Eee PC 1215n Performance

It doesn't work. The CPU does not physically support speedstep, since it is a nettop CPU, not a netbook one. It is more powerful but yeah, the power draw (ha, drawback!) is a little higher.

Even Core i7 CPUs for desktops can be underclocked - but the D525 can not. So you're stuck with the full speed.. even then I was able to get about 4:30 battery life out of it. That's quite admirable considering I was working on it (wifi + occassionally a youtube video (= optimus going ION mode)) etc. I wouldn't worry about your CPU, the main power sucker is the ION, but Optimus takes care of that too.

 

Still. I suppose I can always undervolt the one multiplier the D525 has (if end up going for the 1215n and not the 1015pn).

I wonder if there's a way to dynamically and automatically alter FSB speeds.

 

How well is this netbook performing in games with the newest drivers? A few pages back there were huge improvements in Starcraft with the latest drivers directly from Asus. Have these drivers improved other games as well? Because despite what you might think from the specs, it seems that this netbook is performing worse than the 1201 ION based netbook...

 

Hmm, even if you could do that, I dare say underclocking your FSB won't yield any power-draw reductions. After all, FSB is nothing but a bus for all the devices to communicate through. Lowering the clock of a device (e.g. CPU) by lowering the FSB will be ineffective as most of the devices will malfunction if you toy with it too much, and if you toy with it too little the difference will be negligible. Not worth the trouble in my opinion.

 

I don't mind trouble, really.

The thing is, though, if I underclock, I have more room to undervolt.

 

sorry to steal thread juice but I have a huge problem. I've updated my latest ION drivers and youtube plays HD fine and the test tool shows GPU on - However, when I play Half Life 2 I get really bad performance, the graphics don't even barely show up and the GPU shows off. I don't have any other games to test, I can't seem to find the force GPU option. I'm really stuck here. Thanks in advance.

 

It's in the Nvidia options...not that hard to find, right-click on desktop and so on...

 

What drivers are you supposed to use with the ION2, there are no ION2 drivers on nvidias site. Do the ION ones work fine or is there somewhere else to get the latest drivers?

 

AFAIK the drivers directly from Asus seem to give good performance boosts. People got some great results with Starcraft with those drivers.

Wondering if those gave boosts for other games as well.

 

Nope, read a few pages earlier. There is a comparison of current drivers...

 

They dont differentiate between ion and ion 2 with the naming scheme so the ion drivers cover all versions of the gpu. In other words the ion2 comes under ion.

 

That makes sense thanks for the help

 

Mine's in the mail. I'll toy around with it at stock for a bit, but then I'll throw in a Momentus XT and 4GB RAM and see what that gets me. And, of course, some overclocking.

Also, big hand to Ken and Gentech for getting this to me in two days. Ordered/shipped on the 22nd, and it's coming on the 24th. Outstanding service.

 

Black Ops performs really well compared to the other COD series.
I average around 20-25fps with no config tweak and 25-38fps with config tweak on multi player with 10 - 16 players, depends what map.

What I can is that Zombie is totally playable even without tweaks! Although you'll have to sacrifice details and resolution.

 

Just opened and initialized my 1215n. I've been so used to gaming-class 15-inchers that I find this little 12-inch thing to be... cute. Don't judge me.

Anyway I'm trying to figure out this Optimus thing. Is it completley automatic, or do I have to set up rules for applications?

I was watching from 1080p .mkvs with both VLC and WMPC-HT and I noticed I was getting slideshows. I went into the nVidia Control Panel and switched, in global settings tab, my "preferred graphics processor" to the ION2. VLC and WMPC played smoothly after that.

Now that I've done that, will the two GPUs switch automatically? My battery is still charging so I can't use the battery meter as a measurement.

EDIT: Updated GPU drivers to 260.99, and it seems automatic now.

 

You should try Windows 7 64-bit too. Even 32-bit applications run smoother with it. Maybe because the operating system takes less CPU cycles with it, so it leaves more CPU time for the 32-bit applications.

I even can play Black Prophecy beta on lowest settings, even though the game has Crysis-like requirements...

 

I'll wait for my RAM and Momentus to come in the mail. I'm testing the waters as of right now.

 

So far the best drivers for this system (performance and stability wise) are the 259.64 drivers from asus.

Forceware 259.64 ASUS Mobile released - LaptopVideo2Go Forums

You may want to try them

 

So are there any guides anywhere for reformatting with a usb drive? or is it the same as using a disk? I want to reformat this to windows 7 64bit but I have never done it with a flash drive.

 

There is a tool from Microsoft to prepare an USB stick, which is especially for netbooks: http://store.microsoft.com/help/iso-tool

Regarding partitions (and drivers) you may want to have a look at my post at page 30.

