ASUS Eee Box HD 1006 Nettop PC - Black

by Asus

Product Details

• Product Dimensions: 5.7 x 2.2 x 4.1 inches ; 7.4 pounds
• Shipping Weight: 7.4 pounds
• Shipping: Currently, item can be shipped only within the U.S.
• ASIN: B002JA76UQ
• Item model number: EB1006-B-111-5002
• Average Customer Review: 3.2 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (12 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #4,515 in Computers & Accessories (See Top 100 in Computers & Accessories)
• Date first available at Amazon.com: July 27, 2009

Product Description

The Eee Box HD mini desktop PC is the latest addition to the Eee Box family. This newest incarnation now allows users to enjoy crisp and clear high definition content by means of a HD hardware decoder. Still retaining its svelte design, the Eee Box HD's portability lets you turn virtually any space into a high definition entertainment zone for maximum enjoyment. Let the Eee Box HD blow your mind with a high definition experience that is simply out of this world! Ever wish you could avoid cumbersome desktop systems hogging valuable desk space? Now you can! Built as small as a paperback novel, the petite Eee Box HD even has an option to be mounted onto your LCD display, virtually occupying no space at all! While it's great on saving space it also great on saving power. Constructed with materials, the Eee Box HD has the environment at heart. Consuming only around 20 watts of power, it does so much, for so little. It also makes it so easy to learn, work, and play. With the Eee Box HD's Easy Mode, using Windows has never been easier. The intuitive graphical user interface makes finding and running the Eee Box HD's programs a breeze. To further sweeten the deal, the Eee Box HD also comes with a fully-customizable program launch shortcut bar found on the Windows desktop—Eee Bar. Bypass confusing menus, and get straight to the application you want every time! The package contains 1 year warranty card, Eee Box, keyboard, optical mouse, and VESA mount.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

8 of 8 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Runs very well, December 3, 2009

By 

camdagr8 "Cam" (Columbus, OH) - See all my reviews

Amazon Verified Purchase

This review is from: ASUS Eee Box HD 1006 Nettop PC - Black (Personal Computers)

I was pleasantly surprised when I initially booted this machine up. It processes extremely well and is virtually quiet. You have to get really close to it to hear anything out of it. After a day or so of running on Windows XP I decided to commence my plan of using it as a Media Center. I loaded ubuntu linux and xbmc on it and after installing a couple other debian packages it was up and running with-in an hour. It's been 2 weeks and I haven't needed to reboot or re-install anything. I can watch HD Movies and listen to High Quality audio over my wireless connection (stored on a network pc) as smoothly as if they were being accessed locally. If anyone is looking for an inexpensive single purpose machine that runs ultra quiet and reliably... this is it. Good job Asus!

7 of 7 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Quite pleased with the system for what WE use it for...., December 9, 2009

By 

Frank E. Trinkle (Shalimar, FL USA) - See all my reviews
(VINE VOICE)    (REAL NAME)   

Amazon Verified Purchase

This review is from: ASUS Eee Box HD 1006 Nettop PC - Black (Personal Computers)

We bought this system to be our 2-year old's first computer. We got tired of him banging on the keyboards of our expensive Macs and PC's, and sometimes causing file problems by hitting keys that changed functions. He definitely loves computers, so this seemed like a great option to start him off right.... and we WERE right!

While many others are buying this system as a set top for their TV's, we purchased it to use with a special kid's keyboard and mouse; and with software and websites that are kid-friendly. It has worked very very well for our purposes, with only a couple of small gripes listed below.

The unit is very small and compact... about the same size as our Apple TV unit. Power button and USB ports are well-positioned and operation is painless. We specifically ordered THIS unit because it includes Windows XP vs. Vista or Win 7. Some of the software we use on the system is not compatible with Vista, so this was a clear winner. The wireless keyboard and mouse that comes with the system is awesome! We love it, though only my wife and I use it to program the computer, then hide them from my son. We attached the "myPC" keyboard and mouse from Targeted Technology with oversized keys and a kid-friendly mouse that he uses to learn letters and mouse functions. It works great! (See the user picture I posted at the top of this page). We have a shortcut link to [...] which is a very well designed and SAFE kid's site that has all kinds of games, videos and other educational links that are carefully vetted for kids.

