Eee PC 1015PN (w/ ION2)

The first available 10-inch netbook with ION2 (8 core).
I've just ordered it at amazon with bigger battery, win7 HP an Optimus. It will replace my 901. Hope it's worth the extra charge. Benches will follow.

Specs & Pics: 1015PN @asus.com

Review @TechReport

Unboxing @YT

HD Vid & Street Fighter IV Bench @YT (italian)

Can anyone compare the brightness (matte display ), noise (w/ and w/o ION2) and game performance?

I look forward to your comments and reviews!

 

I just bought and received mine recently. Haven't really had time to test much out on it, but upon receiving it, I immediately upgraded from Win 7 Starter to Win 7 Home Premium, just to be able to use Optimus.

Only problem is that it does not seem to work. Whenever I run the ASUS graphics switch program and select Optimus mode (since the current default option is High Performance, where ION is on all the time), it prompts me for a restart. To make matters worse, even if I restart the laptop when it prompts me, it restarts back in High Performance ION mode. Optimus mode hasn't worked on this thing so far.

I admit that this is my first experience with an ION netbook--one supposedly with Optimus graphic switching that will allow me to switch between ION and integrated graphics. However, I'm thinking that I must be encountering one of two problems: 1) Optimus is somehow broken, or 2) there's something wrong with my integrated graphics--either because it's not being recognized, or it just isn't there at all, and so the computer resorts to kicking ION into gear because that's all there is (according to my device manager and GPU-z, all that exists on this thing *is* ION, and that there's no Intel integrated graphics to be found).

While ION performance is all well and good, it does kill the battery (which is why I bought the 1015PN and not the 1215N). I'm hoping I can either get Optimus working or revert back to a state where I can manually switch between graphics options so that I can get some battery life on this thing when I take it with me to work.

Anyone have any ideas what might be going wrong?

 

I havent tried this but it could work:

Use the Intel drivers of the 1215PN (asus.com)
and the current nvidia ion driver: NVIDIA DRIVERS 260.89 WHQL

Installation:

Windows 7 HP/Ultimate --> Intel Chipsetdriver --> The AsusTool GraphicSwitch --> activate Optimus there --> nVidia-Driver --> Intel Driver

I'll keep my fingers crossed.

 

Did it work?

 

I tried installing the newest nVidia drivers (260.89), but that doesn't seem to have done anything.

I'll try the more detailed process outlined by baxxe above next, and will report back with some findings.

Fingers crossed!

 

I didn't exactly follow the above steps as laid out, but I did finally get the 1015PN to recognize that there's a GMA 3150 under the hood, along with the ION GPU. How? I downloaded the XP video drivers for the 1015PN and surprisingly, it got the computer to recognize the integrated graphics.

Only problem now is that the setup program that I downloaded from ASUS with the GMA drivers in them wants me to restart the computer every time I turn it on to finish installing. I would have, if they installed properly, but they seemed to be broken beyond first helping my computer come to the realization that there is an integrated graphics chip in it. Once it was recognized, Windows went ahead and pulled drivers for the integrated graphics from whatever Microsoft database had them and installed them independent of the ASUS driver I DLed. But now the ASUS driver setup won't go away whenever I start my computer, despite the integrated graphics working just fine now.

(As for Optimus switching, I still have to test that out a little more, though I suspect and hope that it should be alright now...?)

On top of that, I've just discovered issues with hibernation on this netbook. I can go into hibernation just fine, but give or take about half and hour of use after coming out of it, Windows locks up so bad that not even ctrl+alt+delete can pull up the task manager, forcing me to do a hard shutoff.

So far, my experience with the Eee 1015PN has been pretty mixed. I'm wondering if it's just my particular unit though, since I have friends who swear by their Eees and seem to have no problems at all.

Might just try reinstalling the OS from fresh, just to see if that will help any.

 

remember to use the latest nvidia ion driver. it often solves problems...

 

ikari47, did it work? It is possible to get Optimus startet with Win7 HP. The 2GB RAM version is sold with it and Optimus is working with it.

Laptopmag.com has also reviewed the 1015PN: laptopmag.com - A Review of the Asus Eee PC 1015PN

 

Any ideas? I have same issue. Optimus keeps changing back to ION-only mode every other reboot or shutdown (followed by power on). Any ideas? I'm running W7 Enterprise.