Something else: After the fresh install of 64-bit, the frequency characteristic of the RealTek sound card changed drastically. Not sure why, but when I reprofiled the sound card, the sound is now way better as it was with 32-bit and my old profile on page 27. The bass in http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DSx_N18TWjs&fmt=18 is now really FEARSOME... O_O

"RTA (250Hz-4kHz)"
---
31Hz: 24 (max)
62Hz: 24 (max)
125Hz: 24 (max)
250Hz: 0 (min)
500Hz: 17
1kHz: 15
2kHz: 17
4kHz: 0 (min)
8kHz: 24 (max)
16kHz: 24 (max)

As you can see, the frequency shifting is symmetric, as it should be.

 

Hey guys!

My friend just received his 1215N.

I removed a crapload of boatware (from 85 running processes to 68), I was amazed at how much crap they put on this thing...

I've got a problem. I can't seem to play 1080p movies correctly (slideshow...). I tried the stock drivers (with VLC (hardware accelerated) and Media Player Classic) as well as the beta 260 drivers, but to no avail... I tried with a rip of one of my blu rays (1080p mkv with DTS audio - 12,43 Gb) as well as with a 1080p Test Trailer (mkv, 1080p, DTS, 40Mb), neither work.

I used the OptimusTools to make sure that both VLC and MPC were actually using the ION2 chipset, and they are. Any suggestions as to why my ION2 chipset refuses to play 1080p movies (720p works fine)?

Shouldn't 1080p mkvs work flawlessly on stock frequencies ? If not would they work with an OC? I'm not even looking to game I just want a nice clean entertainment experience.

 

VLC was giving me problems, but WMPC-HT works as needed. I'm using 260.99 ION drivers.

In your nVidia settings (I forgot the exact option; I don't have my 1215n with me since my brother is giving it a test drive to decide if he wants to replace his crap HP DV5) make your preferred graphics solution the nVidia card. If you're able to run 1080p then, it means something is funky with your automatic switching.

 

So I finally got to reformatting this and I have been successful so far. One problem I am having is that I don't have the option for HDMI audio. I have the nvidia hd audio driver but it is not showing up. Does anyone know how I could fix this?

 

Just plug-in a HDMI device and it will be installed.

 

Its still not in my playback devices but it did work when I plugged it in, so thanks

 

The driver will be removed if unplugged. But you can right-click in the list and select to show hidden/deactivated devices. But before this, the HDMI device must have been plugged-in at least once.

 

Oh okay thanks I'll check it out when I get home.

 

So, what's the best way to fresh-installing Win7 HP x64 on a new hard drive? USB stick? External DVD-ROM?

Well, that's for later. I think my brother is going to buy my 1215n since he's going back to college in a few days, while I have all the time I want to get a new one. I'm going to see how the 1215n runs with 4GB DDR3, a 500GB Momentus XT, and new thermal paste on the GPU and CPU.

Yeah, it'll involve taking the thing apart bit by bit, but after disassembling my brother's HP I fear no computer.

 

My DVD-ROM wasn't recognized on the two USB 3.0 ports since the NEC drivers wasn't loaded. That's why I used an external HDD for installation. USB-stick might do it too

 

Can you do mine next , I fear I'll destroy mine lol.

 

Hey guys, gone through the whole thread, and even though with the hiccups this device has in terms of system performance caps and driver issues, I still want this netbook. Only problem is, while researching about this netbook, Ive read from numerous forums and reviews that the power pin is incredible fragile and prone to breaking if you are not SUPER gentle. Did anyone have problems with this? Thanks a bunch guys.

 

No problem with that, but the phone jacket just got loose. Have to sent it in for repair... :-(

 

hi there just got my new asus 1215n, done a fresh install of windows 7 32bit, and im getting some really low fps in a game called anarchy online. its about 5 years old and its struggling to play.

I was able to get better FPS on my asus n10j so i dont see why this one cant do it.

before the game starts you have to select a rendering device and the only two options are primary display driver and the intel chip.

Do you think windows xp may lead better results if nothing is being maxed in windows 7 for example cpu and memory below 50% but still low fps. or will xp not change anything?

apart from that great laptop, power supply aint too bad but i can see what people mean.

 

I play AO too. I think it is a problem with Nvidia Optimus, since you only can configure the Intel card in the launcher. If AO would finally release the graphic update, it could work again, but until then...
BTW: The game is now 10 years old. Oldest MMORPG still alive

 

another ao player do you find it playable on your 1215n at all if so what sort of fpsare u getting? ive played with the settings and got it somewhere near playable at times. but its really fustrating this can play stuff like fifa 11 but fails at a 10 year old game.

