EEEPC 701 - Is it worth it?

[peterson_espacoporto]

Hello; I am considering buying an EEE PC 701; however, I heard this is the most limited netbook model around and I'd like to know if it's really worth it - Of course I know the implications of having it, I mean, not much of a computer to play games, and I really intend to use for internet and small tasks purposes =)

Also, the hardware compability list on Ubuntu wiki shows some problems with the screen resolution. Is there any workaround? There it says Totem and Rhythmbox have the same problem with screen space; If I use, let's say, VLC and Amarok, would I still have it or it's just those two?

Thanks in advance! =]

[oedipuss]

I think the best screen size for netbooks is 8.9 inches, at 1024x600 .
A 7 inch screen (can't remember the resolution, but less than 1024x600 :P ) might be too small to use comfortably, even for very basic tasks. To find out try setting up a vm at the same resolution and see if it fits your needs. It shouldn't take too long to install ubuntu netbook remix or something similar in, say, virtualbox.

[Swagman]

The only issue my daughter had with her 701 with default Xandros was it regularly dropped the WiFi.

Meaning... She often had to re-enter WEP after fresh cold boot.

on UNR the only issue she has is that the cursor go's "sticky" when travelling over icons on desktop. As soon as app is running everything is ok.

Taken last night ( http://www.upload3r.com/serve/190609/1245434019.jpg) <--- on Eeepc 701

[michaelzap]

I have one of these and it's very useful for some tasks. It's really teeny and lightweight, and the fact that you can pick one up for $150 now means that you don't have to worry about it as much as you might a newer netbook. I wouldn't want to do graphic-intensive work on it given the small screen and limited CPU, but for email, browsing, Skype, and office apps it's fine.

There are no real hardware issues that I've noticed. I had the stock Xandros for about a week before I nuked it and installed Eeebuntu. Since then I've tried several other systems, and none had any major issues. Previous versions of Ubuntu needed a modified kernel to support the wifi chip, but the 9.0.4 kernel supports this and everything else out of the box.

I've been running #! (CrunchBang) on my Eee PC for a while now, and I highly recommend it (it's an Ubuntu-based distro with OpenBox). The 701 also runs BackTrack very well. I may give Debian a try sometime to see if it's any snappier than #!.

[t0p]

When the Eee PC first came out it was great. And it's still great (I've got one and I love it).

The problem is that newer netbooks have got much larger hard disks/solid state disks. Compared to them, the 701's 4 GB SSD is tiny. That is a big disincentive to buy one nowadays. But I have no idea how much the 701 sells for now. Maybe it's cheap enough to make it viable? And there's another thing about SSDs: they are far more robust than hard disks due to the fact they have no moving parts. I'm a right clumsy oaf sometimes, I've dropped my Eee more than ten times. This would have killed a hard disk, but the SSD soldiers on.

As for the screen size: it is too small for a number of apps. But there is an easy workaround, hold down Alt and the left click on the touchpad and you can pull the display around to see the bottom of the page.

[starcannon]

I have 2 of the 701 (4g), and a 702 (8g).

We also have an MSi Wind, while the EEe's are great, the Wind is as close to perfect as I've seen. A wind can be had for $299 at Newegg (http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16834152093)

An Eee 900 (http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16834220545) with the 4gb SSD can be had for $169

So looking at Apples and Oranges, then Fuji's and Golden's, I'd have to say the 701 just isn't worth it any more, unless your getting it for $35 or something like that. The Eee900 is just so much nicer for a very nice price. I still think bang for dollar the MSi Wind is the machine to go with.

GL with what ever you decide.

[LowSky]

I went with the Lenovo S10 because it had the features I wanted and compatability with Ubuntu. I use it at least 2-3 times a week and soon to be day to day as I slowly build my HTPC and "replace" my desktop PC with newer parts.

[michaelzap]

So looking at Apples and Oranges, then Fuji's and Golden's, I'd have to say the 701 just isn't worth it any more, unless your getting it for $35 or something like that. The Eee900 is just so much nicer for a very nice price. I still think bang for dollar the MSi Wind is the machine to go with.

The 900s are a bit nicer (bigger screen). If the price difference is minimal I'd certainly opt for one of those. Although I believe the wifi chip is different and a little bit more trouble (the 701 has an Atheros chip that's perfect for WEP penetration testing).

All in all, the 701 is a bit old and I probably wouldn't buy one new now either unless it were really cheap (which it might be; I haven't really looked around).

I have a 16 GB SDHC card in my Eee PC that cost me about $40 or so, and that's plenty of space for me.

