Customer Reviews

ASUS Eee Box PC (1.6 GHz Intel Atom Processor, 1 GB RAM, 80 GB Hard Drive, XP Home) Pure Black

5 star:		(14)
4 star:		(3)
3 star:		(1)
2 star:		(1)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

Comes down to what do you need? I needed a small, portable PC desktop that runs XP. I use it for remote desktop and VMware client - then I map drives to other servers to run other stuff like music. So, not a huge need for a powerhouse. But, more importantly, I needed it to be small enough for me to grab and move - yet still strong enough to power a 1680x1050 resolution 22" flat screen. It does all that and it is just awesome. (Linux was not an option for me - I use windows and have no desire to emerse myself in the Linux world just to run a cheap, small, portable PC). Major thumbs up on this box. If anything, I wish it had a solid state drive - although it is currenly super quiet, so I guess I have nothing to complain about there. The wireless was spotty for me, so I just slap a cable on. Not sure if its my network or the EEE box... but I got dropped a LOT and just got frustrated.

I bought this as a gift for my wife. She had been using a slow old tower PC that took up a lot of space in her small home office. Her ASUS Eee PC is now the fastest in the house and she gets the best wireless reception. It takes up no space and can now become her portable computer. Instead of having to take a laptop and worrying about moving information between machines, she can now just take her office computer with her when we travel, for example, to our winter home. It will just require the purchase of an additional LCD monitor and keyboard and positioning them there. By the way, I don't think the product description mentioned this, but the ASUS Eee PC came with a keyboard and laser mouse included in the package.

I love this little machine. I would buy 10 more if I only had the need to do so. I probably use this computer a little differently than most, but really this computer gives 98% of the people out there all the performance they need, all while taking little space, making virtually zero noise, using little energy, and all at a very low price. If my 79 year old grandmother didn't already have a desktop PC, I'd have bought this machine for her in a heartbeat.

Now, like I said, I probably use this machine a little differently than most. I have it set up behind my entertainment center, behind my HDTV. I have it attached to my network, really, to serve 4 different purposes. One, as a general file server for the various machines on my network. Two, as a streaming media server (music and video files) to my PS3 and XBOX 360 to enjoy everything on my HDTV and through the AVR. Four, I use it to operate as my BitTorrent box; I use this machine to download and seed torrents without tying up any of my other machines. And finally, and really the primary reason I got it, as a machine to run 24/7, 365 days a year to operate my MagicJack as my home phone service. I have my MagicJack wired into my home wiring so with this machine running constantly, I get a home phone line for the equivalent of $20/year.

Oh, and really the reason that I chose this machine to use as a 24/7 box (other than the fact that it's dead silent and tiny) is that even at full bore, it never draws more than 16 watts (measured at the outlet with my Kill-A-Watt). It used a fraction of the electricity compared to the old PC I used to operate 24/7 for all these purposes. Can't beat it. Especially for the [cheap] price. Oh, and I rather like the included keyboard.

Additionally, because of this box and the snappiness of the Atom processor (plus its low power consumption) I've also ordered a 10" MSI Wind netbook with the Atom processor.

Update: I've since run out of HD space that came in this box and bought a cheap 2.5" notebook hard drive and swapped it out (I can't remember if I put a 250GB or a 320GB hard drive). It's still working great and was one of the easiest hard drive replacements I've ever done.

The computer I built 4 years ago died. I needed to find a cheap replacement. This little guy is amazing. As long as you're not going to be editing video or do some hardcore gaming, this thing is great. It mounts right to the back of your flat screen monitor and you can't hear it at all.

I work mainly with Microsoft Expression and Excel 2007. So far so good. I was a little worried about only having 1 gig of RAM but it hasn't been an issue.

Honestly, for $300, you can't go wrong if you browse the web, check facebook, watch youtube, and use Microsoft Office applications. We'll see what effect it has on my Electric bill too since it runs on 90% less power than my old computer that I left on all the time.

Also, I'm not sold on VISTA and this computer comes with XP pre-installed which rocks. XP runs great on the EEEBOX.

With its form factor being the same size as the Apple TV and functionality of a full PC, not to mention the price is lower than a standard PC and about the same as the Apple TV with a hard drive half the size, we could not pass it up, especially to watch Netflix movies, Hulu, or other media on an external drive.

The unit runs extreme fast and cool. While other reviews may tell you that this Asus EEE box can not play high performing games and you can get a better alternative for a multimedia pc at about the same price, try not to believe it. The other units are much larger, much louder, much more of a pain to connect, and much more full of bloatware. If you are looking for a simple box, don't buy the others, check out this Asus.

You turn it on and it is almost ready to go. You answer a few questions about basic settings and such for Windows and away you go. After which you can choose to load Windows XP or use the ExpressGate and get to your media quicker. We chose to load XP. I forgot how snappy XP could be without any added items running at start-up...

Updates took a little while as it came installed with XP Home SP2. Additional time was spent adding other programs such as: Live OneCare, Live Mesh, Live Services (Writer, Photo Gallery, Mail, and Messenger) Skype, iTunes, Slingbox, the Netflix player, and Firefox. All of these, incidentally, did not need a CD or DVD.

The wireless N network card on top of the gig ethernet connection work great. It connected well to our N and G networks without any challenges. Data flow was steady and solid for upload and download speeds.

I am pleased with the ASUS Box! Nice system, very easy to use. Though this model comes with basic Windows XP, I was able to install a very stable Linux OS (Ubuntu 8.10) on it. It actually runs better than my Mac Mini.

ASUS has a nice line of product, the only downside to them is their customer service. The user forums are exceptional, and if you don't mind reading through those to solve a problem, you'll find you have a really nice product. Certainly a good system for folks who are not afraid to read the fine manual.

Amazon has about the best price on it, too.

This is exactly what I needed to run an FTP Server 24/7. With barely over 23W at load I can keep this up constantly while my 1300W beast can be shut down. I hooked up my external USB 500GB hard drive and I have all I need. For half the price of a Dell Hybrid you can't go wrong with this little gem.

I give this little computer an AAA rating. Needless to say the space-saving is a plus; however, for its size, it performs perfectly. I mainly email, use the Internet, word process, and do a bit of stock trading. It is a great purchase for these applications and more, I'm sure.

I bought this because I have a Linux server that was way too noisy. I also didn't want something sucking up a ton of power all day long.

Intro the eeeBox. 8 watts of cool, quiet power. It runs Ubuntu Hardy with some quirks, wireless not detected out of the box, but since its a server its not a big deal. Windows XP seemed to work ok, didn't really give it a huge go.

Id recommend this for a low - mid use home server OR as a desktop for Windows or Linux.

The EEE Box PC is ideal for our home office. It boots fast and connects to our networks naturally. No issues with setup. The only down side is the lack of an optical drive (easily corrected with a USB optical drive) and the lack of USB ports by the time you connect the keyboard, mouse and external optical drive. We mounted it on the back of the LCD monitor, one of the supported installations, and the result is a clean desk.