Customer Reviews

Asus EeeBox PC EB1501P-B016E Atom D525 Dual Core 1.8 GHz/ 2GB/ 320GB/ W7HP Complete System (Black)

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

 

 

8 months after purchase, the hard drive is failing, as verified with the self-tests run with the hard drive shipped with this computer. Asus support was not at all knowledgeable or helpful. After waiting over 45 minutes hold time in order to speak with a representative, I spoke with someone who was not familiar with the error, was not aware that they ship models with disks that run self-tests, and could not offer any assistance. After I explained the error to the representative several times, she came to the conclusion that "there might be a problem with the hard drive."

Asus will not ship replacement drives in the event of failure, but rather they require you to ship the entire unit back for inspection -- to be repaired if they find the problem is covered under warranty.

As was noted in my original review, I had opened the computer case at the time of purchase, in order to install additional memory. The computer ships with 2GB of memory and is only marginally useful with the factory specifications. Though with the upgraded 4GB memory, it ran most applications well enough until this problem occurred). Unfortunately, Asus's stance is that simply opening the case of the computer voids the warranty, and they have suggested that I take it to a third party to be repaired at my own cost.

At this point I have invested: $510 original purchase price, $35 to upgrade memory, $80 for extended warranty (which is worthless!!), over $600 invested in a system that is no longer functioning. Now I will have to spend more out of pocket for repair. I will definitely never buy from Asus again.

I've been looking to update my home theater system for a while now but most HTPC's have been either overpriced or underpowered... This ASUS Eee Box EB1501P-B016E Nettop has provided a mixed experience with basic video and audio functionality performing decently but running other utilities was slow and could cause occasional lock-ups.

The system setup was simple and the self-update that it performs was a nice surprise. It immediately matched my Sony HDTV native resolution and presented a beautiful, sharp, colorful picture.

There are several features that I am already taking advantage of like HDMI Out, Toslink Out, USB 2.0 and USB 3.0, Wireless-N... the Toslink implementation is through the use of a small adapter plug that you put into a 3.5mm stereo jack in the back of the unit. It took me a minute to determine how to get it setup but it works great. (Keep track of the little optical adapter packaged with the accessories, without it you won't be able to get Toslink out of this).

Inclusion of the Windows Media Center remote control on top of the wireless keyboard and mouse have made using this system simple. Streaming video and audio from my network drive or streaming media services has worked well.

A quick tip, there is a user selectable mode found in the ASUS Manager utility which provides maximum performance while reducing some of the power saving... and while I didn't seem to need it on, I recently activated it and did notice a performance improvement.

I had considered alternatives like Google TV and even Apple TV since I have an iPad and iPhone, but when I looked into their restrictions and the potential to miss out on a large amount of content due to format incompatibilities or streaming media services blocking content to these units I made the plunge for a full HTPC experience.

I've been a fan of ASUS motherboards and other products so I did not have concern regarding their hardware or firmware design and this product excelled in some areas but lagged in others due to software overhead and limited RAM.

I bought this to replace a large tower PC that I was using for my media center PC hooked up to my 50" LCD. Its very small, and fits nicely into the entertainment center which is the biggest pro. The biggest con is that its not nearly as fast as my desktop, which I do notice. I went from quad core w/ 8GB ram to this, so the difference is big. However, I do like the HDMI hookup and the way that it converts the content automatically before it goes on the TV so that it takes up the whole screen and looks as good as it can. HD looks pretty good, even when streaming. I wish the internet connection on it was a little faster, the wifi is just OK. I don't use the included keyboard and mouse because I have the Logitech DiNovo Edge one which is just the nicest media center keyboard you can own for sitting on the couch and using your computer. One day I will mount the computer to the back of the TV, but it was easier to just set it down since I am still using an entertainment center.

I was very happy with the 2 units that I purchased last year to attach to our two TVs. While definitely slow for video encoding, that's not what they're built for. They show DVDs well and can handle most downloaded video fine. Netflix chokes a bit on HD, and I suspect that's because Silverlight pushes the work to the CPU instead of graphics card.

The real PROBLEM was when the fan died on one of the units. ASUS informed me that they would not ship a fan, and it is impossible to find the exact fan model online. They wanted me to ship the whole unit to them and pay labor to have them remove 6 screws and replace the fan. Since the warranty had already expired, this is insanity. I am a very frustrated customer after this experience.

I bought this computer to hook to a big screen TV, mainly to play .mp3s and stream online radio. It turns out that the built-in media center did a lot more than I bargained for. Of course it plays DVDs and .mpg files, but I've been surprised that it's played just about every media file type that I've tried on it. And to top it off, it comes with a remote control.

Suffice it to say that this computer not only met, but exceeded my expectations. It's the perfect choice of computer for what I wanted to do.

PLEASE READ THE TITLE AGAIN.

A nettop isn't for surfing the net with 10 movies loading in the background. The nettop is a streaming device idealy. A home network should be setup and your PC should be the work horse not your nettop. A nettop should never replace a home PC, you wasted your money if you tried.

If you want to judge this based on it being a PC, I will be the first to say it sucks. It's underpowered, it comes with useless software that bogs down the system, 2gb ram is great for running Solitaire.

But as a nettop this thing should get 5 stars. It's runs movies just fine from the net and downloaded content. Ran netflix fine as well as hulu. I had no problem streaming 1080i or playing it back on the nettop itself. I suggest the 4gb upgrade anyhow. This will ensure a great quality film to run as it should.

There were plenty of USB ports for what I need it for. I also bought wireless headphones, a game controller and an external hard drive that are using up three more spots.

The price tag is a left heavy imo. But it was right in line with other companies so it is what it is.

So if you want a machine that does what it is intended too then this machine is for you. If you are looking to run multiple CAD programs off this than your off base.

I bought the Asus 1501N a year ago to be a Home Theater PC and replace my Comcast Cable. We cut the cable and use Windows Media Center with over the air. This thing plays video without any pauses or slowness. With a little tweaking, shutting down unneeded services, removing bloatware the PC runs smooth. It plays DVDs without any errors. I mounted it to the wall above the TV with the bracket. My kids (2yrs and 4 yrs) can easily figure out how to use Windows Media Center.

I added a Western Digital 1TB external drive and load all my movies on it. Plays perfect over USB 2.0. The only complaint I would have is some DVD's don't play mostly rented ones. It seems like they are too scratched or they don't get loaded write because after a few in and outs it finally plays.

Overall good product would buy another if the price was a little less.

I purchased this pc mainly for watching movies. I installed XBMC and i am very happy with the performance.

It is small in size and comes with a keyboard, Mouse and remote control.

The 2gb of RAM is adequate... but may be i will upgrade in the future.

I got this ASUS Eee Box for Christmas but it took quite some time to arrive so I only really had it for two weeks.

It is cute, small, and does a basic jib.

Big problem is the memory: The 2GB provided are insufficient but when I tried to upgrade with the recommended Corsair 2GB DDR 3 1333MHz, it would not work.

In fact, I tried 5 different products and none worked.

The product description clearly states 1333MHz but the box comes with a very cheap, no brand 2GB 1060 memory chip and in one of the comments, an upgrade was successful using the Crucial 1066MHz chip solution.

I could bot get Crucial but tried Kingston, Markvision and others, none of which worked in 1333 or 1066.

Obviously I am very disappointed and feel misled by the supplier.

Very disappointing!

Another great ASUS product, runs quiet and cool; great choice for tight spaces withouot sacrificing performance.

The processor works fine in multitasking, the nvidia ION is a good addition.

I recommend it absolutely.