Asus Eee PC 4G Review

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by Jerry Jackson

The Asus Eee PC 701 4G is the new affordable ultraportable notebook that's bound to be on many consumers' Christmas wish lists this year. Retailing for $399 or less, the Eee PC isn't exactly a workhorse, but it will do just about every basic task you'd need from a laptop. Our initial hands-on actually proved it does more than we expected, but the more detailed review below helps explain exactly why we&rsquo;re so excited about a $400 notebook.

First, the specs for the review unit we have on hand, which is the Eee PC 701 4G:

• Processor: Intel Celeron M ULV 900MHz
• Graphics: Integrated Intel GMA 900 GPU
• Storage: 4GB of Flash-based storage (SSD)
• Memory: 512MB of DDR2 RAM (667MHz)
• OS: Xandros Linux (Asus customized)
• Screen: 7-inch screen with 800 x 480 resolution
• Ports: 3 USB 2.0, 1 VGA monitor out, headphone jack, microphone input, SD card reader (SDHC compatible), Kensington lock slot, Ethernet 10/100
• Webcam (0.3 MP)
• Battery: 4-cell 5200 mAh 7.4V Li-Ion (rated at 3.5 hours)
• Wireless: 802.11b/g Atheros
• Input: Keyboard and Touchpad
• Weight: approximately 2 lbs with battery, 2.5 lbs travel weight with AC adapter.
• Two-year warranty

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Build and Design

The designers at Asus had no easy task creating an attractive ultraportable notebook while also making it cheap to produce. The case seams match up with reasonably tight tolerances, plastics feel thick (though the pearl-like white plastics look cheap) and the display hinges are molded into body with the battery. Lifting the display cover you find the amazingly small keyboard surface and even smaller touchpad resting below the recessed display and speakers. In short, the build quality is quite high despite the low cost.

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The design of the Eee PC is something truly unique in the market. Weighing in at just two pounds and delivering a performance level similar to a full-featured budget notebook, the only notebook that comes close to &ldquo;directly&rdquo; competing with the Eee PC is the Fujitsu LifeBook U810 tablet PC &hellip; which retails for more than $1,000 at the time of this writing. The next closest competitor to the Eee PC would be traditional ultraportables like the Toshiba Portege R500 ($2,000) and the Sony VAIO TZ ($3,000).

True, the more expensive rivals come preloaded with Microsoft Windows XP or Vista and feature a range of superior technical specs &hellip; but our review of the Asus Eee PC shows this tiny white titan packs an impressive punch.

Screen

The screen is 7-inches diagonally with LED back lighting and has a resolution of 800 x 480 pixels. For the sake of a reference, below is what you can see when you pull up the homepage of the site you are on right now:

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The Eee PC might not have a glossy, high contrast display like most notebooks made in the last year, but the bright and even backlight helps make for an enjoyable reading experience. We even found the quality of the colors more than sufficient for viewing movies or You Tube videos.

Below is a screenshot we took on the Asus Eee PC of the YouTube.com homepage, this is a good example of what you'll see using the Eee PC screen resolution and size:

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Operating System and Software

Asus teamed up with Xandros to develop a customized version of the Linux operating system for the new Eee PC. Microsoft Windows requires a significant amount of storage space on the tiny 4GB SSD, and the added cost from installing genuine Windows would have added to the final retail price of the Eee PC. Despite the lack of Microsoft software the Eee PC is remarkably easy to use. Xandros developed a point-and-click user interface that looks and acts similar to Windows &hellip; but easier.

A view of the &quot;Internet&quot; tab displayed after startup. (view large image)

The Asus Eee PC comes preloaded with more than 40 applications for everything from work and email to listening to music and watching movies. Unlike the many free applications that come preinstalled on Windows-based computers, almost none of the applications on the Eee PC can be considered &ldquo;bloatware.&rdquo; In fact, almost every application on this notebook is both useful and easy to use.

The &quot;Work&quot; tab. (view large image)

The &quot;Learn&quot; tab. (view large image)

The &quot;Play&quot; tab. (view large image)

Click on the &ldquo;Web&rdquo; icon and the Firefox web browser opens. Click on the &ldquo;Documents,&rdquo; &ldquo;Spreadsheets,&rdquo; or &ldquo;Presentations&rdquo; icons and the Open Office application (compatible with Microsoft Office) opens so you don&rsquo;t have to purchase additional office software. Click on any standard movie file and the video plays in either the Media Player application or inside Firefox &hellip; you don&rsquo;t need to spend hours searching for video plugins and codecs, the movies just play. Don&rsquo;t waste time downloading iTunes. Just plug in your iPod and the Music Manager detects the music player and begins importing the songs.

