Asus Eee PC 1015B and 1215B thread

you are on the NBR HP team? I don't know what that is, but are you by any chance affiliated with HP?

I'm looking to either get a HP dm1z or Asus 1215b which is not even out yet. I dont know if you are able to help but if you coud which out of these two would you recommend in terms of built quality?

 

im not afiliated with hp. however at the point of using hp models. i used the business line 8510p, 8510w, 8530w and would of bought the 8540w or 8740w.
i swear that they are hps best line laptops and they have probably THE BEST warranty support line. those lines were very built.
the dm1z is nice and you get good warranty. what i like most about the 1215b is that the layout of the keyboard is better to me.
The hardest part for you to decide is when the 1215b is out the price ot the dm1z will be too good a price to make you buy it for what is spec'd
so really you have to find something you like about the 1215b more to make you buy it over the dm1z and they prices are still good for what you get now.

 

1215B review

Asus EEE PC 1215B review – impressive mini laptop

 

pros for me is the:
keyboard layout is better with the home, end, pg up, pg dwn key all together on the end so you can use the keys without looking where they are.

usb 3.0

quieter system

worldwide warranty.

These are my pros over my x120e coming in.

my pros with the x120e is:
the size is smaller so its more like a netbook.

Trackstick

build very strong

wwan.

but if the 1215b was out already i might of bought it and not wait for the x120e because i was going to get the 1215n

 

Don't forget the Matte screen and keyboard.

 

oh yea of course but i wish it had the hom, end, pg up & down on the end like the asus

 

Here is another nice review I found, but it comes with AMD C50 processor, ATi Radeon 6260, not AMD E350, 6310 combo

Asus 1215B Review. They say it got more than 5.5 hours of battery life! Wow.

 

It comes with c50 and e350 as specified on asus website.

 

What do you guys think? The 1215B with e350 or the UL20FT with the 1.33ghz i3? One has better graphic and battery life while the other has better looks and faster CPU. I've been debating with myself on it for the past couple days now...

 

Is it confirmed that the 1215B-PU17 will have USB 3.0? Some people have written that it has it but I haven't seen any pictures yet.

 

It has 1 UBS3.0 and 2 UBS 2.0 from what I've read.

 

On Asus web page for 1215B in specifications tab:

Code:

Interface:
1 x VGA Connector
3 x USB 2.0
[B]1 x USB 3.0 *1[/B]
1 x LAN RJ-45
1 x HDMI
2 x Audio Jack (Headphone/Mic-In)
1 x Card Reader : SD/ SDHC/ SDXC/ MMC

[B]Note *1:May Vary by SKU and country.[/B]

 

Have you guys already heard about the notorious power port pin problem with asus eee pc? I was eagerly waiting for the 1215b to come out but I've recently discovered this problem on google. It's rampant! you could do a search on google - 'eee pc adapter'. The power port at the back of the laptop has a fragile tiny pin of 0.7mm (and it indeed looks fragile!). A lot of 1215n new owners apparently have found the pin fallen off or wedged after a couple of weeks of use, making charging ineffcetive! ASUS warranty does not cover adapters so these people ended up having to fix the problem themselves. Since 1215b is of the same design as 1215n, I start to suspect that asus haven't fixed this before launching 1215b which should be anytime now.

A lot of power pin problems reported on amazon.com (check out the 1 star reviews) Amazon.com: Customer Reviews: ASUS Eee PC Seashell 1215N-PU17-BK 12.1-Inch Netbook with 6 Hours of Battery Life - Black

http://forum.notebookreview.com/asus/546383-asus-eee-pc-1015b-1215b-thread-7.html#post7293015

 

that thin a pin? not even 1mm? im glad i never bothered on them. that can easily snap on accident. specially been heavy handed like my self.
asus wont fix it on warranty despit a design flaw sounds like a scam. could of been resolved by fixing that bit but didnt want to change the shell/build even slightly to reuse the 1215n chassis.
sounds like you can only leave it on the desk and never move it ones the adapter is in.

 

No. AMD C50 version does NOT come with USB 3.0 port. AMD E350 does.

 

I've seen a 1215n in person and it's definitely not 0.7mm . From what I remember it's between 2-3 mm wide (closer to 2 mm). When I saw it I thought it was pretty think but I didn't think it would be a problem when I first saw it. After reading those reviews I think I will stay away.

 

On the x120e that you mentioned before, how's the battery life?

 

battery life varies. because i do not want a slow netbook i use full power or balanced at the least.
the battery on the lenovo battery time said 5:47hrs. windows at that point said 6:47hrs at 97% but i do not use battery mode often at the moment as i am in most of the time. i always plug it in. i use a 6 cell battery. i suppose you could get around 6hrs if you put it in battery saver mode then add battery stretch. but then the performance is a lil slow and the brightness is low too. i suppose you would have to disable the bluetooth aswell.

