ASUS Eee PC 1015PN-PU17-BK 10.1-Inch Netbook (Black)

#1: ASUS Eee PC 1015PN-PU17-BK 10.1-Inch Netbook (Black) Reviews!

Just got this netbook a few days ago and I must say, out of the box, it's pretty disappointing. First off, Windows 7 Starter. This computer was not meant to be used with this extremely limited os. You're definitely going to want at least Home Premium in order to get Optimus (automatic graphics switching) working. Second, only 1gb of ram. I don't think I really need to explain why this is a shortcoming.

Good thing I already had my Windows 7 upgrade from my old laptop. First thing I did was a clean install of Windows 7 Premium in order to get rid of all the asus bloatware and get Optimus working. First of all, this computer plays excellent video out of the box. You'll read lots of hardcore PC people grumbling about the exclusion of a true HD screen, but I honestly saw no problem with the current screen, considering how small it is.

Installed Firefox (my web browser of choice) and kept getting hang ups on this computer. Firefox has become quite a resource hog over the years (this is the price you pay for top-notch extensions). Decided that I really needed to upgrade the ram on this to its max (2gigs). Installed the new ram and now this computer is absolutely great. Did a non-scientific test run with the battery with normal web browsing and quite a bit of video watching. The battery lasted about 6-7 hours before hitting 5% capacity.

Installing the extra ram was a real problem, in my opinion. There's a little plug on the bottom and under it is a single screw to get access to the ram. It all looks nice and simple at first, but then you spin the screw and realize that only that one edge with the screw pushes up. You can pull at the little door but it doesn't budge. I had to take my little flathead screwdriver, along with a huge leap of faith with my brand new computer, and slowly work my way around the door, hoping it would completely unhinge at some point and pop off. The door felt like it came crazy close to snapping in half at a couple points but then I managed to work it off. Taking a look at the bottom half of the door explains the situation much more clearly. Asus, for some inexplicable reason, has decided to put unnecessarily tight teeth on every side of it to hold it in place on the computer. They could have done great with hooks on one side and screws on the other, like most laptops. So modders beware! Prepare for extreme fear, and possible hardware breakage, if you decide to upgrade that ram. I'm actually kind of glad the ram is maxed out at 2gb, because that means I'll never have to take that door off ever again.

Overall, this computer is awesome out of the box for a light user, but is also an excellent base if you're looking for a fairly powerful netbook and are willing to invest a little extra into it.

UPDATE: This computer HATES firefox. It's been running better since I upgraded the ram, but I still get quite a few hangups. I'd recommend Chrome or Opera, these browsers show no such problems. Also, buyers should probably know that this netbook, with its increased horsepower and small footprint, overheats like crazy. Picked up a Thermapak heatshift pad and this thing works wonders, but don't expect to be running HD videos non-stop for hours unless you're in an ice cold room.

>>>>See More Details & Check Price Now!<<<<<

ASUS Eee PC 1015PN-PU17-BK 10.1-Inch Netbook (Black) Features

• Intel Atom Dual Core N550
• Nvidia Ion2 Dedicated Graphics; HDMI and VGA Out; 3 USB 2.0 ports
• 1GB DDR3 RAM, 1 SODIMM Slot, 2GB Max; 250GB SATA Hard Drive (5400RPM) + 500GB Free Web Storage
• 10.1-Inch 1024X600 WSVGA Matte Finish LED Display; 802.11 b/g/n; Bluetooth 3.0; Chiclet Keyboard
• 9.5 Hours of Battery Life; Windows 7 Starter Operating System (32 bit); 0.3MP Webcam

Customer Reviews

Great - David Rowell - Purdue
Straight out of the box this machine is amazing! It comes with windows 7 starter which I hated, but unless you know what you are doing I don't recommend removing it. I actually wiped the OS and put on it Windows 7 Ultimate 32bit, which caused some issues. If you are going to upgrade make sure you have a flash drive with all the drivers from Asus's site on it and install them before getting on the internet, otherwise your video card will keep crashing and you will get blue screens and then your computer will restart. So after upgrading and putting on all the drivers from the Asus site, this machine works like a charm. Plays 1080p video great, plays HD youtube videos great, I'm glad I waited the extra couple months to get this!