[ghindo]

*waits for aysiu to show up* :popcorn:

[ugm6hr]

Lots of debate re: screen size etc.

I think the 9" models are very usable regularly (I have not booted my main laptop for about 2 weeks now, and use OO.org Calc, Writer, Base and Impress fairly regularly). The 9" keyboard is equally OK.

Had a brief play with a 7" model, and found the keys too small to type at any speed, which is a bit of a pain if you intend to use it for forums and emails. Good enough for general surfing though.

Additionally, the 9/10" models benefit from the Atom processors, which should reap power-saving benefits in the future.

Unless you can't stretch to a 9" model, I would not buy a 7". Of course, I'm not 100% certain of the price difference, but unless it is half as expensive, I don't think it is worth it.

PS: I own a Dell Mini 9

[Stefanie]

I have an eee 900 and I'm very happy with it. I use the kernels from array.org which are very easy to install, just install jaunty and enter a few commands. Almost everything works out of the box, except for some Fn keys (you can fix that though). The screen is quite small of course, but this has never really bothered me.

[Bachstelze]

Hello; I am considering buying an EEE PC 701; however, I heard this is the most limited netbook model around and I'd like to know if it's really worth it

Depends what you want to do with it. I'm perfectly happy with mine, but it's of course not my only laptop.


Also, the hardware compability list on Ubuntu wiki shows some problems with the screen resolution.

Works fine here out of the box.


There it says Totem and Rhythmbox have the same problem with screen space; If I use, let's say, VLC and Amarok, would I still have it or it's just those two?

I recommend MPlayer to play videos on it, since it doesn't use any screen space besides that of the video. I can't tell you about music, sorry.

[aysiu]

I had the Eee PC 701 for a year and then recently upgraded to an HP Mini 1120nr.

If you know what you're getting into and you can get the Eee for a cheap price (under US$120 would be reasonable). But you should know what you're getting into. It has fantastic hardware. It's sturdy and looks nice.

The screen is tiny, though. Not really a visual problem for those with good eyesight, but many webpages these days are not designed to fit in 800 pixels of width, and sidescrolling is really annoying. The keyboard is tiny, which can take some adjusting to. And, more importantly, a 4 GB SSD leaves you very little room for anything... you can't set up a dual-boot (well, technically you can, but it's extremely difficult), and you have very little storage space for pictures, music, or other personal files.

Since my netbook is my main computer, I decided that an 800-pixel-wide screen and a 4 GB drive were just not sufficient, so I switched up to the HP Mini, which has a 10" screen with 1024 pixels of width and a 16 GB SSD (makes a huge difference--I can dual-boot if I want, run virtual machines, store my favorite pictures and music, and have space leftover).

[adssse]

I have had the 2g surf for about a year now. It only has a 2gb ssd drive, but I really like it. I still have the default Xandros on the ssd drive, but most of the time run puppy off of my sd card.

As many others have said their size and storage may be a drawback, but if it isnt going to be your only computer and it fits your needs they are nice little netbooks.

[Swagman]

I had the Eee PC 701 for a year and then recently upgraded to an HP Mini 1120nr.

If you know what you're getting into and you can get the Eee for a cheap price (under US$120 would be reasonable). But you should know what you're getting into. It has fantastic hardware. It's sturdy and looks nice.

The screen is tiny, though. Not really a visual problem for those with good eyesight, but many webpages these days are not designed to fit in 800 pixels of width, and sidescrolling is really annoying. The keyboard is tiny, which can take some adjusting to. And, more importantly, a 4 GB SSD leaves you very little room for anything... you can't set up a dual-boot (well, technically you can, but it's extremely difficult), and you have very little storage space for pictures, music, or other personal files.

Since my netbook is my main computer, I decided that an 800-pixel-wide screen and a 4 GB drive were just not sufficient, so I switched up to the HP Mini, which has a 10" screen with 1024 pixels of width and a 16 GB SSD (makes a huge difference--I can dual-boot if I want, run virtual machines, store my favorite pictures and music, and have space leftover).

My daughter uses a 16gb usb stick for her data.

End of probs.

The screen and keys ARE tiny for us oldsters though.

[peterson_espacoporto]

Thanks a lot for the answers, guys =D

The problem is that I live in Brazil and here things are much more expensive =S The 701 is the cheapest models and it costs around 750 reais, whereas the other ones cost >1000, 1100, so I have to consider it...

But I may end up buying it, since it wouldn't be my main laptop; I already have an Acer Aspire 3620 - and although Jaunty Intel drivers won't let me watch fullscreen youtube videos for now, it's good for me.

I'll be setting up a VBox machine to check the screen resolution thing :D