Asus EeeBox EB1501

The EeeBox EB1501, a nice little PC HD Lounge

Devoid of Blu-ray, this little PC performance modest ensures HD video thanks to its Nvidia chip Ion.

The Asus Eee Box desktop PC is on what a netbook is on laptops. So it is a very cheap PC components assembled with limited possibilities.

The expectations before test

The Asus EeeBox EB1501 is a tiny PC that draws its strength from an Nvidia chip Ion. In the absence of a powerful processor, this solution is dedicated to office use and, thanks to the Nvidia chip, the HD video. For this, we found the back of the camera a HDMI video port. However, there is no Blu-ray. Should we be tempted by this attractive little machine, sold 429 euros with his keyboard, wireless mouse and remote control?

The reality

On the design side, the EeeBox has not fundamentally changed since its first generation. This is a rather flat box (3.9 cm), lightweight (1.2 kg), mounted here on a plastic oval foot (imitating metal). This new version, however, wins quality finish. The optical drive in front (type slot-in), the microphone and headphone jacks as well as the memory card reader (SD / SDHC / MMC / MS / MS PRO) offers everything you need at your fingertips.
EeeBox, the PC pretty quiet for the living room

The advantage of this is EeeBox be relatively quiet. And rightly so: it is devoid of powerful components, prone to overheating. We have measured for this small frame noise of 35.4 dB and 36.1 dB rest support. Same power consumption side, with its 22.3 watts at rest and 30.4 watts at full load, is not he who will inflate the bill.
In good little machine multimedia lounge the EeeBox EB1501 comes with a great remote. Very handy for remote control of all Windows Media Center interface, including DVDs, video files (DivX, Xvid, etc..), Music or photos.

Reviews mixed for devices

The EeeBox EB1501 also comes with a keyboard and wireless mouse. If one has no particular criticism against the mouse (it is very common) we are just as disappointed as seduced by the keyboard. Small and light, in a room, he moves and stores easily. However, without keypad, it quickly becomes annoying to use.

Small machine, small claims

This EeeBox EB1501 is a small machine used mainly for basic office and multimedia. The index base Windows 7 overall 3.3 (out of a possible 7.9) and low score in PC Mark Vantage (1813 points), not to mention the score of 1404 points in 3DMark 06 show the limitations of this computer.
Based on scores from the various measurement tools used 01Lab, we realize that the graphics chip Nvidia Ion PC offers this little time to run some old games of strategy without too much pretension or manage a universe Sims.

Ion Nvidia opens the doors of HD

The Nvidia graphics chip ion is interesting for HD video. We connected this small PC with an HDMI output to a TV and a Full HD (Asus LS246H Designo). Of course, being devoid of Blu-ray, we looked at our HD files from the hard drive. The record is impeccable, with a decode Full HD without problem. To prevent problems decoding of Windows Media Center or any other solution you have downloaded (genus Media Player Classic or VLC), Asus preinstalls suite including ArcSoft Total Media Center and Total Media Theatre 3. An interface as Windows Media Center, which operates the Nvidia chip ion and appears very comfortable to decode the HD 720 as 1080p.

Test and review conclusions

The balance sheet is not critical, far from it. With its Atom processor N330 and small graphics chip Nvidia Ion, do not ask too much to EeeBox EB1501 in terms of performance. In contrast, very discreet and able to decode the HD, the machine, versatile, can find its place in the lounge.

The Asus Eee Box EB1501 is available in black or white at a price of 429 euros with keyboard and mouse wireless, but no screen.

Positive points (pros)

* The mini format
* Design
* Price
* HD
* The Wi-Fi antenna and remote

Negative points (cons)

* The processor is not punchy

Technical specifications

type
PC desktop
RAM
2GB
OS
Windows 7 Home Premium