Hardware Splitting the Atom: Inside the Eee PC 901

http://www.bit-tech.net/hardware/2008/06/17/inside-the-eeepc-901-investigating-atom/1

We can't get a sub-notebook in for review without taking it apart - this time we break the new Asus Eee PC 901 into lots of little bits to find out what's changed between old and new!

 

Gotta love Netbook Pr0nz.

 

And still no performance comparisons...!

 

It's lovely to see what's inside it but we really need to see some performance benchmarks.

 

ooo, shiney, but how much is this bad boy going to cost here in the UK, in Black and with Windows on?

Sam

 

Performance is hard because most of the stuff we get uses Linux - until I get an Atom board and organise a VIA C7 EPIA too I dont think it will happen. They aren't designed for performance, just ease of use an inexpensive computing.

 

Yeah, but we're geeks. I'm planning on getting one of these when they're available. Aside from using it for my writing (for which I use Notepad,) I'll try and put DivX videos and NOLF2 on it because... it's just got to be done.

 

Yes, but there must be something (no matter how trivial) to discern between the 900 and 901. I want to know whether the new CPU gives a significant performance increase, beyond the new features like upgraded wireless and added bluetooth.

 

it's a bit silly i think to ask for performance reviews for something like a notebook. it's like asking for a performance review over your mobile phone. it shouldn't really matter because at the end of the day you're mainly running word, the net, emails and basic stuff like that. however, i do grant that we're all enthusiasts here and have a hard on for figures. so go on, performance results please!

 

What ? No Atom closeup shots ? I am shocked
Nice dismantling.

 

Not really, if you buy a mobile phone which responds really badly because its either underpowered or the ui is badly designed you'll want to know about since your going to spend a lot of time with it and there is nothing you can do to change it. Hard numbers probably aren't relevant but some subjective comparisons on how "snappy" or other wise it feels would be good especially between the 901 and the 900.

I'd like a comparison between an atom and an epia but i'm not sure the best way to compare them, but hey that's why they pay you the big bucks bindi

 

ROFL.

Uh, yea.

 

Can you somehow manage to work out what that little button does? It looks intriguing and may be the fabled line-in switch that someone posted about a little while ago.
edit: I may have to employ you to crawl around on my floor - I have lost a screw from my laptop after taking it apart. It was a bit odd though, I had one spare screw and one spare hole, but they didn't fit into each other

 

http://www.phoronix-test-suite.com/

 

i demand neked atom die shots!!!!

 

A review that is both interesting and humorous, great job.

 

El Reg did a very good review of the Linux Edition EEE 901 including some battery comparison info and relative performance info compared to the EEE 900.

 

One of the problems with the original Eee is that it will almost but not quite decode standard-def h.264, which I see as a major use for these things.

The one I played with - and we played long and hard to get it to work (well, linux...) - will now more or less decode standard def 264 using mplayer with all the "faster and coarser" options turned on, so long as it's been encoded in the right way and there isn't too much motion in the scene.

P

 

Spare button, hmm, on some other models, it is used for a couple of things. I work at a Pc & laptop repair shop. I have seen many laptops guts, and often do find hidden buttons on them. They do different things on different Mfgr, models. A couple of them I have found are to clear bios passwords. A couple of them work like cmos jumpers in button format. And one or two that I have found don't do anything at all. I assume they are part of some type mfgr testing. I have even removed one from one laptop mobo to replace a power button for one of our clients.

 

sooo many modding possibilities...