Eeepc opinions.

[stevo1210]

I want to buy one of them Asus eeepc's and I need some opinions on them. Are they value for money, do they perform well or am I just looking at something that no one would want to use?

I want to buy an Asus eeepc to replace the aging Inspiron 3200 laptop that I use for service jobs for my clients. I find that the Inspiron 3200 with a PII 233MHz CPU is too slow for todays standards and also kinda user misused and abused through it's lifetime.
I have other laptops as well such as a Dell Inspiron 6400 and a Toshiba P25, but they are much newer but i think they would be best left at home and not taken out on the road where they will probably get damaged in one way or another. I havent got a pocket full of cash flowing either. I've managed to get just enough money for an Asus eeepc after going through all my funds.
After cheking some prices, the cheapest eeepc i can find is the 4GB edition at $395AUD (approx $350USD).
I also checked through the paper and I found some second hand laptops from Dell, Toshiba etc. I find that the second hand ones are faster in speed (and cheaper), but have screens of 14 inch and larger whereas the eeepc has a 7 inch screen which allows me to fit it anywhere.

Thanks.

[Paul S]

Re: Eeepc opinions.

I don't actually have one, but I haven't read any negative things about them. I get Linux Journal, and it was awarded Linux Product of the Year 2008. Ummm, you did know that it comes with Linux pre-installed.

They are coming out with a newer model, the Eee PC 900. It has more storage space (12 or 24GB SSD), more memory (1GB) and a larger screen (8.9" WSVGA)

Here's the Linux Journal's review on it (the original Eee PC):
http://www.linuxjournal.com/article/9947

I guess that you could install Windows on it, but why?

[Paul S]

Re: Eeepc opinions.

Here is a video review of the Asus EeePC.
http://www.linuxjournal.com/node/1005898

Is that really how Asus is pronounced? Like the Hispanic name Jesus? (a-soos)

[linuxguru]

Re: Eeepc opinions.

Look at the MSI Wind, a similar subnotebook with an Intel Atom CPU that's due in June. The reviews claim that it's better than the Asus EEE PC.

[stevo1210]

Re: Eeepc opinions.

They are coming out with a newer model, the Eee PC 900. It has more storage space (12 or 24GB SSD), more memory (1GB) and a larger screen (8.9" WSVGA)

I've heard about the 900 series earlier this week.... so I am not in the biggest rush to get an eeepc at the moment. This is also the reason why I am opting for the 700 series of the eeepc because I know that once the 900 series comes out, the prices of the 700 series will just drop by miles.

Ummm, you did know that it comes with Linux pre-installed.

Yeah I think it comes with Xandros. But I know the first thing I'm gonna do is install Windows XP on it. I just find Windows XP easier to use than Linux.


Thanks.

[willawake]

Re: Eeepc opinions.

i would go for the 8gb over the 4gb for XP
have to slim xp otherwise and use smaller apps. i was at 3.5gb for a business installation even with some slimming (although office xp and acrobat 7 were using much space)
otherwise look into using additional sd card method which is well documented

if you intend to keep it many years then the 900 solves the screen issue. it would be better for surfing

performance with the ssd is very good indeed but dont expect to use extremely hungry applications nicely, like photoshop etc.

dont forget the keyboard size limitation which imho is quite poor
apart from that all the hardware is working nice

imho asus pronounced ace us

the hp 12.1" is fitting very nice in my berghaus doom small backpack. i can fit the SLR at the bottom in a case also if i like but with that dont push me because i will become like turtle on its back

[zandrax]

Re: Eeepc opinions.

I agree with willa: I "played" with a 701 for about 30 min in a shopping center and while I could get used to the keyboard (I'm usually picky on them, but I allow exceptons), the 7" screen was really small for my eyes. Look for it in computer shops and watch it running: if the 7" is small, then buy the 9" version which is only slightly larger (a inch or so).
It's storg points are small size, low weight (1 kg or 2 pounds) and its SSD storage (no worries about head crashes, disk damages or wear): it should be a small workhorse.

Zandrax

[Scenic]

Re: Eeepc opinions.

i found a site some day where someone modded his eeePC...

he ran out of space (4GB model), so he bought a very small USB-Hub, got it out of its plastic case and soldered it directly onto the eeePCs mainboard. then he bought a small SD-card reader and a 8GB SD-Card and put this stuff into the eeepc (connecting internally to the mini usb hub.

i'm gonna search my favorites for the link and post it here later (its 1:37 am here now -.-)

there are lots of things you can mod or add to the eeePC, but the eeePC itself is simply too expensive for me.. and i dont like the odd 7" display with its weird resolution . thats why i'll stay with my trusty ol' Toshiba Satellite Pro 4320 (PIII 600, 320MB RAM, 20GB HDD)

[kikkoman]

Re: Eeepc opinions.

you mean this one?

http://beta.ivancover.com/wiki/index...ernal_Upgrades
(56k users beware)

covers pretty much anything you can think of.

[stevo1210]

Re: Eeepc opinions.

i found a site some day where someone modded his eeePC...

he ran out of space (4GB model), so he bought a very small USB-Hub, got it out of its plastic case and soldered it directly onto the eeePCs mainboard. then he bought a small SD-card reader and a 8GB SD-Card and put this stuff into the eeepc (connecting internally to the mini usb hub.

