ghosting.

    On either side of the screen are speakers. They are adequate for the type of media you will be enjoying on the Eee PC - highly compressed low bit rate audio and video.

    Asus equips all models of the Eee PC with a microphone that works with the pre-installed Skype software. It worked fine in everyday VoIP use. Spend a little more money and you can get the Eee with an integrated webcam.

    Last but not least is the battery. Another differentiator between the 2G Eee PC and the more expensive 4G and 8G models is the battery rating. The 2G gets a 4400 mAh 4 cell unit good for a claimed 2.5 hours. Spend more money and you will get a 5600 mAh rated for 3.5 hours. Actual life on my test unit was exactly 2 hours while typing this review on Google Docs while connected by WiFi. Considering the compromises in performance, I would have liked to see more life away from the plug. It seems silly using this device tethered to a powercord.

    [​IMG]
    (view large image)
    [​IMG]
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    Software

    The Xandros OS installed on the Eee is based on Ubuntu 7.10. Asus have done a good job trimming the fat and hiding the scarier elements of Linux from the casual user. Rest assured though, the terminal is there for your hacking pleasure if you so desire. A quick key combination brings it out of hiding.

    Applications are sorted by Internet, Work, Learn, and Play. A settings tabs holds the modest array of control panels. You can also create your won custom tabs with shortcuts to your favorite apps. The launch tabs can be accessed by clicking the home icon on the taskbar or pressing the home key on the keyboard. This last method does not work when you have Firefox maximized and full screen (F11).

    [​IMG]
    Internet (view large image)
    [​IMG]
    Work (view large image)
    [​IMG]
    Learn (view large image)
    [​IMG]
    Play (view large image)
    [​IMG]
    Settings (view large image)

    Firefox is a big part of the application suite considering how many of the 'apps' are simply links to web applications and services. When Firefox 3 completes beta, it will offer and even better experience with better performance and fewer memory leaks.

    Although I like what Asus have done with the Eee PC OS my preference would be to see either:

    • gOS - a smaller Linux distribution also based on Ubuntu, it does a better job in my opinion of emphasizing good web applications and services rather than dedicated apps.
    • Asus SplashTop embedded OS, this is pre-boot environment was demonstrated on an Eee PC at CES recently and would make a lot of sense. It contains Firefox and Skype among other apps and boots almost instantly.

    Both would suit the 2G Eee PC's modest specs better. For example removing Open Office from the Eee and keeping only the link to Google Docs would free up a couple hundred megabytes.



    Conclusion

    Consider this a buy and avoid recommendation at the same time. Avoid the 2G and consider the 4G and 8G variants.

    Our 2G Eee PC is a dead end. While it does some things reasonably well, for an extra $50 or $100 you will be happier with the 4G models. With a smaller Linux distribution installed your experience might differ, but we are talking out of the box experience here. Considered in that context, I can't recommend the 2G model. If you really want to tweak and have fun, the 4 and 8G models still offer more possibilities and are easier to recommend.

    In addition to being slightly faster, the 4G and 8G versions have a superior processor (speed and level 2 cache). In some cases they have socketed RAM and Storage for expandability. Having played around with an 8G Eee PC running Windows XP I can say that the difference in performance was noticeable.

    Sadly, there is un-necessary confusion over the exact upgradability of each model. Without doing some digging it is hard to know with certainty what you are getting with the 4G models. Certain revisions of the 4G model have socketed memory, others do not. This is a surefire way for Asus to end up with lots of RMA'ed Eee PCs that have been cracked open to peer inside.

    Why is the upgradability so important? Asus have successfully created an enthusiast device that is growing a decent community. Why not let them have fun with it and in the process grow some loyalty. The people that will be buying these initially are influencers - in other words the folks that non technical people turn to for buying advice. These folks might not want to guide their pals into a completely closed solution. Hey Asus, let the community help you make the Eee easier to use and more useful; make all Eee PCs upgradable.

    Keep in mind that a Toshiba Portege R100, a much thinner, faster and expandable subnotebook with a bigger/higher resolution screen can be had on eBay for about the same price as a 4G Eee PC. ThinkPad X41 and Dell Latitude X1 sub-notebooks are also in the same range. These might be as much fun to experiment with as the Eee PC.

    Ultimately, I think the Eee PC is a really good first step. But as it exists today it is more of a companion device than a single email and Internet solution. On the low end, and I am referring specifically to the 2G model, it is a nearly useless novelty. The 4G and 8G models are worthy of early adopter consideration with their better performance, upgradability and battery life.

    What I would like to see in the next Eee PC:

    • Ram and HDD sockets
    • Speedstep support - keep the clockspeed slow to conserve power, but ramp it up for media files.
    • Non-crippled CPUs - give us the cache!
    • Higher resolution 1024 pixels across.
    • $299 and $399 price points (4G and 8G)
    • SplashTop
     
    Last edited by a moderator: May 12, 2015
  2. JonBook Pro

    JonBook Pro Notebook Consultant

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    Excellent review. I'm really considering one of these things for myself (or at least the higher end versions). The Eee PC would make an excellent travel accessory.
     
