TheGreatSatan
03-31-2009, 12:08 PM
http://www.thebestcasescenario.com/jdbnsn/eeepc/eeepcbannerlarge.png
Asus 1000HE Eee PC (http://www.buydig.com/shop/product.aspx?sku=AS1000HEBLU002X) Netbook review. Retails for $385
10 inch LED backlit WSVGA screen (1024x600)
Intel ATOM N280 processor 1.66GHz
1GB DDR2 memory (expandable to 2GB, which I did)
160GB HDD built in plus 10GB Eee Online Storage
Windows XP Home w/SP3
Wireless-N
1.3 MP webcam
Supposed 9.5 hour battery (Depends on Configuration)
3 USB, 1 SD/MMc slot
Weighs 3.2 lbs (with battery)
http://www.thebestcasescenario.com/jdbnsn/eeepc/1.jpg
http://www.thebestcasescenario.com/jdbnsn/eeepc/2.jpg
http://www.thebestcasescenario.com/jdbnsn/eeepc/3.jpg
Here's what I got:
1. Asus 1000HE Netbook
2. Neoprene case
3. Battery
4. Micro-fiber cleaning cloth
5. Power cord
6. Windows XP setup guide
7. Warranty Card
8. Eee PC technology Update guide
9. XP Support DVD
10. User's manual
Features:
The Asus Eee PC comes with a 1.3MP webcam
http://www.thebestcasescenario.com/jdbnsn/eeepc/4.jpg
And what they call Hybrid storage, allowing you to save up to 10GB of your most valuable data online and offsite.
http://www.thebestcasescenario.com/jdbnsn/eeepc/5.jpg
There's also a 92% keyboard
http://www.thebestcasescenario.com/jdbnsn/eeepc/6.jpg
and comes in White, Black and Blue, which is the color I chose.
http://www.thebestcasescenario.com/jdbnsn/eeepc/7.jpg
Earlier Asus Eee PC models have a few more colors that have not yet crossed over to this newest model.
Here are the side shots:
http://www.thebestcasescenario.com/jdbnsn/eeepc/8.jpg
1st test: Battery lifetime
http://www.thebestcasescenario.com/jdbnsn/eeepc/9.jpg
I turned off sleep mode and disabled hibernation. I turned the screen brightness to one level above its lowest setting, which is ideal for me because I hate overly bright screens. I set the power options to alert me when the battery hits 5% and charge the battery to 100% while it’s off before I start this test. I removed the 1GB DIMM and installed a 2GB one and start testing at 1 P.M.
http://i406.photobucket.com/albums/pp143/TheGreatSatan/power.jpg
First I played with some of the basic Windows features like icon spacing and active title bar colors. I set my screensaver to play photos of my kids and then set Advanced System Care (http://download.cnet.com/Advanced-SystemCare-Free/3000-2086_4-10407614.html?tag=mncol) to clean up the system. While it works I surf on over to TBCS and eBay among other places. I do my normal internet usage like updating my website and uploading photos of my Cuda mod to multiple modding forums.
http://www.thebestcasescenario.com/jdbnsn/eeepc/10.jpg
The keyboard isn’t perfect if you’re used to desktops, but at 92% I adapt in about an hour. The touchpad is different. You have to use two fingers to scroll up, down and sideways. There’s a tricky movement that lets you use the touchpad to zoom in and out. There are other movements that mean nothing to me.
http://i406.photobucket.com/albums/pp143/TheGreatSatan/multitouch_touchpad.jpg
There are points during the test where I walk away or just watch TV and let the screensaver play for a few minutes. There are other more intense times where I defrag the hard drive or play Peggle Extreme on Steam.
As I type this written review I’m at 6% of my battery and the time is 8:26 PM.
Things I hate thus far.
(1) I hate not knowing when CAPS lock is on or off. There’s no light for it or any type of on screen display. (2) And it has XP. Everyone seems to be hanging on to XP even after the boat has begun to sink, but the more I use Vista and have to later use XP I realize how much I hate it. My wireless internet is already configured, but setting it up in XP is not as easy as Vista. Vista’s visual effects are far smoother too. Having to use a 3rd party software firewall is one more thing that has to load, because XP is naked and exposed on the net. Windows defender isn’t great, but it’s an improvement over XP. Having played with Windows 7 makes me salivate at its eventual release. I will probably upgrade this Netbook when it hits shelves.
I played music for about an hour and at high volume levels the speakers crackle. Is this a huge thing? No, because I would never listen to it that loud and at moderate levels it sounds great.
My battery is down to 5% now and the time is 8:32 PM. The Netbook has been on for 7.5 hours and I’m sick of looking at the screen. Luckily the series finale of Battlestar Gallactica is on to distract me.