The point is that the Eee PC just works. We only wish we could say the same thing about the many Windows-based notebooks we review.

The &quot;Settings&quot; tab. (view large image)

In fact, the only minor issue we had where something didn&rsquo;t work on the Eee PC right out of the box was the built-in 0.3 megapixel webcam. For whatever reason the camera was by default turned off in the BIOS and we had to go in and enable it for the camera to work. For something that dubs itself as &quot;Easy to learn, Easy to work, Easy to play&quot; that's not exactly &ldquo;easy.&rdquo; We don't think grandma will figure out how to enable the webcam on her own. However, this issue is easily correctable by a BIOS update from Asus &hellip; so if Asus fixes the problem all you have to do is click on the &ldquo;Add/Remove Software&rdquo; icon and click the &ldquo;install&rdquo; button when a new BIOS is available. On that note, Asus already made several updates available at the time of this review.

If the fact that Asus uses Linux is a concern for you, then don&rsquo;t worry. Asus recently announced that they are teaming up with Microsoft to release a version of the Eee PC that will come preloaded with Windows in 2008. Neither company specified which version of Windows will find its way onto the Eee PC, but given the 4GB SSD and low voltage processor Windows XP is the obvious choice. Whether or not Windows will help or hurt the performance of the Eee PC remains to be seen. In any case, you can expect the cost of a Windows-based Eee PC to be higher.

Speakers

The speakers on the Eee PC are hard to miss. They are located to the left and right of the screen and, thanks to their black speaker grills, stand out in comparison to the rest of the all white notebook. The location might appear odd, but it provides a clear path to your head for maximum listening pleasure. Despite the diminutive size of the built-in speakers they worked quite well for watching movies, playing games, or listening to some music while moving from room to room in my house. With the volume set to max, the decibel meter registered ~75dB at one foot. The audio was only slightly distorting on high notes, but stayed mostly clear.

As is common with small built-in speakers, the high and upper midrange came through well, but bass didn&rsquo;t sound nearly as impressive. Thankfully, Asus included a standard headphone jack on the Eee PC so it is quite simple to connect headphones or an external speaker system if you want a superior listening experience.

Keyboard and Touchpad

Most low-priced notebooks currently on the market feature poorly built keyboards that show significant flex/bounce when typing pressure is applied. Much to our surprise, the keyboard on the Eee PC is remarkably firm, though the keys are small and have a large degree of &ldquo;wiggle&rdquo; when pressed.

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The keyboard on the Eee PC is very, very compact. The first two days I spent typing on the Eee PC were quite frustrating as the small footprint and tiny keys require you to use a &ldquo;hunt and peck&rdquo; style of typing rather than traditional touch typing methods. This means that passwords get mangled, emails look like gibberish, and playing games that require keyboard commands becomes quite aggravating.

Of course, once I got used to typing on the tiny keyboard the keys felt just fine &hellip; but this keyboard isn&rsquo;t designed to be used as a primary/main computer. For users who would buy this notebook as their &ldquo;main computer&rdquo; in their home or office, a full-size keyboard and external mouse are recommended.

The touchpad and single button (with left and right &ldquo;rocker&rdquo; buttons underneath) are easy to use and responsive. The only issue we encountered with the touchpad was that the small size made it a little difficult to use when moving across the screen and it was easy to press the wrong side of the single touchpad button (so sometimes a right click turned into a left click).

Performance

Our regular selection of performance benchmarks can&rsquo;t be used with the Eee PC given the fact that it is a Linux-based notebook. However, we can measure the time it take to perform a number of simple procedures in order to give you an idea of how the Eee PC performs. Please keep in mind that the speeds listed below will vary depending on the number of applications you have open at any given time (multitasking always slows things down).

