Performance
As mentioned, the 901 uses an Intel Atom N270 CPU, a chip designed specifically for machines of this ilk. Overall, we're very pleased with the performance. Switching between application tabs in the Linux OS is quicker than before, as is the speed at which applications launch. Even multi-tasking isn't a problem -- the Eee PC 901 is perfectly happy playing movies or music while running other apps in the background or foreground.
One of the Atom CPU's biggest selling points is its energy efficiency. With the addition of the large 6-cell battery, it helped the Eee PC 901 rack up an impressive battery life. In our movie playback test, it lasted approximately 4.5 hours with the Wi-Fi and Bluetooth adaptors enabled and brightness set at near maximum. That's a definite improvement on the Eee PC 900, which lasts anywhere between 1.5-3.5 hours depending on what you're doing. We estimate battery life could stretch close to the 6-hour mark for those willing to deactivate wireless features and reduce screen brightness.
Conclusion
The Eee PC 901 is better than the 900. It looks nicer, has a faster, more efficient CPU and better battery life. It's 100g heavier, and larger, but it's the better machine, for sure. Its keyboard is still too small for our liking, but currently it's the pick of the netbook litter.
Edited by Shannon Doubleday
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User reviews3
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Carl Allen 24 May 2011
Good: nice and small
Bad: can be slow
Comment: The eee pc 901 is a nice small netbook , what for me is the best thing is the inbuilt 3g card slot, no need for a 3g dongle
Constantine 6 September 2009
Good: Size, design, portability, ruggedness, battery life, wow factor
Bad: small C drive, maddening track pad
Comment: I have had the 901 about a year now. To all intents and purposes, it suits my needs perfectly when I am away from my main computer (Mac). Everyone comments on it, I love it and it's great - except. The C drive is only 4Gb. Every programme I download I direct to the larger D drive (8Gb), but somehow there are applications which attach themselves to the C drive and I frequently get the "There is not enough space left on the C Drive". The over-sensitive track pad is infuriating, and I have tried all the adjustments suggested, downloaded patches and so forth, all to no avail. I use a mini mouse, which is fine at a table, but often I am outside, so the track pad needs to be used.. Because of the limited hard drive memory, my music is on a memory stick, but file memory is not an issue, as there is an SD card slot for additional memory. It's the space for applications that is a major issue. As you can see, a kind of love/hate relationship!
Green 26 December 2008
Good: Speed , boot time, applications, design
Bad: keyboard is a tad tricky (but not too bad)
Comment: I'll keep it brief, but ive been using this laptop for 24 hours and i am completely in love with it, i havent put it down and my lap hasnt been empty in that entire time, it is just too fun to play with and type on, having said that I'm still going to do my college work on my dell inspiron, but for general surfage you can't really go wrong with this!
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