Asus Eee PC 1201PN Overview
While the Asus Eee PC 1201PN
Specification of the Asus Eee PC 1201PN:
- Intel Atom N450 (1.66 GHz, 512 KB L2 Cache)
- Nvidia ION 2 graphics platform
- 12-inch WXGA (1366×768) LED screen
- 2 GB DDR2 RAM, 2 x SODIMM Slot, 4 GB Max
- 250 GB SATA Hard Drive (5400 RPM) + 500 GB Free Web Storage
- Windows 7 Home Premium Operating System (32 Bit)
- HDMI and VGA out; Bluetooth; Wi-Fi 802.11b/g/n; 0.3 MP Webcam
It’s quite a disappointment for many people for the lack of Optimus technology which has been advertised as one of the feature to come with the ION 2 platform on this netbook. So does the 1201PN still offer a good enough balance of multimedia muscle and battery life without Optimus?
Review Summary
The external design, keyboard, and touchpad of the Asus Eee PC 1201PN is pretty much the same as its predecessor, the 1201N. Both the keyboard and touchpad are comfortable to use.
In terms of performance though, the Asus 1201PN is slower than its predecessor (according to PCMark Vantage), which is expected since it has a single core N450 Atom processor while the 1201N has a more powerful dual-core N330 processor. Laptop Magazine noticed some delays when starting video calls in Skype and when opening the AT&T Connection manager software they installed. The overall daily computing tasks run smoothly with no problem though, even with multiple application opened simultaneously.
The next generation Nvidia ION graphic does provide slightly improved graphic performance. Both the video transcoding test and 3DMark 06 benchmark done by Laptop Magazine on the 1201PN gives a better result compared to the 1201N. Playing 1080p video from local hard drive goes smoothly, even on a 32-inch Samsung TV through the 1201PN’s HDMI port. Streaming video from Hulu in full-screen however will still stutter, according to CNet.
For the battery life, the Eee PC 1201PN last 4 hour 33 minutes on continuous web surfing over Wi-Fi test, and 3 hours 57 minutes on video playback battery drain test — both of which are 40 minutes longer than its predecessor.
Conclusion
At the same price ($499.99) as its predecessor, Asus is offering the Eee PC 1201PN as a new 12.1-inch netbook model with longer battery life and better graphic performance, but less processing power. Whether you should opt for the 1201PN or the older 1201N model depends on which side of features are more important to you – processing power or battery life + graphic performance. You may also wait until September this year when Asus launch another new model (1215N) which combine a dual-core processor with the next-gen Nvidia ION with Optimus technology.
Video Review
Video review of Asus Eee PC 1201PN from CNet:
Source: Amazon
