ASUS EEE PC 1000HA Netbook Review

[Apoptosis]

With netbooks growing more in popularity every day, Legit Reviews has decided to jump into the craze, and do our first netbook review. Will it pass the test for the average Notebook user or will it come off as just another toy? The ASUS EEE PC 1000HA is an impressive netbook with a large 10" display and is powered by an Intel Atom N270 1.60GHz processor. Read on to see how it does! We also try out Ubuntu EEE on the ASUS EEE PC, so be sure to check that out.




Article Title: ASUS EEE PC 1000HA Netbook Review
Article URL: http://www.legitreviews.com/article/814/1/

[gwolfman]

and there was no way of shrinking the fonts.

Since when could you not change the font size in XP? Someone musn't have poked around enough.

[dicecca112]

You can but it does not scale correctly. The OS in itself looks out of place. Icons and the tool bars are too large

[gwolfman]

You can but it does not scale correctly. The OS in itself looks out of place. Icons and the tool bars are too large

You can change those too. Oh well. Thanks for the review. I've been looking at getting a netbook but am not sure which one I really want. They're all pretty similar yet different enough that I know it's possible to pick one I won't like. Thanks for introducting Ubuntu EEE, I'd probably give that a try if I ended up getting a netbook. Any ideas on which ones have the best/longest battery life?

[dicecca112]

Ubuntu with Powertop running. There is really no need to have this chip running at 1.6GHZ. I have my powertop set to 800Mhz, and I've had 7hrs battery life.

[geokilla]

Seems to be an excellent netbook. I want to get a netbook as well, but the lack of CD drive and the fact that an extra $100 or so can get you a 14" or 15" laptop doesn't make it too appealing to me. Also, there's too many models with the same naming. There's ASUS EEE PC 1000, 1000HA, 900, 900HA, 901, etc. Way too confusing imo.

@Dicecca. Can it run DoTa? I use Dota as a "benchmark" for integrated graphics gaming because for some odd reason, my Acer Aspire 5601 can run Warcraft III at 1280X800, high detail with no lag, while my friend's newer HP can't do that.

[dicecca112]

Don't play it, and frankly that isn't the market for this. Its a netbook, email, web surfing, light word processing.

[geokilla]

Don't play it, and frankly that isn't the market for this. Its a netbook, email, web surfing, light word processing.

All right. I don't either....waste of time xD.

Have you tried watching movies on that? How long does the battery last when playing movies?

[dicecca112]

No, I didn't, no external DVD, and it would have taken forever to transfer it over via NAS

[gwolfman]

Ubuntu with Powertop running. There is really no need to have this chip running at 1.6GHZ. I have my powertop set to 800Mhz, and I've had 7hrs battery life.

Very nice. I can turn it back to full speed when I'm plugged in. Hmmm, it's getting temping. What's the footprint of the default Ubuntu EEE installed?

[dicecca112]

I've removed some junk, but I believe it was 2.1GB, I'm at 1.9GB. And I can do everything you can with a Windows OS with Office installed.

[Major_A]

Typing this from my two week old 1000HA. I saw the 900 series in Target one day and almost bought it. The serious lack of space kept me from pulling the trigger. After searching the web when I got home I saw the 1000HA with the 160GB HDD and pulled the trigger. Overall I'm very pleased with the laptop/netbook to this point.

Cons:
1. The keyboard could be a little larger.
2. The touchpad is atrocious. I can't get the scroll to work worth a damn.
3. There is no way (that I know of) to turn Speedstep off. Meaning, if I'm running Photoshop or my company's CAD app I want the 1.8Ghz all the time.
4. The non-standard display resolution.
5. The HDD is split into 3 partitions, 2 available and 1 hidden.
6. Standard drivers don't play nice with standard hardware. Updating to the updated Realtek HD drivers trashed my headphone port.

Pros:
1. The battery life is outstanding. If you set the Super Hybrid Engine to Power Save and disable the wireless card and web cam you can get 4 hours on the battery easily.
2. While being a netbook it can run Photoshop and my CAD package.
3. It fits nicely on an airplane tray. Big plus here since I'm on the road all the time.
4. Built-in SD card reader. Comes in handy when I'm out of town and need to get some pictures emailed.
5. The price is what really sold me since I wasn't in the market for a laptop.

While it seems like the cons outweigh the pros I am really pleased with the PC.

Side note:
I only skimmed the article but I assume you are talking about the size of the Desktop icons and the Start Menu. I changed mine back to Windows' default using TuneUp Utilities 2008.

[martini161]

wow, it can run CAD? what program do you use? and what do you use the CAD for?

[Zyzzyx]

Definitely been looking at getting one of these, even for use as a primary system. As such, I'm looking at using the external video connection.

But my big question is, what resolutions are supported on the external connection? Anything over 1024x768? Can it manage at least 1280x1024?

[dicecca112]

1650x1200 worked fine on my Dell 22" LCD

[turnsoutitwas]

I have the 1000H (same model, but with an 80GB HDD) and I love it. I've upgraded to 2GB of RAM and also installed eeeUbuntu on a 8GB SD card. I have mine for a month so far and since I got it I haven't turned on my PC once ;)
My next upgrade will be a SSD in the new year.
I get ~6hrs with XP but Ubuntu only gives 4hrs. I seems Ubuntu doesn't have as good battery life, which is why I've left XP on (I use XP when in work & on the road)
It works great with remote desktop connections too.

For hi-res output the manual says you need to use the power supply.

[Major_A]

wow, it can run CAD? what program do you use? and what do you use the CAD for?

It's not that demanding of a CAD package, it isn't SolidWorks or anything like that. It's a CAD package that is used to control the CNC machine that I sell.