• Startup: ~12 seconds
• Opening and loading the NotebookReview.com website in Firefox: ~3 seconds
• Starting playback on a 700MB AVI video file: ~3 seconds
• Starting the Open Office application: ~6 seconds
• Opening a 3.64MB PDF document: ~3 seconds
• Opening a 2.35MB PowerPoint presentation: ~10 seconds

For those interested in the speed of the 4GB SSD, hdparm benchmarks the SSD buffered read speed at 21.78 MB/sec. For comparison, a Lenovo ThinkPad T60 with a fast 7200rpm Seagate hard drive has a buffered read speed of 54.62 MB/sec and a Toshiba Tecra A9 with standard 5400rpm hard drive has a buffered read speed of 44.87 MB/sec.

While the Eee PC won&rsquo;t win any awards for performance within applications, startup is remarkably fast and overall performance is fast enough to keep most users happy.

Port Selection and Expansion

Front: Indicator lights (view large image)

Left side: 10/100 Ethernet port, empty modem port, USB 2.0 port, air vent, microphone in, and headphone jack. (view large image)

Rear view: AC power jack (view large image)

Right side: SD card reader, two USB 2.0 ports, VGA out, Kensington lock slot. (view large image)

If you open the bottom panel on the Eee PC (which may void the two-year warranty) you'll find a standard DDR2 RAM slot and a PCI-E mini card slot for possible future expansion. We tested the Eee PC with both the standard 512MB memory and a 1GB memory module. Theoretically, a 2GB module of RAM should fit in the slot just as easily as a 1GB module did ... but we didn't have a 2GB module available in the office.

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Heat and Noise

Even with the low voltage processor and SSD drive, the Asus Eee PC produced as much heat as any other notebook in the same price range. The keyboard and bottom of the notebook got quite hot even under normal use, and the fan was always running in an attempt to keep the system cool. Fan noise was among the quietest we&rsquo;ve heard. The only way to tell the fan is blowing is to put your hand next to the air vent to feel the warm air blow past.

Below are heat overlay images showing where the Eee PC warmed up (in degrees Fahrenheit) during normal extended use. You'll notice that we only listed one temperature for each side ... that's because the Eee PC is so small that they're basically only one temperature for the top and one temperature for the bottom.

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Wireless

The Eee PC uses an Atheros AR5BXB63 wireless module for 802.11b/g wireless Internet access. Reception is quite good for a budget notebook. The Eee PC maintained a connection to my home router from anywhere inside my three-level home and from anywhere in my front or back yard. At the editorial offices for NotebookReview.com the Eee PC managed to stay connected to the office router even after I left the building and walked across the parking lot. The wireless connection only dropped to 75 percent signal strength after I walked more than 50 yards away from the building. Being able to travel a distance equivalent to half the length of a football field means you won't have trouble browsing the web with the Eee PC.

Battery

Under normal use, backlight at 100 percent and using wireless for web browsing and watching a DivX movie at 75 percent volume, the Eee PC managed to deliver three hours and 23 minutes of battery life. We were hoping for more given the low voltage processor and flash-based storage, but for a $400 notebook the battery life is still very good. Lowering the screen brightness and turning off the wireless card should provide enough battery life for prolonged use.

While the battery life was reasonable, we did experience some minor problems with the on-screen battery meter. After two hours and 8 minutes of browsing the web wirelessly and watching a DivX movie the low battery warning popped up on screen and reported that the Eee PC would shut down in 3 minutes unless it was plugged into a power source. The Eee PC then kept working for another one hour and 15 minutes before the notebook shutdown. Bottom line, the on-screen battery indicator cannot be trusted.

Conclusion

In the end, the Eee PC is the single most impressive notebook we've seen priced below $400. The technical specs might look sub par, but the usability and overall performance of the Eee PC rivals notebooks costing several thousand dollars more. Granted, you can't install Photoshop on this little notebook and you can forget about playing Bioshock on this thing, but the Eee PC can do just about everything you &ldquo;need&rdquo; to do with a notebook while on the go.

The only features missing from the Eee PC that really stand out are the lack of Bluetooth 2.0 and the lack of a Verizon or Sprint wireless card option. If Asus can find a way to add these features to the Eee PC we will go as far as to say, &ldquo;No home should be without an Eee PC.&rdquo; As it stands now, the Eee PC is a truly impressive ultraportable with a value much higher than the sale price suggests. The Eee PC can't replace a full-featured desktop or notebook, but it makes the perfect choice if you are in the market for an ultraportable notebook for school, work, or vacation.