To the other guy about the charger pin on the x120e....there nothing to worry about. its like a full sized laptops they make in the business line.

 

Any audio stuttering problem when playing mp3 or videos and on youtube as reported?

Lenovo ThinkPad X120e User Reviews - Laptops - CNET Reviews

 

This is because of some software clash causing this, but tho i have noticed it. i havent noticed it in things like you tube. i think only on media player but i havent really used it as im waiting for my bigger hard drive.

 

wow, I was looking forward to the 1215B, but reading about all the people with this problem is giving me pause. If indeed the design is the same, which it looks like it is. Damn I liked the slightly larger 12" over the HP Dm1z! Not a fan of the protruding battery on the X120 so maybe just go with the HP now?

 

Same here. I'm looking for an AMD powered small laptop and basically having x120e, dm1z and 1215b on my list now. The x120e is better built than the other two, but I also don't quite like the look of a bulging fat battery at the back (looks wise the thinkpad is already not the best deisgned laptop, this fat battery kinda makes it look like it was made in the 70s). I would never consider a thinkpad if not for its quality. If I were to get 1215b, I'd probably try to change the power port from the start. But then it might not be feasible. The HP on the other hand seems to deliver good performance based on many reviews and comments on this forum and plus it's cheap. The only thing is I'm not sure how durable HP consumer based product line is, since I'm used to long durable laptops of at least 4-5 years.

You might want to dig into the 1215n thread http://forum.notebookreview.com/asus/515917-eee-pc-1215n-performance-61.html

 

a 3 cell battery is always an option. im sure people on here with 3 cells are willing to swap.
the x120e may have that old look but when you have it on your lap, its another thing. its real sleek etc.
sure the dmz1 and sony yb also look nice. Thing is with silver laptops they fade away and paint rubs off so then it doesnt look as pricey as it did when you 1s had it.
No worries with the x120e. if the battery is the only thing you can knock it for.....then just get a 3 cell. sell the 6cell on ebay for as much you bought the 3 cell for and im sure some one will snap it up. anyway. when u got the lid up u cant see the battery lol and it gives you much longer life.

 

well, one of the reason I want a zacate laptop is for the long battery life, for flights etc, and with the protruding 6 cell on the x120 the run time is the same as the HP, which does not have the awkward battery on the back. I really don't care much about looks (I don't know when that became the primary concern for many people when buying computers..?), but it seems like it could be annoying and get in the way some times. If indeed the build of the Lenovo is better that's the only other reason I might consider it.

From what I've read it sounded like the HP was decent quality, but for the price I don't expect anything amazing anyway. Yesterday I also came across a deal taking $50 off, bringing it to $399 which is pretty damn tempting! I'll have to check again and see if that's still going, and I just might jump on it.

edit: still works; coupon code NB5751 takes $50 off! http://www.techbargains.com/news_displayItem.cfm/247398

 

The design is not the primary concern personally (although I'm sure there are people out there who only buy beautiful laptops), more like a secondary. It's simply a basic factor people consider when buying a laptop for private use (ask sony and mac buyers) because you want to feel comfortable with it. I would consider anything that strikes a balance between looks and quality, that's why the lenovo is on my list.

I know there's the 3-cell battery option but I could put up with a slightly ugly 6 celled but practical laptop that lasts at least 5 hours, if I were to go for the x120e that is.

 

I am strongly interested in buying a 1215B with a usb 3.0 port.

Now if I could just find a place that sells it - may sites don't even list USB port specifications, nor give you a clear shot of the side of the machine. The only site that can I can be (almost) 100% sure is newegg, and they're out of stock.

- Frank

 

only the models that have the e-350 processor will have usb 3.0.

1215b models with a C50 will not have it.

ATM the pc is not out yet.

I'm waiting for it as well

 

It is out, you can search around for 1215B-PC17-*. Several places have it in stock.
They are very vague as to what the USB specs are, however, which is very confusing.

- Frank

 

Beauty is in the eye of the beholder, what might looks ugly to you might look pretty to others.

I love the look of the thinkpads because it looks professional/sleek subtle and not flashy compared to cheap looks of the HP or the toy looks of the Asus. I did manage to own the Asus VX6 and let me tell you it looks so good and the design was breathtaking ( sold it because of the anemic dual core d525 atom) with the Lambo styling/curves compared to the ugly 1215n. If the VX6 had the AMD Fusion CPU or a core2duo su7300 cpu then it would've been a perfect lil laptop for me.

 

Has anybody seen the 1015b model with bluetooth and usb 3.0?

The only model available at stores is the 1015b MU17 (this is 1gb; usb 2.0; no bluetooth).

Is this notebook better than the ion 2 1015pn?