  3. gamemint

    gamemint Notebook Evangelist

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    great review
     
  4. lewdvig

    lewdvig Notebook Virtuoso

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    I meant to have a graph or chart where it says 'Read/write performance on Linux'

    But I could not find an application similar to HD Tune for Linux.
     
  5. psmo290

    psmo290 Notebook Consultant

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    how's the battery life on this thing?
     
  6. JabbaJabba

    JabbaJabba ThinkPad Facilitator

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    Thanks for the review. I agree with you on most of the things on the wish list. In addition, I am looking forward to the larger screens. 10 inches would be great.
     
  7. lewdvig

    lewdvig Notebook Virtuoso

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    Actual life on my test unit was exactly 2 hours while typing this review on Google Docs while connected by WiFi.

    Get the 4G or 8G model with the larger battery and you should get closer to three hours.
     
  8. Redline

    Redline Notebook Prophet NBR Reviewer

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    GML910 wasn't quite as bad as you said....I got playable frame rates for NFS Underground, TrackMania Nations, and Quake 3 on my old VAIO FJ, which had 1GB memory, a Pen M 750 and the 910GML igp. This probably won't do as well due to the 800MHz cpu (wasn't it 900MHz?) and less RAM, but still, it shouldn't be too much worse.
     
  9. lewdvig

    lewdvig Notebook Virtuoso

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    Yeah, it is set at a significant underclock - 571 MHz in the 2G.
     
  10. ScifiMike12

    ScifiMike12 Drinking the good stuff

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    Good review.

    I'm gonna get the 4G (non-Surf) model, Polar White in particular.. ;). Hopefully a 2GB DDR2 DIMM module with a 16GB SDHC card will help speed things up.
     
  11. sipp11

    sipp11 Notebook Consultant

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    I thought Xandros is based on Debian as same as Ubuntu, but, unlike gOS, it is not based on Ubuntu, isn't it?

    Great review though :cool:
     
  12. lewdvig

    lewdvig Notebook Virtuoso

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    Easy for you to say.

    When you put it like that, now you can understand why I got it wrong. :D
     
  13. drjoewebb

    drjoewebb Newbie

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    Xandros is based on Debian Etch, the latest version of Debian. There are Eee geeks who have installed Ubuntu on their units, but it is not delivered that way. Asus will deliver a unit soon with Windows XP.

    The current Xandros desktop version is based on a prior version -- us Xandros fans are anxiously awaiting an announcement for Xandros desktop version 5, which will be based on Debian Etch as well.
     
  14. MysticGolem

    MysticGolem Asus MVP + NBR Reviewer NBR Reviewer

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    Thanks lewdvig!! I have been looking for a review like this, it answered all my questions in my head regarding this notebook.

    One being the CPU is insanely slow compared to what we use and also multi-tasking. I used the ASUS R2H and was unimpressed that the Celeron is just too slow for regular use in my opinion.

    I was always wondering why the boot time was so fast, and its great to see a fast boot time with the EEE.

    Battery life is ok...i mean it doesn't last long for a all round weak laptop, but how many watts does it consume per hour, using with so little horse power under the hood.

    PS multiply the amp with the volts and that will tell you how many watts the battery is, and then divide that by how many hours of battery life you get (2 hours with your settings) and that will give you the discharge rate.a

    I am definitely interested in the next generation of the EEE, looks very promising.

    Thanks,

    MysticGolem
     
  15. einhander

    einhander Notebook Deity

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    so if the ram is bad then the buyer will be all over asus.
     
  16. DanyBui81

    DanyBui81 Notebook Evangelist

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    the ram is actually upgradeable but you have to opened the caes theres no door like the 4g and 8g its not soldered on the motherboard its socketed
     
  17. lewdvig

    lewdvig Notebook Virtuoso

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    No it isn't. The RAM is soldered on the 2G Surf. They warned me at the store and doing some research I found a few disappointed people posting online about this.

    The SSD is soldered too.

    If someone does not do their homework they will be disappointed.

    Here is a good resource:

    http://forum.eeeuser.com/viewtopic.php?pid=101480
     
  18. CLB-NL

    CLB-NL Notebook Deity

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    Quite nice review! Thanks for that and for the pictures!

    There will be a Asus Eee Black 4G model in our house in 3 more days!
    I've ordered one for my mom from HongKong for about $500 (360,- euro)

    That OS is quite nice:
    [​IMG]

    I'm waiting on the new presented 8,9" models with 1024x600 resolution!
     
