Asus EeePC 1201N Netbook Review

Asus is finally launching the new EeePC 1201N and I was lucky to get my hands on it for a few days, for testing purposes.

I know many Web Upd8 readers love Linux, but the netbook I have received for testing came with Windows 7 and I am not allowed to install another operating system, so my review will be based on it's Windows 7 performances only.

[image via laptopmag]

Here are the official Asus EeePC 1201N Hardware specifications:

• Display size/resolution: 12.1 inches (1366 x 768) LED-backlit WXGA
  
• CPU: Intel Atom 330 (1.6 GHz) dual core processor
• Memory/Expandable to: 2GB/3GB DDR2
  
• Graphics: Nvidia Ion
• Hard drive: 250GB / 320GB (plus 500GB online storage)
• Ports: VGA, HDMI, 3 USB 2.0, Ethernet, headphone/mic
• Card Slots: MMC/ SD(SDHC)
• Wireless: 802.11n, Bluetooth 2.1 + EDR
• Size: 296mm (W) x 208mm (D) x 27.3~ 33.3mm (H) (11.7 x 8.2 x 1.3 inches)
  
• Weight: 1,46 kg (3.22lbs)
• Battery Life: 6 cells 63Wh Li-ion - Up to 5 hours with Super Hybrid Engine
• Available colors: Black, Silver, Blue, Red
  

A quick glance at the system specs and you will see why Asus EeePC 1201N is special: it comes with an Nvidia ION graphics card, 2 or 3 GB of RAM and a dual core Intel Atom N330 Processor.

Nvidia ION specs

The Nvidia ION graphics card is great for watching HD videos and gaming. Also, the NVIDIA® CUDA™ technology takes the EeePC one step further and allows you to work with graphics and video editors almost like on a desktop PC.

The Intel Atom N330 processor differentiates itself from the other Atom processor by it's large L2 cache: 1MB (compared to 512K for N270 or N280). Even so, the processor was what caused it to get only 3.3 points in the Windows Experience Index tests, while the hard disk, RAM and gaming graphics had some pretty decent scores:

Here are some screenshots to get an idea on the size of the Asus EeePC 1201N Netbook:

Dell Inspiron 1525, Asus EeePC 1201N and EeePC 1005HA	Asus EeePC 1201N
Asus EeePC 1201N (lid closed)	Asus EeePC 1201N (the bigger one) and EeePC 1005HA

The Eee PC 1201N should be available in North America in mid-December and it's price around ~ 500$.

If you own a Netbook and use Ubuntu Netbook Remix, you may want to read or Ubuntu Netbook Remix optimization guide.