The Eee PC might have a weird name, but it's one of the few products that lives up to the marketing hype. This notebook truly is &ldquo;easy to learn, easy to work, and easy to play.&rdquo;

Pros

• Small and light

• Easy to use

• Reasonably well built and durable

• Low price for an ultraportable

• Works right out of the box!

• That&rsquo;s right. It works right out of the box!

• Did I mention it works right out of the box?

Cons

• A little expensive for a notebook with only 4GB of storage

• No Microsoft Windows pre-installed is a negative for some buyers.

• Plastics &ldquo;look&rdquo; cheap

• The battery meter isn't very accurate.

Editor's Note: Stay tuned for our special &ldquo;Eee PC Tweak Guide&rdquo; where we show how the Eee PC performs after Microsoft XP is installed!

 

Thanks for the review.

Even though it is a bit more expensive then it was suppose to be, I kind of like this PC. I'd probably buy something like this over a PDA anyday due to the increases functionality. My Palm TX is lacking in some areas.

And plus, it works right out of the box!

 

Awesome. I'm surprised that the build is good.

In reviews of early versions, they dissassembled the EEE701, and they "SSD" is merely flash memory soldered to the motherboard.

 

You know what would be cool....if they created the equivalent of this PC, but in tablet form. Obviously, it would be more expensive, but a tablet with the same type of features would be great for taking notes.

 

It exists (kinda). It's called HTC Shift. IT about 4x more expensive though.

 

Yikes!

I'll have to take a look at it.

 

I still think there are better stuff for 400-500$ if you know where to look and do some digging...of course it will be used or refurbished but you can get a great ultraportable with way better features.

 

Apparently the EEE supports 2GB in windows, but not in the linux distro that comes with it.

 

everex makes pretty cheap ultraportables for $600-700. They've got a dvd burner, core duo, etc plus only weigh in at 3.8 lbs. i guess the eee pc is for the ultra-ultraportable types.

 

Yea, you can get a more full featured notebook for similar pricing, but the Eee really is an ultra-ultra portable as deltafx said and I think that would be desirable to many people.

 

After XP is inatalled on it, could someone compare its performance to a Flipstart or OQO?

 

Hmm that SSD is a lot slower than I thought it would be, its the same as my fastest thumbdrive (which I use for Slax) although it boots pretty darned fast!

 

This looks overpriced, underpowered, and under-screened (maybe that should be a word for these things built on a 12.1 inch chassis with a 7" screen!) for an ultraportable. It's not going to fly with consumers.

Sometimes I wonder what the designers and marketers at Asus are thinking.

 

I don't want to spoil the surprise for our "Eee PC Hacks" article coming later this week, but after Windows XP was installed on the Eee PC the SSD performance jumped quite a bit.

I was pleasantly surprised how well this relatively under-spec'ed notebook runs XP.

 

I Ran XP fine-ish on a PII with 128MB memory. This is loads better than that.

 

Probably it was hidden under all those free review samples scattered around .

Seriously it doesn't look bad even at 400$ for those who must have a *brand new* ultra portable . The 2nd gen Eee with a bigger screen should be a segment killer .

Trying XP for size is nice but please keep in mind the Eee cost and weight is based 1st on a slim OS , and wouldn't XP also mean an extra cost of 500$+- for the consumer ( COA + bigger SSD ) ?

 

its funny, the sony G series, weighs less than that and it has a 12" screen

 

I think this is exactly what you would be looking for... http://www.umpcportal.com/products/product.php?id=130
and its predecessor now costs $850

Specificatons
Manufacturer : : Kohjinsha
Model name :: SH8
CPU type :: Intel A110 (Stealey)
CPU speed :: 800 Mhz
Graphics :: Intel GMA 950
OS :: Windows Vista Home
Display Size :: 7" 1024 X 600
Display Type :: LED b/l, Soft (Finger) Touch
RAM :: 1000 MB
Hard Disk :: 120 GB
Keyboard :: YES
Mouse Pointer :: YES
Battery capacity :: 29 (W/hr)
Battery Life (tested) ::2.1 - 2.4 hours
Weight :: 1000 gm
Size (w/h/d mm) 227/170/26 mm

 

The VAIO G (which isn't available in the United States, except from grey market import retailers) costs approximately $2,000 new ... plus $550 for the 32GB SSD option.