  19. Ayashifx55

    Ayashifx55 Notebook Guru

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    I just got the white Asus EEE 4G (Not surf) along with 2GB of ram , 8GB of SDHC Turbo memory stick (ebay 50$) and i can tell you it performs extremely well. Specially when i want to play games , i just overclock it to around 800-850mhz. Currently running under WinXP since i hate Linux (or i guess i just suck at it haha). Works great. I can play a little of counterstrike , wc3 , games that are a little older. At least i can still pass my time i guess ... =)

    Asus EEE 4G - 450$
    2GB DDR2 PC5300 - 35$
    8GB SDHC Turbo - 50$
    External Harddrive 80GB - 50$
    ----------------------
    585$ budget



    I don't see anything better , more portable than for this price ... Except for the OX or XO. Dont freaking buy the 2G , it sucksssss , i don't know how to say it but it suckss. 2G has soldered ram & ssd. Its a pure budget laptop ... Only for word or web surfing.
     
  20. CLB-NL

    CLB-NL Notebook Deity

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    Mine was $390 ;-)

    Have you bought a special white SDHC card...?
    [​IMG][/small][/center]
     
  21. lewdvig

    lewdvig Notebook Virtuoso

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    That is super deluxe boyo!
     
  22. Algus

    Algus Notebook Deity

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    Kinda disappointed after reading the review. I was really hoping that the 2G would fit my needs. The bundled software is all I need, though I would work it. If I'm doing some work, I'd want to be running my media player, Firefox, word processor, and probably Pidgin all at once.

    The space issue was irrelevant to me because the only thing I'd generate would be OpenOffice files and I could store those on an SD card - my medium of choice now that I've got a 15-in-1 on my PC.

    With an underclocked CPU and unupgradeable RAM though I don't think this is going to do it for me. I wonder if the 4G will get me by...assuming I add some extra RAM.

    Thanks for the writeup though, helped me decide the 2G probably isn't what I'm looking for. This is just like when the C500 came out and I really liked the case design but I just didn't like the options on it at all =(
     
  23. ez2remember

    ez2remember Notebook Evangelist

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    I just want to say thanks! REPS++

    I was going to get an Asus EEE 4G until I read this review. I looked at the suggested alternatives. I looked around at the specs and the Toshiba Portege R100 came up trumps mainly because of the weight of 2.4lbs/1.09kg which is only slightly heavier than the EEE. Looked at a few reviews and decided the R100 was the way to go. Most reviews were very positive except the very high price at the time. Obviously the r100 can be had for a lot less now. I paid about £200/$400 shipped on eBay which is cheaper than the EEE @ £250/$500. Well UK prices anyway...

    I wanted a much higher resolutiion than 800x480. I could possibly live with 800x600 but I would imagine scolling up/down & left/right + some dialogs wouldn't fit the screen would get annoying.

    The lappy uses two batteries. A primary battery which lasts about 1:30hrs and keeps the weight down at 1.09kg or alternatively use both batteries with the secondary clipping on the bottom which has the added benefit of raising the laptop for a better typing angle. With the combined batteries I'm getting about 5 hours light use with WIFI on. Please note this is 2nd user notebook so the batteries obviously don't last as long. From reviews I've read it should give about 6hrs+. 2hrs for primary and 4hrs+ for secondary.

    The keyboard is GREAT. The screen horizontal viewing angles are OK but vertical is poor but the resolution really makes up for it. The screen is not the best I've seen but acceptable.

    I'm also happier I have a more poweful workhorse with Pentium-m 1Ghz, 768MB ram and 40GB HDD.

    Okay it's 2nd user and probably doesn't come with warranty unless you're within Toshiba's 3 years warranty. I think this is a MUCH better buy...

    Any questions I'll happily answer.

    There is one major annoyance though it cannot boot from USB stick which was my intended future method of reinstalling windows. You can't boot from just any USB CD/DVD drive either. Toshiba recommended CD/DVD drives boots fine but they are overpriced... Anyway there are workarounds but you need a USB floppy drive.
     
  24. lewdvig

    lewdvig Notebook Virtuoso

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    Yeah, I would steer and friends or family away from the EEE unless they were a geek like me (and even then it would be iffy).

    The R100 is one of the best notebooks I have ever used and is only slightly thicker than a MacBook Air.
     
  25. CLB-NL

    CLB-NL Notebook Deity

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    Some reallife pictures of my 4G

    [​IMG]

    [​IMG]

    [​IMG]

    [​IMG]

    [​IMG]

    [​IMG]

    [​IMG]

    [​IMG]

    [​IMG]

    [​IMG]

    [​IMG]

    [​IMG]
     
  26. laloelzeus

    laloelzeus Newbie

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    Hi, my nfsu2 send a windows error, SEND/DON'T SEND... can you help me please? which video drivers have you installed??? i have the lazertag drivers...
    laloelzeus@gmail.com