EeePC?

[Timmyg]

so I have a good amount spent on my desktop computer but sadly it makes it kinda hard to bring places. I don't have a lot of cash to go out and get a nice laptop computer so I was scanning the Internet when I came across the EeePC from Asus. I wanted to know what people think about these things. are they a good quality laptop? would it be hard to install windows xp on it in place of linux? what about putting a bigger hard drive into it and maybe adding some ram?

I would use it to just check Internet when I'm out and about and maybe invest in an external hard drive to watch movies and music when I was on trips. I would use my home computer for all the big programs and gaming!

[geoffthaboss]

asus makes very high quality laptops.
the eee is no where near as powerful as evan a low end laptop but still a great idea. what gets you with the eee are the add ons. sure a 299 and 399 price tag is awesome but for xp you would need to add more ram and hd(mem stick) once youve done that the price is more around 500 and for 500 you can get a decent low end laptop.
i was thinking about getting one for about the same reasons but then realized that if i did pull the trigger i would also would end up spending 2 or 300 more on upgrades.

Additional Comment:

also the screen bothers me. 640x400 would be so annoying to browse the net and screw having to scroll on your desk top

[Timmyg]

everywhere I looked says the screen is 800x480 not 640x400. on top of that it does let you hook it up to a bigger screen like a TV or monitor.

also I would like to say that I was looking at the 8G model so it already has 1 gig of ram and 8 gig HD and I already have a few SD cards from my camera, mp3 player, and my phone (micro SD) so I'm not worried about have to swap cards when it is that easy. I would most likely even keep linux on it if I can still use it with all my stuff off of my computer that uses XP (like movies, music, pictures, and so on!

and I know that for $500 I can get a laptop but I would hope that Asus would be better quality then the POS emachine or gateway I would get for that price. plus one of the biggest things I like about this is the very compact size and weight. I could very easy keep this thing with me for when I am at class or just want to check my email at a friends house!

[geoffthaboss]

ya res is 800x480(still not digging that)
$499
http://configure.us.dell.com/dellsto...=DNCWPA1&s=dhs

[Timmyg]

well no matter what computer i get I wouldn't want Vista as it is junk! also then you are getting back into I bigger size computer and jumping from 2lbs to like 10+lbs which adds up when you are bringing it all around with you! and I don't know how much I would trust a brand like dell. I would get an apple but they are a lot more $$$!

[MrObvious]

Dell Vostros can be customized with XP.

[Timmyg]

Originally Posted by MrObvious

Dell Vostros can be customized with XP.

I totally just gave in and ordered that laptop right before I checked back here! plus they gave me a discount for ordering it through my company! the EeePC is still a cool idea but until they have it run on windows and do something about the amount of memory for the price I'll settle on a full laptop!

[afrakes]

The 800x480 screen on the EEE actually isn't too bad for browsing. Many sites are wider than 800px, but usually that extra width is just ads and other crap (take EOCF forums for example, the main boards fit on an 800px screen fine).

But Vostro is probably the better choice for you, sounds like you just want something cheap and good quality, not necessarily ultraportable.

[geoffthaboss]

the inspiron 1525 weighs like 5 or 6 lbs and is a super deal

[treymacdaddy]

i saw a tutorial on how to install a 32gb flash drive inside it, basically you open up the flash drive, solder wires to the usb headers, run the wires to the Eee usb headers, solder those, and close it up.

[afrakes]

Thought this was kind of cool, apparently with a new driver it's possible to force resolutions greater than 800x480 on the EEE.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CEUgXEbQie8

[geoffthaboss]

that makes the eee a much better buy now

[Odanez]

the biggest downside if the eeepc for me is lack of an optical drive imo. otherwise it's a great idea.

[geoffthaboss]

you can just transfer files to it or get an external cuz a integrated optical drive would make it way bigger
if i have a spare 400 for a new toy i think i might pick one of these up, though id want it to be paired with a big sd card and usb flash drive so thatd tack on another $150-200...
oh and cant forget needs upgraded ram + another $100 or so..

[Odanez]

yea true, you can transfer data via USB easily, but if you're out there travelling, chances are that some data can only be obtained by optical disc because that is still the most common way of portable data... usb sticks following closely behind

[geoffthaboss]

you can find a 16gig sd card for $100 and a 16gig usb flash drive for $80, not all that bad really

Additional Comment:

also depending on what case you have for your eee you might be able to fit this in
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produc...82E16827106097
honestly i could see totally getting by with only a usb stick

[Jahova]

I like the EEE. I wouldn't drop a bunch of money into upgrading one tho. It is best to use it how it is. The Linux system is customized and very very easy to use. It is a tabbed desktop for crying out loud.

The SSD makes it very portable and you can toss it into your bag kinda like a school book. (yeah, i'm a college student)

[afrakes]

I tend to agree. I've never really understood why people load it with RAM, anything that can take advantage of 2GB is more than likely going to be limited by the 630MHz CPU. Heck, I think 512MB is more than enough, but 1GB may be useful for some apps. Definitely not necessary for just browsing, though. The only reason I could see a use for 1GB+ is Vista, and I'm not sure it even runs on the EEE, or if it does it isn't very popular. Seems like most people are running the stock OS, WinXP, or Ubuntu.

[Th3_uN1Qu3]

Originally Posted by Jahova

I like the EEE. I wouldn't drop a bunch of money into upgrading one tho. It is best to use it how it is. The Linux system is customized and very very easy to use. It is a tabbed desktop for crying out loud.

The SSD makes it very portable and you can toss it into your bag kinda like a school book. (yeah, i'm a college student)

I used to toss my Toshi Portege 4000 in my bag too, but i learned the hard way why it's better to keep a laptop with a flimsy case in a protective carrying case. Aka someone dropped my bag when i was outside, and one of the upper corners of the case cracked (why in the world did they put plastic there??? as the rest of the top casing is made of titanium), taking out my screen too. I like the 5 hours of portability on this Toshi, so i'll probably get a new screen but i'll have to find a way to toughen the case first. Ah, and it needs a new paint job too.

Originally Posted by afrakes

I tend to agree. I've never really understood why people load it with RAM, anything that can take advantage of 2GB is more than likely going to be limited by the 630MHz CPU. Heck, I think 512MB is more than enough, but 1GB may be useful for some apps. Definitely not necessary for just browsing, though. The only reason I could see a use for 1GB+ is Vista, and I'm not sure it even runs on the EEE, or if it does it isn't very popular. Seems like most people are running the stock OS, WinXP, or Ubuntu.

Wait, you're saying people put 2GB of RAM on THAT CPU? My Portege 4000 has a 750MHz PIII, and i didn't see a big difference upgrading from 256 megs to 512. It runs smoother, but only in big apps like photoshop which i don't use often on the lappy anyway.

And there's no point in running vista on that.

Yeah, the EEE is neat, but if you can't overclock it adding more than 1GB of RAM to it is overkill.

[propaintball]

It is actually pretty good. My friend has one and i thought that browsing would be like on a PSP but its full we pages with pictures and everything and the res really isnt a problem.

The keyboard takes a bit of getting used to though.

The operating system is very good, you need to know abit about programming though. People have put XP on it.

I would recomend one if its just to browse the net and for MSN, Skype and all that stuff.