Now that's one of the main reasons why I want an eeepc.... it's the modding part that will turn out really fun.

i'm gonna search my favorites for the link and post it here later (its 1:37 am here now -.-)

there are lots of things you can mod or add to the eeePC, but the eeePC itself is simply too expensive for me.. and i dont like the odd 7" display with its weird resolution . thats why i'll stay with my trusty ol' Toshiba Satellite Pro 4320 (PIII 600, 320MB RAM, 20GB HDD)

I heard the GPS modules can be added to the eeepc as well? now that's going to turn out real fun. IMO, the eeepc is at a mediocre price, though I thinkit could be sold cheaper. And yeah, I have a similar laptop to your Toshiba, except mine is a Dell.... reliable little thing but I guess it's time to move on to something newer for me.

Thanks.

[linuxguru]

Re: Eeepc opinions.

Just curious - but what kind of flash is the internal 4 GB flash on the EEE? Is it soldered on, or is it plugged into a CF, SD or similar slot? If there's an SD slot, you should be able to just put in additional flash without any modding with USB hubs and the like.

[stevo1210]

Re: Eeepc opinions.

Just curious - but what kind of flash is the internal 4 GB flash on the EEE? Is it soldered on, or is it plugged into a CF, SD or similar slot? If there's an SD slot, you should be able to just put in additional flash without any modding with USB hubs and the like.

The internal 4GB flash memory is soldered onto the motherboard. Apparently there is a mini PCI or similar port close by to add another SSD style hard drive.

Thanks.

[willawake]

Re: Eeepc opinions.

interesting, that must be why the 900 has

12GB (4GB built-in + 8GB flash)
20GB (4GB built-in +16GB flash)

[stevo1210]

Re: Eeepc opinions.

I had a look at the eeepc today. I have some bad news because i find it is a bit too small and hard to type etc. The screen is OK i guess, but I just had a reality snap to see how small 7" was and I'd have to say it's a bit too small for my liking of surfing the net etc.
But I have some good news. My brother gave me his Inspiron E1505 laptop because he doesn't do any mobile work anymore and uses a desktop now. I guess I've saved quite a lot of money there.
I'd have to admit that the Inspiron E1505 is a bit bigger in size compared to my old Inspiron 3200, but it still fits into my backpack.
This E1505 will probably be prone to shock because im working at offsite computer fixing jobs now. So I'm wondering if there have been solid state HDDs designed for laptops yet?
I had a look at the E1505 and the HDD connection is SATA so I guess it may be easier to find a HDD for it. Battery also needs replacing because the battery lasts for about 20 minutes before it dies.

I guess now with the cash I saved up for the eeepc I can go back to looking for a decent LCD monitor to replace the display I have now.

Anyway....

Thanks for the advice guys.

[willawake]

Re: Eeepc opinions.

yeah there are ssd for laptop in form sata, ide 1.8", 2.5"
but price is still high unless you want only small one 8gb/16gb
speeds differ incredibly also
i would wait for 64gb to hit $200-$300
at the moment 32gb is like $500-$600 and i am not talking about the fastest stuff

interestingly intel is gonna make SSDs also

[zandrax]

Re: Eeepc opinions.

The E1505 seems a Core Duo notebook, same age of my Acer
It's not time for SSD disks: they're too expensive and relatively cheap models use MLC (Multi Level Cell) chips which aren't as reliable as SLC (Single Level Cell) ones.
If you like DIY disks, you can buy a Compact Flash to Sata adapter and a fast 8-16 GB CF card: this should suffice for XP + some utilities or any full-featured Linux distro. Disable the swap file/partition and choose a card with a wear levelling controller in order to reduce wear, Flash weakpoint. If you need more storage space then carry with you an 1.8 or 2.5" usb drive.

Zandrax

[linuxguru]

Re: Eeepc opinions.

It's relatively inexpensive to use a CF card with an older machine with a PATA interface - you get a 2.5" IDE to CF module for $3.95, maybe even less on Ebay from a bunch of vendors in China/HK. Just plug in a CF card of a suitable size (4 to 16 GB will handle just about any Linux distro), and you're in business. Actually, I may pick up a 4 or 8 GB card today to try this out, the only spare CF card I have now is only 1 GB.

I haven't tried the SATA->CF adapter that Zandrax mentioned, but if it's available in 2.5" notebook mounting form-factor, that should work as well.

[zandrax]

Re: Eeepc opinions.

I've found a CF-Sata adapter from Addonics (no price available) and a very similar but brandless one for $12 on geeks.com. I think other adapter can be found on ebay and in some computer shop at slightly higher prices (say < $20).
Fast CF are still quite expensive: for example, an 8 GB Sandisk Extreme IV costs $240 from the manifacturer or $166 from BuyDig. Extreme III models, slightly slower, costs half that money.

Zandrax

[willawake]

Re: Eeepc opinions.

can get ridata 233x 32gb for $140
or transcend 133x 32gb for $165

extreme iv is 266x

transcend 300x 16gb is $229
ridata 233x 16gb is $68

[Scenic]

Re: Eeepc opinions.

w00t... just found a touchscreen DIY kit for the eeePC while surfing on ebay o.O

http://cgi.ebay.de/SolderLess-4por-U...dZp1638Q2em122