Sure, the Eee PC isn't as capable as the VAIO G series ... but it also costs $400 or less compared to $2,000 or more.

 

You can't go wrong with Asus. Sure, Eee is expensive for its spec. And you can get a full size laptop, for $100-200more. But none of those things has the same build quality as Eee. I previously owned a Everex, with really crappy keyboard and it is LOUD. Whenever I carry it around, i feel like carrying a piece of relic. Eee certainly looks more fashionable and chic. I think that is a factor for a lot people when they are looking for a piece of electronic device.

P.S. Proud soon-to-be owner of Eee!! getting it in 4 days.

 

i know, i was just comparing weight. but i guess it isnt fair, the G uses a led display and carbon fiber while the asus uses plastics.

ill probably pick up a eee for christmas to accompany my sz

 

Hey, I'm loving the looks of the ultra-portable. What I'm dissapointed about though, is the screen resolution. 800x480? I know I shouldn't ask for much, but I was hoping to play my 800x600 adventure games on this thing. Is there a new high-res version coming out soon? If so, when?

 

It's not really funny at all, the Sony cost considerable amounts more. Its an apples to orange comparison.

Thanks for the link!

 

Why does it have an "empty" modem port? Why not just remove it altogether?

Does the memory card reader only read SD cards? I thought it was a multimedia card reader. When will this be available in black and what configs?

 

It says MMC/SD card reader, so I would assume its compatiable with at least one more memory card type. With a 6gb or 16gb SDHC it shouldn't be that bad

 

SD/SDHC/MMC ... those are the only card formats it can read. That said, you can always plug in a USB card reader if you need to read other memory card formats.

 

Hmm, where did I hear that before?

Looks like a good ultraportable for a buyer looking for a simple notetaking machine...I'm not expecting any Crysis gaming on this laptop, but it's a good attempt by Asus. Can't say I'm not a fan of them breaking their promise of a $200 notebook, but hey, it happens I suppose.

 

They could of sold it for a bit less(don't expect much, like $10-$30) but the LED backlight 7" LCDs were more expensive then they thought, so that's a bump in price.

The Eee will be $200, but for mass orders from 2nd-3rd world countries.

 

So you're saying it works right out of the box?

 

The EEE has an LED display.

 

I'm getting very excited for this machine. It will be a good replacement for my current PDA.

In the review it mentions opening the bottom latch might void the warranty. Do Asus notebooks have a void seal?

 

Cool notebook!

 

My thoughts exactly.

 

Yep, this is going to be my next portable video player. I think I'll get a 2GB surf model (no need for a webcam, no need for the RAM since I have over a gig just laying around at home, and for the extra storage space...) and a nice 4GB or 8GB SD card or USB stick to go along with it. It'll be pretty sweet.

 

The only possible "catch" is we haven't seen the 2GB model yet. Some reports from outside the US say that the 2G model uses soldered RAM instead of a standard RAM module. If (and it's only an "if" at this point) the 2G Surf doesn't have a standard RAM module then you can't upgrade it like the 4G model we had for our review.

And to answer someone else's question about the warranty, the Eee PC 701 4G we received had a sticker over one of the screws to the memory expansion bay that said "warranty void if removed" so I suspect that Asus isn't going to honor warranty service on Eee PCs that have been upgraded by users.

While we think that is a cheap and less-than-honest warranty policy, it probably has something to do with Asus cutting costs as much as possible. According to our sources, the sales margins for the Asus Eee PC 701 4G is literally only $18 in the US at the time of the initial product launch ... so if that is true then Asus and retailers are losing short term profits in order to bring the Eee PC to the US and establish a foothold in this market segment.

 

Eddie and a few others raises a few good points with regard to the Eee in the other Eee thread in this forum, as it's a way to gain market....reputation. The lost is evident, but it'll push it's name out the door, and into the market.

 

Nope, the EEE PC will not recognize more than 1GB of memory. Also, in the picture it shows DDR II 667Mhz. Does it run at 667Mhz? Or is it downclocked to 400Mhz. I remember in the specs a while ago, it stated DDR2-400 memory. Not sure how you could look this up. Perhaps If you can get into the BIOS it will tell you.

Good Review though! Well thought out. Nice quality pictures!

Also is there not a law in the US about RAM and HDD's being user upgradeable?

