ASUS Eee PC 1015b Review

Asus Eee PC 1015b

Review Summary:

A low-cost, low-performance netbook with very good battery life.

Pros

• Less than $300
• 8-hour battery life
• Lightweight

Cons

• Abysmal performance
• Windows 7 Starter Edition
• So-so build quality
• Low screen resolution
• Noisy fan

ASUS Eee PC 1015b Full Review

 

This 10-inch netbook has an AMD Fusion processor and retails for just $289. Is it worth recommending? Read our review to find out.

Our ASUS Eee PC 1015b-MU17 review unit has the following specifications:

• 10.1-inch display with anti-glare coating (1024x600)
• Windows 7 Starter Edition (32-bit)
• AMD C-30 single-core processor (1.2GHz, 512kb cache, 9W TDP)
• AMD Radeon HD 6250 graphics; HDMI out
• 1GB DDR3 RAM
• 250GB 5400RPM Western Digital hard drive (WD2500BPVT)
• Atheros AR9285 802.11n wireless LAN
• No internal Bluetooth
• No internal optical drive
• 6-cell li-ion battery (56Wh)
• 1-year limited warranty
• Weight: 2.8 lbs.
• Dimensions: 10.3 x 7 x 1.4 inches
• MSRP: $289.99

The Eee PC 1015b uses one of AMD’s latest creations, the C-30 processor. Technically, this is an "Accelerated Processing Unit" (APU) which combines a traditional CPU and graphics processing unit (GPU) on a single chip. The C-30 features integrated AMD Radeon graphics and is rated for very low power consumption. The C-30 has just one processing core, which is not promising, and having just 1GB of RAM will also hurt performance. Windows 7 Starter is a limited functionality version of Windows 7; even at this price, ASUS should have used Home Premium or increased the price accordingly to include it.

Build and Design
The 1015b is part of the ASUS Eee PC "Seashell" series; it does not look as blocky as older Eee PC designs. This netbook has a rather generic look and feel; it is 100% black plastic. The matte finish the palm rest and lid is appreciated; the glossy plastic in the keyboard surround and the screen bezel is not as it gets smudged and scratched easily. Matte plastic is significantly more durable and easier to clean. The 1015b's exterior has no notable design features; it is not bad looking but certainly does not win any style points.

The 1015b is constructed entirely out of plastic. The plastic feels thin; I was able to produce numerous rattles by tapping on the palm rest with my fingernail. The fit and finish could use some work; most of the edges where parts come together are rough. Generally the chassis feels sturdy and resists flexing. The lid of the netbook, on the other hand, is not well made; it flexes too easily and pushing in from the back yields ripples on the screen. Something annoying about the screen is that it does not tilt back far enough, only about 15-20 degrees past vertical.

In terms of upgrade capabilities, the 1015b has little going for it. The access panel on the bottom of the chassis only holds the single RAM slot; upgrading the hard drive requires taking the netbook apart. RAM upgrades are limited since the C-30 processor only has a single-channel memory controller. Overall the build quality needs improvement; thicker plastic with smoother edges would do it.

Ports and Features
The 1015b includes a respectable array of ports for a netbook. HDMI is a notable inclusion. Honestly, most modern netbooks include these ports so we aren't too impressed by what we see here. All picture descriptions are left to right.

Front: Speakers

Rear: Battery pack

Left: AC power, VGA, USB 2.0, HDMI out, cooling exhaust vent

Right: Multimedia card reader, headphone and microphone jacks, 2x USB 2.0, lock slot, Ethernet

Keyboard and Touchpad
The 1015b has a 90% full-size “Chiclet” or island-style keyboard, with more than usual spacing between the keys. The keyboard has a plasticky feel and has some rattling issues, which is not particularly assuring. On the bright side, typing is easy; coming from a full-size notebook keyboard, I had no problem adjusting to the slightly smaller keys. There are no dedicated home, end, page up, or page down keys.

The 1015b’s ELAN touchpad is nicely-proportioned and has an excellent matte surface for easy tracking. It supports multi-touch features such as two-finger scrolling. The downside is its single-bar button, which is too loud; people in the immediate vicinity will know who clicked.

Screen and Speakers
The 1015b has a 10.1-inch widescreen display with a 1024x600 resolution. It features LED backlighting for improved energy efficiency vs. older CCFL lighting solutions. Brightness is satisfactory; it is not quite as bright as a typical 14- or 15.6-inch consumer notebook however. Viewing angles and contrast are average; the display is not washed out as might be expected. The anti-glare coating makes this netbook that much more usable; glossy screens look good on a display shelf but are prone to reflections and have durability issues. Overall the 1015b has a good quality display given the price.