 

I was having similar problems when I did a fresh install of Win7HP x64, I had to boot into safe mode, delete/uninstall all/every graphics related driver (IGP and GPU) then reinstalled the graphics switch program, set it to optimus mode, it prompted to restart, upon restart both* the Intel GMA drivers and ION2 drivers installed at the same time, optimus mode activated and its been flawless ever since

 

Can I ask you which drivers you have used? I've been struggling for days to make optimums work in windows7 HP 64 bit. When I select Integrated (Intel driver) as my primary graphic card in Graphics Switch it works after reboot (kind of) but on next reboot it reverts back to ION.
Plus when Intel is my primary graphic card I can't use hardware acceleration in Splash (player for HD movies) because it is trying to use Intel GMA. The program has been configured in NVIDIA panel to run on Ion but it doesn't work. What nightmare can someone help?
PS I am using non Asus NVIDIA and Intel drivers (latest one available for download from their websites). From Asus website I installed wifi, Bluetooth, graphic switch and super hybrid engine? Am I missing something here?

 

266.58; I did install the system tools version if that makes a difference

It seems the graphics switch program has problems with 64 bit, as it never shows any text on mine, when I initially loaded it I just assumed the second option was optimus, then hit the button that was normally save and restart, it saved/restarted and ive never had to bring it up since, optimus has been flawless...

Wait I just realized something rereading your post, your saying now that your on a 64bit install with both sets of drivers the graphics switch program still gives the option for Intel OR ION? It should have changed to the first option being high performance (always ION) and the second option being Optimus. Have you tried uninstalling/reinstalling the graphics switch program while the graphics drivers were uninstalled while in safemode?

Try what I suggested in my previous post, a couple of times, if that doesnt work then also try driver sweeper, even though I believe your problem is with the graphics switch program...if you can get it to say the two options I have you should be good

 

It looks I have same problem as Gew described. On every second reboot my Intel GMA keeps disappearing. I think I will try my luck with 32 bit win 7 HP.
Anyway thanks a lot CrappyAlloy fro sharing your experience with me. I did try all you have suggested but my 1015pn just doesn't beehive
Cheers

 

I finally wiped my partition and pulled a fresh clean install on W7 Enterprise (32-bit). After install, I quickly installed GraphicsSwitcher (ASUS) and rebooted with Optimus mode. Now both devices were found, and I simply let Windoze Update do its job with not-that-up-to-date WHQL drivers. I pulled lots of reboots and shutdowns, making sure the devices would stick. Now, they do.

Then i reckoned I had forgotten to install chipset drivers. Darn. I was scared that this would somehow wreck everything, cause conflicts and bring me back to point zero. However, I held my fingers crossed and installed the chipset drivers from ASUS site. Rebooted. Still two graphic adapter devices. Nice!

Now everything works, except for one thing.

Flash won't use ION, so 1080p is choppy and stuttering like this really old mother. Awful. I tried uninstalling latest 10.2 and installing 10.1 (first version with hardware acceleration), still no luck. In Performance Mode (ION only), it (of course) works great. But in Optimus mode, it fails. I have tried pushing etc web browsers to use ION graphics, but it won't make any difference. Flash still uses GMA 3150.

Any ideas?
Has anyone here actually managed to get Flash to work with ION in Optimus mode? In that case, please specify which Nvidia and Flash versions you use. I'd be grateful.

Ty in advance~
Cheers~

 

Hey Gew, did you install any other (ASUS) drivers between windows 7 clean install and install of Graphic Switch?
Any luck with flash problem?
Cheers

 

@Alex2011:

Yeah. In fact, I installed every driver package that is available for the 1015PN, downloaded from asus.com website. However, I think I may have installed drivers in the wrong order, or something, anyways, made the bundles conflict with eachother. I never got it to work, so I ended up with running a clean installation of W7. Worked like a charm from out of the box then, neat. Now, only remaining issue is that some 1080p flash clips (eg. Youtube) won't fly entirely smooth. There are some lag in between, and Nvidia control doesn't report the ION chip to be active when watching Flash. I have even tried overriding default "sensor" by adding eg. firefox.exe / iexplore.exe / chrome.exe to the list of applications that should always use ION (yeah, I know this will be a battery hazzle in the long run, since surfing is what you mostly do on a netbook). Anyways, this won't work either. I believe that I need to add an override exception for the paticular Flash module, but I believe Flash is called through a .DLL, and those can't be set as exceptions. Hmm, since eg. firefox.exe is the "mother process", adding an exception for this should be enough, really?! I'm not sure. Everything works smooth overall though, so I'm happy. Guess better support will come when Adobe feel like confronting this minor issue. Perhaps I should mail them?