As the battery gets closer to dead it drains even faster. 3% hits at 8:40 PM. And the Asus claims to have 12 minutes left. I stop typing, save my review and let the screensaver play as the battery nears its end.
At 1% of battery it says there’s 2 minutes left so I plug it back in. The time is 8:51 PM. The Netbook has been on for 7 hours and 51 minutes, give or take a couple minutes. This test replicated what I would consider a normal day of computer use. I spend time surfing the web, listening to music, defragging my hard drive, downloading updates, and installing new programs.
I’m willing to bet that if I charge it back to 100% and not let my screensaver go at all I can easily expect 9.5 hours as Asus claims. This battery is amazing!
2nd Test: Benchmarking – Disclaimer: I ran the following tests with 2GB installed and on the battery alone.
I kicked off testing with 3DMark2001 SE which took at least 2 minutes to install! After all 17 tests the final score was 2108. Aquamark 3, PCMark04, and 3DMark05 would not run at all because of the 1024x600 display resolution. Obviously this computer is not meant for gaming and I don’t expect it too, but it would’ve been nice if the tests ran. I have played Peggle and I am comfortable with saying that it does outperform the GeForce 6150 which is common on a lot of retail PC’s. If you have played Peggle on a 6150 then you'd know that after you hit the last peg the rainbow comes up and the music kicks off. On a 6150 everything slows down and you can literally count the frames per second. The netbook doesn't do that at all.
http://www.thebestcasescenario.com/jdbnsn/eeepc/11.jpg
This is what I consider a good buy. As I stated, there’s a couple things I wish it could do, but it has no problem doing what it needs to do. It was designed for internet and light office work and it excels at it. I love that it can be upgraded to 2 gigs of RAM and if a 4GB DIMM wasn’t so outrageously expensive, I’d drop it in just to see what happens. Obviously, the real reason I got this Netbook is because of the battery. Asus claims a 9.5 hour battery life under very insane/strict conditions, but we know that’s not realistic. Under what I would consider normal use it did last 7 hours and 50 minutes. That’s easily 4 hours better than a modern laptop.
The matte screen is a bonus too. I had purchased a new laptop a year ago, but since gave it to my wife because I hated how the light would glare on the shiny screen. The crackling speakers and not knowing when CAPS lock are the only small annoyances I could note. Remember it's not meant for gaming, but does play Peggle better than GeForce 6150, and that's great for regular use.
I give this Netbook 4.5 out of 5.
http://www.thebestcasescenario.com/jdbnsn/misc/fourfive.png
Asus 1000HE Eee PC (http://www.buydig.com/shop/product.aspx?sku=AS1000HEBLU002X) Netbook review. Retails for $385
10 inch LED backlit WSVGA screen (1024x600)
Intel ATOM N280 processor 1.66GHz
1GB DDR2 memory (expandable to 2GB, which I did)
160GB HDD built in plus 10GB Eee Online Storage
Windows XP Home w/SP3
Wireless-N
1.3 MP webcam
Supposed 9.5 hour battery (Depends on Configuration)
3 USB, 1 SD/MMc slot
Weighs 3.2 lbs (with battery)
http://www.thebestcasescenario.com/jdbnsn/eeepc/1.jpg
http://www.thebestcasescenario.com/jdbnsn/eeepc/2.jpg
http://www.thebestcasescenario.com/jdbnsn/eeepc/3.jpg
Here's what I got:
1. Asus 1000HE Netbook
2. Neoprene case
3. Battery
4. Micro-fiber cleaning cloth
5. Power cord
6. Windows XP setup guide
7. Warranty Card
8. Eee PC technology Update guide
9. XP Support DVD
10. User's manual
Features:
The Asus Eee PC comes with a 1.3MP webcam
http://www.thebestcasescenario.com/jdbnsn/eeepc/4.jpg
And what they call Hybrid storage, allowing you to save up to 10GB of your most valuable data online and offsite.
http://www.thebestcasescenario.com/jdbnsn/eeepc/5.jpg
There's also a 92% keyboard
http://www.thebestcasescenario.com/jdbnsn/eeepc/6.jpg
and comes in White, Black and Blue, which is the color I chose.
http://www.thebestcasescenario.com/jdbnsn/eeepc/7.jpg
Earlier Asus Eee PC models have a few more colors that have not yet crossed over to this newest model.
