Asus Eee PC 1215N vs. Asus UL20A-2X048V

I'm looking at this two machines for a friend and I can barely see any differences between the 2. They are basically the same. The only big difference I notice is the CPU. Also, the price for both is exactly the same.

1215N: Intel® Atom™ D525 Dual-Core
UL20A: Intel® Celeron® SU2300 1,20GHz (FSB 800MHz)

I don't know much about these CPU's, can any one enlighten me? Which one is better?

Also, is the ION thing on the 1215N an advantage over the graphics of UL20A?

 

It really depends on what you want it for. The 1215n has the ion which has a big advantage over the gma in the ul20a BUT the processor in the 1215n isn't quite as good as the celeron in the ul20a.
The atom in the 1215n isn't a slouch though and does deliver decent performance for a machine of this size.
Personally i'd pick the 1215n because of the extra graphics muscle, but i'm a bit bias since this is the choice i made a while back and i went for the 1215n.

In summary it depends on wether processing power is a major concern or not.
If its just for general use and maybe some light gaming or viewing of hd content then the 1215n is in my view a better choice.

 

Nope, it's basically just for daily use. Internet, Office and university work probably (nothing computer related).

I doubt it's important, but does the GMA in the UL20A plays HD? Gaming is not an issue... I suppose the integrated graphics is enough for this then?

 

Yeah if thats the case then i'd say get whichever machine is cheaper(probably the ul20). The gma should play at least 720p decently especially with the celeron backing it up and that's really all you'll need for the native screen.

 

Well, is it really worth it 720p on that screen size? I think it's too small, but it won't probably be used for HD playback anyways. But good to know that it plays.

Actually they are both exactly the same price around here (499€ .

Thank you for your help.

EDIT: One last thing, the Atom has HT while the Celeron does not. Is the Celeron still better? Cause the Atom is 1.8GHz and with HT or that doesn't mean anything?

 

The celeron is a better processor yes (probably around 10-15% faster in general use), the difference isn't huge though.

Contrary to what i seemed to be leaning for (the ul20a) if they are both the same price as you say you might aswell get the 1215n.
Even if you won't fully utilise the gpu it will mean that if ever in the future you feel like playing an hd movie (on the screen or via a proper hdtv) then you can.

The general consensus in the past has been that the atom processors are weak but the d525 is a desktop atom and i've been using it for weeks now and it's as snappy as anything (for all of the purposes you mentioned and more).

If they're both the same price then get the 1215n because you get more for your money, even if you don't need it.

 

Ok.

Thank you once again.