Some have complained about this unit not being able to play online video without stuttering. We have NOT had this problem except on a couple of HD videos streamed from the net. For the most part, sites like YouTube and News Videos play without a problem and the system keeps up just fine. Additionally, we have iTunes Family Sharing on all of our computers, and this unit plays streaming music and videos from the other computers in our house without issue.

The Wireless connection was painless and instantaneous. We have Apple Wireless Routers in the house and the system linked without issue... and with a 100% level connection. There were no problems at all with the system connecting wireless.

We also purchased the Asus external DVD/CD player that matches the system, and it works flawlessly as long as the USB connectors are attached to the computer. It does NOT like USB hubs, though the keyboard and mouse that we bought for our son works just fine on the hub.

PRO's:

1. Beautiful, compact, functioning Windows XP system that works out of the box.
2. Wireless connections are flawless with our Wi-Fi routers. (Also has available ethernet connection)
3. Built-in sound card and graphics are better than we expected.
4. HDMI out available though we don't use it.
5. Bluetooth built in and Asus Easy Update for upgrades
6. GREAT compact wireless keyboard and mouse included
7. Hidden partition that allows for reinstalling all software to factory condition and settings.

NEUTRAL's:

1. ExpressGate system does not always come up, though we tested it and it works as advertised when it does
2. Recovery discs included with the system with all important software.
3. Documentation is good, but not extensive. Asus site and Forums may be needed for advanced information.

CON's:

1. Screensaver settings and power settings are quirky and don't always work, though this may be more an XP issue than the Asus.
2. System sometimes requires full power down and reboot.. but again this may be an XP issue. (This happens only when leaving the system on and unused for long periods)
3. As is often the case with new computers based on Microsoft OS's... required almost 50 updates from Microsoft's Windows Update server out of the box. (3+ hours of updates... yikes!)
4. Glossy black surface shows fingerprints and smudges easily and requires regular cleaning to shine. (OK.. not really a con, but an annoyance!)

Overall, we have been very pleased with this purchase and price. It is perfect for our application and the form factor is exactly what we were looking for while paying a price lower than the option of a Mac Mini, or similar Dell.

Recommended.

6 of 6 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Using it for 3 months, January 25, 2010

By 

Michael Ayukawa "IceBiker" (Ottawa) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

Amazon Verified Purchase

This review is from: ASUS Eee Box HD 1006 Nettop PC - Black (Personal Computers)

Hi,
Just thought to share my experiences with the ASUS Eee Box HD 1006 Nettop PC - Black after a few months of service.
1) It DOES come with the WiFi, despite what it says on the Amazon specs. And the 802.11n works just fine with the older 802.11g network.
2) I can't say it is better or worse performance than my HP Mini 311 netbook that has the same Intel Atom 270 cpu but the Nvidia IonLE GPU.
3) As expected, it really struggles with just about any video at full 1080P. Much better at 720P. That said, I haven't properly benchmarked this with H.264 content where the GPU should kick in. I was trying YouTube HD and various Flash animations.
4) The ATI Catalyst control center app is great for setting up to a HDTV as monitor. I've tried this on a Samsung 40" 1080P and a Haier 32" 720P through the HDMI port. I found that not all the HDMI ports were created equal. I had a bad overscan problem on port 3 that wasn't on port 1 or 2. Odd. It does come with a short HDMI cable which is nice. And a dongle to extend the coverage of the wireless keyboard and mouse.
5) The audio channel DOES come through the HDMI. It doesn't on my HP Mini. But, for some reason, I need to make sure I have my HDTV on before resuming the eeeBox from sleep, or the audio doesn't seem to be enabled.

It is too bad that this model with the HDMI port is not available with Linux. I'd like to save the Windows tax. Maybe the drivers for the GPU are not available.
January 25, 2010.
Ottawa, Ontario.