General Performance
We covered a lot of the user experience in our 4G Surf and 2G Surf articles, but there are some high points to cover with this unit.
First, a problem we observed on the Linux units was that videos would experience an audio sync problem over time. Watching the same videos on the 4G with Windows XP, we did not experience these issues, and playback was smooth. (South Park episodes at the official website also worked great, versus sync problems on the Linux models, but these must be watched windowed as fullscreen does not scale properly.)
Second, we observed some unusual slowdowns from time to time using WiFi. This was noticeable just surfing, even without file downloads taking place. We attached the unit to the router via Ethernet cable and tried the same file again from the same server.
That's more like it… It's not a server or bandwidth issue. We then booted up our 2G Surf, placed it in the same location as the 4G XP, and downloaded the same file from the same server.
The 2G Surf (with the same Atheros WiFi chipset) does not have this issue. Over a few days of use, the 4G XP would speed up and feel "normal" for a while, then slow to a crawl (36 kB/sec at one point). In addition to the 2G Surf, other wireless devices also experienced no problems, so we believe that this is a specific problem with our 4G XP.
Third, previously we saw problems with the Linux 4G Eee periodically disconnecting from a wireless network, particularly after a suspend/resume. We had no such issues with the Windows XP unit; the network would reconnect seamlessly upon resuming.
Performance Testing
| Operating System (seconds) | ||
| 4G (Linux) | 4G (Windows XP) | |
| Startup | 24 | 30 |
| Shutdown | 8 | 14 |
| Suspend | 7 | 4 |
| Resume | 8 | 7 |
Windows XP is quite responsive on the 4G Eee PC. There's not much difference here between installations other than the boot and shutdown times, which are longer.
PCMark 2005
PCMark 2005 uses a number of applications to simulate real-world system usage and provide a performance measurement. Some of these tests focus solely on the CPU (file compression and decompression, encryption, etc.), while others utilize the video subsystem (e.g. 3D Fill Rate, Pixel Shader).
Obviously, the specifications of the 4G don't really lend themselves to an application as recent as PCMark 2005. It's severely outgunned by the faster, dual-core U2E and the much faster quad-core Shuttle desktop system, both of which have integrated graphics solutions. Still, the application ran fine and completed (though painfully slow).
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gochichi - Saturday, April 26, 2008 - link
It trully doesn't matter what the CPU is rated at, it is still overclocking when you personally override the thermal envelope of the little machine and clock it as you see fit.These machines hit a price point and size that other brands should compete for. That or at least ASUS needs to refresh the hardware within this product.
1GB RAM = $20 or so... and there are more thermally efficient procesors out there. 2GB = $35.00 ... so why the heck are we still dealing in 512MB?
Alphafox78 - Thursday, April 24, 2008 - link
Its nice to see a review on the eee here, but there are some things that could have been done to shine a much better light on it:1. 3Dmark01 should be run in the LCDs native rez of 800x480 - if you run it at 800x600 the driver has to stretch it to make it fit which kills the benchmark numbers.
2. the asus supplied drivers stink for gaming. you have to get the latest intel drivers, there are some modified ones on the eeeuser.com website that support resolution stretching and stuff.
if these things are done you can easily get a score of 3200 in the benchmark.
the stock mhz on the celeron in the eee is 900mhz, they do clock higher than 900 and I have seen one guy hit 1.2ghz almost. I am able to set mine to 1.044Ghz and when I do this I get a score of 3600 in 3dmark01. temps are 67c running warcraft for a few hours and fan on max.
if you do all of the above you can even play wow on it, I use it now instead of my 17" lappy and prefer it. its neat to play on it for some reason... I get around 30+fps grinding and 10 or so in the cities. except for shatarath, its like 4fps there for some reason.
Matt Campbell - Thursday, April 24, 2008 - link
I don't think "misleading" is quite accurate - I'm generally quite pleased with the Eee, Asus did a great job with it and it's a nice little machine, and I think the article reflects that. Point taken that you can squeeze some more gaming performance out of it, but it's clearly not a gaming laptop. I wanted to show a few fun games that can average 30+ fps with a minimum of user effort, just to shine a light on the fact that some gaming here and there is possible and enjoyable with older titles.kmmatney - Friday, April 25, 2008 - link
The original half-life game is probably playable as well - and I think it was OpenGL which would be a good test.kilkennycat - Thursday, April 24, 2008 - link
To all Anandtech reviewers:-When you are reviewing any portable devices in the future, please explicitly state the mA-hr capacity of the battery supplied in the review unit(s) AND confirm with the manufacturer of the product that exactly the same-capacity battery will be shipped with the for-sale product - especially when you are publishing the available use-time between charges.
Asus has been apparently been playing fast and loose by supplying higher-capacity batteries to reviewers of the EeePC than those offered in for-sale units and thus implicitly shafting some first-round real customers.
See the following:-
http://www.tomshardware.com/news/asus-eeepc-batter...">http://www.tomshardware.com/news/asus-eeepc-batter...
cputeq - Thursday, April 24, 2008 - link
battery life tests.Maybe continuous MP3 playing, or better yet, looping movie playing without power management, esp. in the underclocked and normal configs.
johnsonx - Wednesday, April 23, 2008 - link
The 4G XP models on NewEgg:http://www.newegg.com/Product/ProductList.aspx?Sub...">http://www.newegg.com/Product/ProductLi...;descrip...
Don't appear to include the Mouse and SD card. Anyone know what the full story is here?
johnsonx - Thursday, April 24, 2008 - link
I also inquired over at Best Buy today - same thing, their 4G-XP's (the only model they carry thus far) doesn't include the mouse or SD card.Matt Campbell - Sunday, April 27, 2008 - link
I've asked Asus for a response on this and am awaiting a reply. From what I've seen also digging around on the web, the $399 model doesn't have the mouse or SD card. As you can see on page 1 from our retail packaging picture, though, it clearly calls out the mouse and SD card on the label. This makes me suspect that Asus didn't scrap it entirely, but may reserve it for some slightly higher priced config. This would alter my thoughts on this package, since the mouse and SD card really represent a good bundle for usability. I'll update here when I hear back from the manufacturer.nubie - Wednesday, April 23, 2008 - link
I won't use Internet explorer unless forced, why no Firefox?