 

Can anyone find the 1015B Dual Core C-50? All I see so far is the single core C-30. Anyone know if the Dual Core C-50 is coming to the US?

Thx

 

Like this?

Anyway, dealbreaker for me has been that a hard drive swap in this chassis will be terrible if say, in the future i make an SSD upgrade =(

 

there is a video on youtube of how to swap the hard drive... more than 20 screws...

By the way this model is the 1215b not the 1015b. And more, in the site there is a mistake.. the model is MU17 which comes with de c-50 and is cheaper, but on the description you´ll see PU17 which carries the E-350 and sells at 450,00 USD

 

i install 4 gb of ram in my 1215b.

windows detect 4gb ram but bracket says 3.61gb usable.

 

Thats the 12". Isn't there going to be a 10" with the C-50 dual core?

 

Thats because the rest is used by the gpu, remember that the gpu does not have dedicated vram, its shared.

 

i see.

thanks. been asking around my friends and search online but couldn't find any valuable information.

kudos.

 

Can the 1215B utilize 8GBs of RAM?


EDIT: Just confirmed it can.

 

IMO, the most cost-effective upgrade is adding a 4GB module to the existing 2GB to give you 6GB. I just did this, using this: Corsair 4 GB DDR3 Laptop Memory CMSO4GX3M1A1333C9.

The E350's memory controller is single channel, so there is no need to match the memory module sizes.

 

Peter, I was considering this also but did not know if they needed to be a matching pair. Do you see a difference in performance from the 2GB?
I just unboxed my 1215b and have plugged it into the wall to charge overnight. The plug pin is sure small and the new plastic has a bit of a smell. Tomorrow I will see what it can do.

 

Anyone do a clean install of Win 7 64-bit and get their WLAN to work? Asus website has 3 drivers, only 1 of which is 64-bit compatible, but I can't get my WiFi to turn on.

 

I am in the exact same situation. I hope more 1215b owners will visit this thread. If I cannot fix this, it is going back. It is disappointing because I don't see any other laptop/netbooks on the market with similar specs.

Concerning the RAM issue (and what is the better value, 8 or 6GB), I could not find definitive evidence whether or not both ram sticks should be rated at the same speed. But from what I have read, if there is a faster RAM stick installed, then both will run at the speed of the slower one, regardless if there is a dual or single channel memory controller.

One big positive aspect I want to point out about this netbook: I hear no high pitched whine! I have always heard at least some whine from all Intel laptops and netbooks. This is the first portable PC that I have not heard a whine from while it runs from the battery. The power brick also does not sizzle. Amazing.

Now if I could only get the touch pad and wifi to work.

 

msi wind U270 is pretty similar. But yeah, other things you wrote is good to hear. i am deciding between 43sn and this. i am thinking of 43sn because sometimes i still do some gaming, when new splinter cell comes out, hitman series, or basketball. i game for a week or two and then stop. the rest of my activities are browsing, movies, so just wondering if 1215b could run these games on medium or low. Probably could, it runs call of duty. and price of 43sn is basically twice expensive.

edit: for wifi try #5.60.350.111 drivers.

 

Those drivers aren't compatible with 64-bit apparently. When you run set-up it says "Does not support this Operating System: WNT_6.1H_64_MCE"

 

Found the WLAN drivers.

Asus ET2400XVT Wireless LAN Driver v 5.60.350.11 for Windows 7 64-bit - TechSpot Drivers

 

Used my new 1215b yesterday for a few hours and by the second hour, the screen was shooting black lines horizontally across it. Reminded me of our old CRT TV before the tube failed. What could this be, is it a hardware defect, or could it be corrected somehow. I need to decide in the next few days if it needs to go back to Amazon. I am so upset. I was really looking forward to this machine. It sure seems to me that the quality of electronics has gone way down in the last few years.

 

I took Peter Headland's advice in the previous page and installed 4GB making a total of 6GB RAM. Hadn't notice any performance improvement yet but I'm sure those extra RAM would help. If you're worry about RAM speed then just get DDR3-1333. If you open the RAM door you'll notice the stock RAM is indeed a 1333 even though E-350 whitepaper claims to use 1066 only.

I also had the touchpad issue that many 1215b users are experiencing. Someone over at the Eee user forum suggested opening the plastic covering the palm area and remove one of the spongy pad under the touchpad. I did it and the touchpad issue was no more. No unscrewing was necessary and it won't void your warranty either.

 

Can anyone comment on the 1215b noise output? Does the fan shut off during normal browsing at all?

I'm very sensitive to fan noise and finding the C-50 acer 522 just too loud 90% of the time.

Thanks

 

WooHoo, mine arrives tomorrow (E350 & USB 3.0)

 

Could someone please tell me why I should get the 1215B over the new HP DM1z?

Mr. Mysterious