The 1024x600 screen resolution is limiting, to say the least; most common applications and websites are designed for higher resolution screens. This means lots of scrolling will be necessary. Less than a third of a page in Microsoft Word can be viewed on this screen at a time. No higher screen resolution is offered on this model. In essence, don’t expect to get a lot of work done on this netbook.

The 1015b has two stereo speakers located under the palm rest. They are muffled and distort easily. Speakers would probably be my last concern when buying a netbook; use the headphone jack or the HDMI out port to get the best quality sound.

Performance and Benchmarks
The Eee PC 1015b fails to meet expectations in this area. Its unusually sluggish performance results in a frustrating computing experience. The AMD C-30 processor, while power efficient, is strained even in basic applications. Opening a new tab in Internet Explorer takes several seconds; on a normal computer, this happens instantly. There is even a delay when pressing Alt+Tab to switch between applications; again this is something that should happen instantly. There are noticeable delays when browsing basic Internet pages. Watching a standard definition YouTube video nearly pushes the processor to its limits; HD 720p content is unplayable.

By comparison, the HP Pavilion dm1z with AMD E-350 processor ($449) suffers from none of these delays or HD playback problems and our synthetic benchmark tests show the dm1z is roughly three times faster than the Eee PC 1015b.

The measly 1GB of RAM inside the 1015b certainly does not help matters; at least 60-70% of it is in use at any time; I observed Windows making good use of the Page File on the hard drive due to a lack of available RAM. This was especially apparent when running more than one application. In this day and age, 2GB is the minimum that should be accepted, even on a netbook.

Speaking of unimpressive specs, the 250GB 5400RPM hard drive is relatively slow and also hurts system responsiveness.

Windows 7 Starter is likewise a poor choice for an operating system; it is a reduced-functionality version of Windows 7. The only reason ASUS used it on the 1015b was to keep the price down. From Microsoft's point of view, it makes computer manufacturers think twice about using Linux. As a consumer it is well worth it to pay a bit more ($20-$50) and get a computer with a fully-featured version of Windows 7, such as Home Premium or Professional. The limitations in Starter include an inability to change the desktop background, no Windows Aero Glass interface, and lack of multi-monitor support. Essentially, Windows 7 Starter is designed to make you want to pay more for a better version of Windows.

Wprime processor comparison results (lower scores mean better performance):

PCMark05 measures overall system performance (higher scores mean better performance):

3DMark06 measures overall graphics performance for gaming (higher scores mean better performance):

CrystalDiskMark storage drive performance test:

Heat and Noise
The 1015b has a small cooling fan that pushes warm air out the left side of the chassis. It is always on and not entirely silent. The cooling fan has a slight high-pitched motor noise and is audible from within ten feet of the notebook in a quiet room. The netbook’s chassis stays cool and does not warm up, even under load. Despite the noise, at least the cooling solution works well.

Battery Life
The 1015b has a powerful 56Wh battery. During our standard battery rundown test (Windows 7 Balanced power profile active, 70% screen brightness, wireless active, and refreshing a web page every 60 seconds), the 1015b lasted eight hours before hitting the 10% warning. This is a very good time for a netbook. It is on-par with competing netbooks such as the Dell Latitude 2120.

Battery life test results (higher scores mean better battery life):

Conclusion
The ASUS Eee PC 1015b's main attraction is its $289.99 price point; this is one of the most inexpensive netbooks on the market with Windows 7. Even at this price, however, the 1015b is tough to recommend. The number one concern is usability; it is simply not there. The small screen and its low resolution, the limited functionality of Windows 7 Starter Edition, and the exceptionally sluggish performance of the AMD C-30 processor and 1GB of RAM make computing a frustrating experience. The keyboard is easy to type on but rattles; the touchpad’s buttons are too loud; the build quality could be better; lastly, the small fan makes too much noise. Spending another $50-150 can buy much-needed improvements in all of the areas mentioned above. Unless price is a paramount concern, there are better choices out there.

Pros:

• Less than $300
• 8-hour battery life
• Lightweight

Cons:

• Abysmal performance
• Windows 7 Starter Edition
• So-so build quality
• Low screen resolution
• Noisy fan

Individual Ratings: *
Software & Support 
Upgrade Capabilities 
Usability 
Design 
Performance 
Features 
Price/Value Rating 

* Ratings averaged to produce final score