Thread: Asus EEE Box B202

The B202 is a bit aged, and it's surprising that Asus didn't send in its more recent models. Its age really did show in most of our benchmarks, scoring fairly poorly compared to the others. It's also the only model based on a mobile class CPU, the Atom N270, which might explain it being tweaked more for power savings than performance. It's still one of the best looking out there, with a super flat and slim design. Angled on its pedestal,it will look quite nice and unobtrusive on a desk. You have only four USB ports, two of which will be used by the keyboard and mouse unless you get a wireless combo set. You also have only DVI video output, though a VGA adapter is included.



There is a multi-format card reader, but of course no optical drive. The B202 we tested came with Red Flag Linux by default, which you'll most probably want to replace, so you have to factor in the cost of a fresh retail OS. Windows XP is the obvious choice, and most basic tasks will run smoothly enough on it just don't expect to do any gaming beyond Solitaire! The B202 runs cool and quiet, but sadly isn't strong enough to be a true media center device. VERDICT: It's best suited for entry level users who only want to send email, surf the web a little, and type out a few documents now and then. FOR: Tiny, integrated Wi-Fi AGAINST: Dated configuration