Review: Asus Eee Box B202 desktop computer

It’s fair to say that Asus’ Eee 701 marked a turning point in the evolution of notebook computers, proving that many people are happy to sacrifice speed for a computer that’s inexpensive and convenient.

Since then, most companies, including Asus, have started building so-called netbooks around Intel’s low-cost Atom processor and, with the Eee Box, Asus has used the same technology to build a desktop PC.

The Eee Box measures just 222x27x178mm and, like the Eee notebooks, includes no optical disc drive. At the front of the case are two USB ports, a memory card reader and two audio jacks, all hidden behind a plastic flap. The rear holds two more USB ports, a DVI output, another audio output, which doubles as a digital S/PDIF, Gigabit Ethernet and a socket for the included Wifi antenna. The case feels reasonably sturdy, but the flap on the front panel is disappointingly flimsy, especially given that it must be opened every time you need to use the Power button.

The Eee Box is currently available only with Windows XP Home, rather than the Linux operating system installed on some Eee notebooks. However, you can still surf the web without waiting for Windows to boot up. When started, the Eee Box displays the ‘Eee Box Express Gate’ menu with five options – web, photo, chat, Skype and Enter OS. The first four give access to a simplified Linux desktop that includes a web browser and the Pidgin instant messaging client.

Sadly, though, this Linux interface is nowhere near as polished as the one used on the Eee notebooks and we’re not sure the casual PC users the Eee Box is targeted at would find it immediately obvious how to start Windows. Fortunately, the entire system can be disabled using the Bios.

Once in Windows, the Eee Box runs surprisingly well. The Atom N270 processor isn’t particularly powerful, but together with 1GB of memory and an 80GB hard disk, Windows XP runs snappily. Browsing the web or creating documents is no problem, although with an overall score of just 1,499 in PCmark05, we wouldn’t want to use the Eee Box for demanding tasks such as video recording. It’s little surprise then that the system is completely unsuited to running modern 3D games, although it plays 720p high-definition video without problems.

The Eee doesn’t include a keyboard or mouse, and you’ll also need a monitor for it. Add on £150 for a decent 19in LCD, and you’re approaching the price of Mesh’s Elite IQ 2180, which is far more powerful both in Windows tasks and games. However, the Eee Box is tiny and impressively quiet; there is a fan inside, but stick the box under your desk and you’ll barely notice it.

Another key strength of the Eee Box is hidden at the bottom of the packaging: as well as a desktop stand, Asus has included a Vesa mount in the box. Armed with this and four screws, which aren’t included, you can attach the Eee Box neatly on to the back of most LCD monitors.

The Eee Box isn’t perfect, but it performs simple tasks well enough and is impressively small and quiet. Asus says the SRP is £199, however the cheapest we could find it for was £220 from Play.com. And this is perhaps its main problem, since notebooks such as the Acer Aspire One offer the same kind of power in a handy portable case – at the same price. If you want a low-cost desktop PC for web surfing, the Eee Box will do the trick, but most users would be better suited by either a standard desktop PC or an Atom-based notebook.

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