Here are the side shots:
http://www.thebestcasescenario.com/jdbnsn/eeepc/8.jpg
1st test: Battery lifetime
http://www.thebestcasescenario.com/jdbnsn/eeepc/9.jpg
I turned off sleep mode and disabled hibernation. I turned the screen brightness to one level above its lowest setting, which is ideal for me because I hate overly bright screens. I set the power options to alert me when the battery hits 5% and charge the battery to 100% while it’s off before I start this test. I removed the 1GB DIMM and installed a 2GB one and start testing at 1 P.M.
http://i406.photobucket.com/albums/pp143/TheGreatSatan/power.jpg
First I played with some of the basic Windows features like icon spacing and active title bar colors. I set my screensaver to play photos of my kids and then set Advanced System Care (http://download.cnet.com/Advanced-SystemCare-Free/3000-2086_4-10407614.html?tag=mncol) to clean up the system. While it works I surf on over to TBCS and eBay among other places. I do my normal internet usage like updating my website and uploading photos of my Cuda mod to multiple modding forums.
http://www.thebestcasescenario.com/jdbnsn/eeepc/10.jpg
The keyboard isn’t perfect if you’re used to desktops, but at 92% I adapt in about an hour. The touchpad is different. You have to use two fingers to scroll up, down and sideways. There’s a tricky movement that lets you use the touchpad to zoom in and out. There are other movements that mean nothing to me.
http://i406.photobucket.com/albums/pp143/TheGreatSatan/multitouch_touchpad.jpg
There are points during the test where I walk away or just watch TV and let the screensaver play for a few minutes. There are other more intense times where I defrag the hard drive or play Peggle Extreme on Steam.
As I type this written review I’m at 6% of my battery and the time is 8:26 PM.
Things I hate thus far.
(1) I hate not knowing when CAPS lock is on or off. There’s no light for it or any type of on screen display. (2) And it has XP. Everyone seems to be hanging on to XP even after the boat has begun to sink, but the more I use Vista and have to later use XP I realize how much I hate it. My wireless internet is already configured, but setting it up in XP is not as easy as Vista. Vista’s visual effects are far smoother too. Having to use a 3rd party software firewall is one more thing that has to load, because XP is naked and exposed on the net. Windows defender isn’t great, but it’s an improvement over XP. Having played with Windows 7 makes me salivate at its eventual release. I will probably upgrade this Netbook when it hits shelves.
I played music for about an hour and at high volume levels the speakers crackle. Is this a huge thing? No, because I would never listen to it that loud and at moderate levels it sounds great.
My battery is down to 5% now and the time is 8:32 PM. The Netbook has been on for 7.5 hours and I’m sick of looking at the screen. Luckily the series finale of Battlestar Gallactica is on to distract me.
As the battery gets closer to dead it drains even faster. 3% hits at 8:40 PM. And the Asus claims to have 12 minutes left. I stop typing, save my review and let the screensaver play as the battery nears its end.
At 1% of battery it says there’s 2 minutes left so I plug it back in. The time is 8:51 PM. The Netbook has been on for 7 hours and 51 minutes, give or take a couple minutes. This test replicated what I would consider a normal day of computer use. I spend time surfing the web, listening to music, defragging my hard drive, downloading updates, and installing new programs.
I’m willing to bet that if I charge it back to 100% and not let my screensaver go at all I can easily expect 9.5 hours as Asus claims. This battery is amazing!
2nd Test: Benchmarking – Disclaimer: I ran the following tests with 2GB installed and on the battery alone.
I kicked off testing with 3DMark2001 SE which took at least 2 minutes to install! After all 17 tests the final score was 2108. Aquamark 3, PCMark04, and 3DMark05 would not run at all because of the 1024x600 display resolution. Obviously this computer is not meant for gaming and I don’t expect it too, but it would’ve been nice if the tests ran. I have played Peggle and I am comfortable with saying that it does outperform the GeForce 6150 which is common on a lot of retail PC’s. If you have played Peggle on a 6150 then you'd know that after you hit the last peg the rainbow comes up and the music kicks off. On a 6150 everything slows down and you can literally count the frames per second. The netbook doesn't do that at all.
http://www.thebestcasescenario.com/jdbnsn/eeepc/11.jpg
This is what I consider a good buy. As I stated, there’s a couple things I wish it could do, but it has no problem doing what it needs to do. It was designed for internet and light office work and it excels at it. I love that it can be upgraded to 2 gigs of RAM and if a 4GB DIMM wasn’t so outrageously expensive, I’d drop it in just to see what happens. Obviously, the real reason I got this Netbook is because of the battery. Asus claims a 9.5 hour battery life under very insane/strict conditions, but we know that’s not realistic. Under what I would consider normal use it did last 7 hours and 50 minutes. That’s easily 4 hours better than a modern laptop.
The matte screen is a bonus too. I had purchased a new laptop a year ago, but since gave it to my wife because I hated how the light would glare on the shiny screen. The crackling speakers and not knowing when CAPS lock are the only small annoyances I could note. Remember it's not meant for gaming, but does play Peggle better than GeForce 6150, and that's great for regular use.
I give this Netbook 4.5 out of 5.
http://www.thebestcasescenario.com/jdbnsn/misc/fourfive.png