 

Hi There,
I've been reading this thread for quite some time now. I am in the process of getting a new netbook and I've come to the decision between the Acer Ferrari One Vs Asus Lamborghini VX6(I'm a big car fan). Any idea which I should choose? One pro of the Acer is that it can uprade its ram to 8 gb. Will there be software to allow the Asus to upgrade its ram over 4 gbs?

If the Asus is chosen I will bring back results of implementing Matlab on it.

Thanks

 

@Rcish123: Not sure how many frames I got, but it was unplayable for me. Even my old Samsung N510 with "Ion 1" was faster. Problem lies within AO, since it is not a real 3D game. And I fear it will take forever for them to release the new AoC-graphics engine...

@spiderfly: No real experience here on how much RAM the 1215n/VX6 can really handle. Still I would suggest the VX6 since it has more up-to-date hardware and has a pretty good build quality. Very sturdy, except the phone jacket... -.-

BTW: A new BIOS 0604 was released...

 

yep the acer is an old timer now kicking an ati 3200. im getting the vx6...i was going to have it sooner but i bought a g73jh so when i sell my g60vx. lol i feel like im some sort of asus dedicated buyer but i only owned my 1st asus this year owning the g51vx since august.
i still think the vx6 should get a refresh like they do to laptops. put in a sandy bridge atom so no bottlenecking and id be delighted.

 

Is it possible to add 4 gigabytes of DDR3 RAM Asus 1215N? If yes, what ram to buy (2x2Gig)? Thank you!

 

Yes it is possible to upgrade to 4gb of RAM and thanks to the latest BIOS update the system will now utilise the full 4gb of ram.

Here is a link to a topic on the bios update:
1215n new bios 0604 - resolves 4gb ram issue (Page 1) / Eee PC 1201x Specific Discussion / EeeUser Forum

Also heres a link to a topic on known working RAM modules for the 1215n:
Official Asus 1215N QVL compatible memory/RAM (Page 1) / Eee PC 1201x Specific Discussion / EeeUser Forum

 

cooooooooooooooool! :-D

 

Hmm. Anyone else notice that MP3s jack up CPU usage to 75%+?

I've used both WMP and Zune, and both were about the same usage, so I'm ruling out particular music players.

 

Thanks a lot oogamar for your answer ! So cool to see that the Asus 1215N can have 4 Gig of DDR3 !

My BIOS is now at the 604 version and I'm waiting to find 4 Gig of DDR3. Thanks for the thread, do you have a particular RAM to advise me ?

 

I can't really advise what RAM to use because i haven't tried upgrading myself yet.
But that's why i linked the thread on functioning RAM. The folks over at eeeuserforum have been posting for a while on the topic so i'm sure their recommendations are reliable.

 

Have you tried foobar2000? Maybe it could reduce CPU usage.

 

Interestingly i just tried the 4gb kit from my alienware in the 1215n again and this time it worked after updating to the new bios. I could never get it to work before so it appears asus has also improved the ram compatibility as well as allowing it to use the whole 4gb. Good news indeed

EDIT: After the revalation that 4gb is now viable on this machine i decided to order some RAM. I ordered 2x2gb of Kingston RAM from play.com for £16.99 each (£34 overall). Didn't seem like a bad deal. I'll post back on wether this RAM works or not.

 

Ive found a solution to the hdd clicking/lagging issue that some (including myself have encountered).
It seems to be a common issue with seagate hdds that when they change power states the hdd "stalls" for a second or two which can be really annoying when watching a video etc due to the loud click and freeze of the system.

The solution is a little old power management utility from 2007 called Notebook Hardware Control. With this utility you can set the hdd into "High Performance" mode which stops the hdd from winding down - thus preventing the click/freeze.
It will decrease battery life somewhat - i still dont know by how much but i cant imagine it being more than a few minutes.

Here is the link: http://www.notebookhardwarecontrol.net/nhc/download/nhc_2.0_pre_release_06.zip

Note: There is a newer version of this utility but it doesn't have the required features available (at least not without paying). The older freeware version from the above link is the one you want.

Instructions:

1. Install the utility

2. Run the utility and open the main page

3. Go to the settings tab and click "Show all NHC options and settings"

4. Scroll to the hard disk tab and under advanced power management choose "max performance".

You can then untick some options on the various tabs to get rid of all the icons that appear on the taskbar etc to clean it up to your liking and then THATS IT!!!

Update: I have now amended the original post on page 1 to include a few more games (aoeIII, spore, Stalker, DAO) and also the HDD clicking fix and the new BIOS with the RAM fix so its easy to find.

 

So I know that this isnt related to performance, but how do you guys clean the lid of the laptop?

 

Any non abrasive cloth should do the trick really... as long as you don't scratch the lid. I havn't found it necessary to use anything else than that really. Just a cloth and some elbow grease

 

Okay thats what I was thinking but I didn't know if I should use any kind of liquid to help out.