 

For less, you can buy an i-phone haha .... are you really going to use this for anything aside from e-mailing and surfing?

 

Asus says they are making only $18 on the 4GB version? I highly doubt it. The 2GB surf is $240 in Taiwan (5% tax included). So that’s ~$230. You can buy a 4GB flash USB drive that is about the same speed as the EEE PC's 4GB for around $20-30 while a 2GB one would be ~$15. So lets say there is a $15 difference, that would bring the cost up to $245. Then 256MB's of RAM costs $15 new, while 512 sticks go for about $20. So that’s a $5 difference, bringing the cost up to $250. Then a 300k webcam. Dell charges $20 for a 2MP on their vostro line, so I'm sure a 300k webcam would cost less than that. But lets say $20 anyways. So that’s $270 and I'm SURE asus gets parts for cheaper than I can. I bet their making around $100 on the 4GB. I wouldn't be surprised if they are not making much of anything on the 2GB surf here in Taiwan selling for $240 tax included.

 

There's a lot more to price than just components. Usually development costs are rolled up into the baseline cost of a product for the first year or so, based on EAU (Estimated Annual Usage). Take the PS3 for instance... they were losing about $250 per unit when it first came out, but most of that came from development costs on the Cell and Blu-Ray that were rolled up into the PS3s baseline.

And let's not forget things like material tooling, shipment, middle man (especially Best Buy), and production costs. Many technology products aren't extremely profitable in their first few months until production costs go down and the product has gone through at least one cost take-out program.

 

what are the dimensions of this subnotebook? its hard to tell because there is a huge bezel surrounding the 7 inch screen, too bad they couldnt make the screen bigger then it wouldnt look so wierd

 

are you guys gonna try and see if you can overclock the cpu?

 

I know some people will want one and get one but its not for me. Its more of a kids toy IMO (for people with more money than me)

 

It's got a Mini PCI-E slot....

the possibilities... bluetooth? EVDO cards!

 

Thank you for posting all that. I was starting to type a response to Jason's post when I saw your post. Indeed, Asus has to spend a lot more than just the cost of parts for each Eee PC ... so they have to earn more in order to generate "true profit."

Jason, please keep in mind that I said "at the time of the initial product launch." Indeed, Asus' margins will increase over time (such is the way of the market according to my old college econ classes) but I suspect the behind-the-scenes reports we're getting about the VERY slim profit margins are honest.

 

Surely you jest. I could understand putting something over the MiniPCIe slot to that effect, but a RAM upgrade isn't exactly brain surgery. Unless there's a lot of easily-damaged, exposed components under that flap, Asus needs to smack themselves for that. And I have two words for that warranty sticker anyhow - heat gun.

And remember, just because it runs Linux doesn't mean you can't benchmark its performance ... you just may have to think back a little. Break out the Quake III Arena and let's see some results!

 

The Eee PC indeed runs the 667Mhz RAM at only 400Mhz ... good catch.

As you suggest, I suspect a good lawyer here in the US could fight Asus over the warranty issue ... but our production unit of the Eee PC (the same type of unit that will be on sale in the US in two days) had a small sticker over one of the screws for the memory bay that said "warranty void if removed" so we have to assume that Asus is trying to say that the warranty is void if removed.

 

I believe what everyone is referring to here is the Magnuson-Moss warranty act, specifically the clause related to tie-in sales. I Am Not A Lawyer, but my limited spin skills seem to show an angle for a violation of this here.

A warrantor cannot require the consumer of their product (the Eee) to buy an additional product or service ("approved memory only", "approved MiniPCIe cards only", or "memory installation/upgrade service") to be used with the original product in order to maintain the original product warranty.

 

Just wanna say that the EEE 701 CAN handle 2GB Ram. The AsusLauncher distro can't at this moment, though, so you'd be required to use either Xp, or another linux distro. 2GB ram on tihis would be kinda overkill though.

 

If that's true, then Apple would be in a world of trouble too. Replacing the hard drive voids the Macbook Pro's warranty.

EDIT: As per benchmarking, there is also a Linux version of SuperPi. It tends to run a bit faster than in Windows, however; I get about 1 minute 12 seconds in Windows, and about 54 seconds in Linux (to 2M places).
http://forum.notebookreview.com/showthread.php?t=115394