Even at a time when there are a growing number of 11 and 12 inch laptops with Intel Atom processors and NVIDIA ION graphics coming to market, the Asus Eee PC 1201N is something unusual. That’s because it’s one of the only laptops ever to be launched with a dual core Intel Atom 330 processor. Normally that CPU only shows up in desktop systems. In other words, the Eee PC 1201N should not only have better graphics than most Atom powered netbooks, but it should also have somewhat better CPU performance in some tasks than competing ION-powered laptops from Lenovo, HP, and Samsung.
I’m still waiting for my Eee PC 1201N demo unit to review, as Asus North America is just starting to send them out. But a few European web sites including Blogeee in France and Noti in Hungary have already published detailed reviews of the laptop. Here are some of the highlights.
- HD video looked great on the 12.1 inch, 1366 x 768 pixel display
- 1080p Flash video also plays well when using Adobe Flash Player 10.1 beta with GPU acceleration
- It takes almost 2 minutes to boot the PC and connect to a WiFi network
- Handled several games smoothly including Torchlight, Assassin’s Creed, Call of Duty 4, and Street Fighter IV demo
- Adobe Photoshop CS4 and Lightroom were also usable, and Pierre could edit photos up to 10MB in size
- The 6 cell, 63Whr battery lasted for about 4 hours, 43 minutes of web-surfing involving reading RSS feeds and watching YouTube videos
- You’ll likely get less than 4 hours when playing games that tax the CPU and GPU
- The shiny black plastic case is a fingerprint magnet (but that’s nothing new for Asus laptops)
- The keyboard is large, and features two full sized shift keys and full sized arrow keys
- The battery ran for 2:45 when playing HD video in a continuous loop
- The computer is relatively quiet and doesn’t get too hot during operation
Noti also ran a series of benchmarks comparing the Eee PC 1201N to an HP Mini 311, which has the same ION graphics, but a single core Atom processor. As you would expect, the Asus Eee PC 1201N came out a bit ahead in these tests.
via SlashGear
I’m really impressed. My full fledged dual core AMD laptop with the HD3200 begs for mercy in Assassin’s Creed. This netbook is the best low budget gaming solution I’ve ever seen.
I really really want to like this system, but after talking to Brad, I’m not sure it’s going to rock that much. Your full fledged dual core AMD laptop probably has more processing horsepower, and the ION from everything I’ve read is pretty comparable to the HD3200, it’s probably better, but not orders of magnitude better. So you would probably see a similar or worse experience… Which really really sucks, I really want to love this netbook. I’m just struggling to do so.
Well the fact that the dual core Atom lasts longer on battery at full power than mine does on power saving mode helps balance it out in my opinion.
As for the HD3200 vs ION, I thought they were similar as well, isn’t the ION just the 9400M? But I can’t even get smooth framerates on low res, low settings Assassin’s Creed 1, while the ION looked smooth on high res, low settings.
Since most budget laptops that come with the HD3200 come in around $500, the 1201N matches up nicely to those machines. It’s even the better purchase if you want small form factor and longer battery life.
You sound like you have a good handle on the 1201N’s capabilities…. Tell me, do you think it could handle the graphics intensity of running Second Life?
I’m purchasing one tomorrow and will try Second Life, I have a feeling it won’t perform *too* badly.
Second Life installs and runs fairly well, and while framerates are not exceedingly high it’s far better than just a slideshow, so I’d consider Second Life useable.
I’m torn between this and the Acer AS1810TZ. The 1201N has better graphics performance but the Acer outperforms in both CPU horsepower and battery life. Anyone have experience with Ubuntu on either system?
My vote would be for the 1810. You’ll end up with more memory, much faster processor, and the video card can be tweaked with everything that’s available online to get you really close.
Also, for almost 8 hours of real world performance, you’re going to win more than you lose unless all you use your netbook for is to play games.
Best,
Chance