The Asus Eee Top ET2002 is an all-in-one desktop with the computer components and display sharing a single case. The computer has a large 20 inch, 1600 x 900 pixel display and packs a 1.6GHz Dual Core Atom 330 processor.

It’s also one of the first all-in-one computers from Asus to feature NVIDIA ION graphics, so while the ET2002’s basic components aren’t that different from those found in a typical netbook, the computer can handle HD video and some other high performance graphics tasks.

Unlike some all-in-one desktops from Asus and other computer vendors, the ET2002 doesn’t have a touchscreen display. But if you plan to use this computer in your office instead of your living room or kitchen, you probably won’t miss it.

The unit Asus sent me to review has 2GB of RAM, a 320GB hard drive, a DVD-RW burner, 802.11b/g/n WiFi, Ethernet, 6 USB ports, an HDMI input and comes with a wireless mouse and keyboard.

Read the rest of this entry »

OK, I’m not really a hardcore gamer. The newest game I’ve got on my shelf is Age of Mythology, a real-time strategy game from 2002. So that’s the game I used to test gaming and graphics performance on the Acer Aspire 1410 and Asus Eee Eee PC 1101HA laptops recently. And I pulled it out again yesterday to try it with the Asus Eee Top ET2002.

The ET2002 is an all-in-one desktop PC with a 20 inch, 1600 x 900 pixel display. It has a dual core Atom 330 processor. But what really sets it apart from most of the systems I’ve used is that it has NVIDIA ION graphics. So while most Atom processors struggle with video games at high resolutions, the ET2002 does a respectable job of tackling Age of Mythology. Of course, the game is a few years old and doesn’t feature a 1600 x 900 pixel mode, so it adjusts the screen resolution to 1024 x 768. But playback is nice and smooth in full screen mode, which is more than I can say for gameplay on the Asus Eee PC 1101HA.

You can check out a video of the Eee Top ET2002 playing Age of Mythology after the break. And just so you can find everything in one place, I’ve embedded the videos of the Acer Aspire 1410 and Asus Eee PC 1101HA playing the same game as well.

Read the rest of this entry »

The Asus Eee Top ET2002 is a 20 inch all-in-one desktop computer with NVIDIA ION graphics. It’s not exactly a netbook or a nettop. It’s way too large. But it’s a direct descendant of those devices thanks to the low power processor and relatively low price tag. It sells for under $600 (You can pick one up for $581 from Amazon) and features:

• CPU: 1.6GHz Intel Atom 330 dual core
• Graphics: NVIDIA ION
• RAM: 2GB
• Storage: 320GB hard drive
• Disc drive: DVD-RW burner
• Connectivity: 802.11b/g/n WiFi, Ethernet, 6 USB ports, 1 HDMI port
• Peripherals: Wireless mouse and keyboard
• Audio: Built in speakers with SRS Premium Sound

While the computer doesn’t have a Blu-Ray drive, it can handle 1080p video thanks to the NVIDIA ION graphics processor and that includes decoding Blu-Ray discs if you happen to have a USB Blu-Ray drive and software designed to take advantage of the GPU.

Asus sent me a demo unit to try out over the next few days, and I’ve posted an unboxing video after the break, along with a first look at the included software. Overall performance seems to be decent, but not spectacular. The video performance, on the other hand, certainly outpaces what I’ve come to expect from a typical netbook.

This model doesn’t have a touchscreen, but if you’re a fan of touch interfaces, Asus does have another model, the ET2002T with a touchscreen display.

Keep in mind, while the NVIDIA ION graphics will let you play local 1080p video content, you won’t be able to watch HD Flash video content from the web until Adobe releases Flash Player 10.1 next year. That’s the version that will add support for NVIDIA GPU acceleration for HD video.

Read the rest of this entry »

I got a chance to check out the new Asus Eee Top ET2002T this week, and it looks like the company’s Eee Top line has come a long way since I reviewed the ET1602 this summer. For starters, while the ET1602 had a 15.6 inch, 1366 x 768 pixel touchscreen display, the latest model has a 20 inch, 1600 900 pixel display.

Asus has also dropped the touchscreen, which makes sense because the ET2002T isn’t really meant for use as a kitchen PC, but rather as a multimedia machine. It includes a slot-loading DVD player and NVIDIA ION graphics fro handling 1080p video playback and even some video gaming duties.

The machine also has 2GB of RAM, a 320GB hard drive and a dual core Intel Atom 330 processor. The computer also has 802.11b/g/n WiFi built in. It runs Windows Vista Home Premium right now, but should be available with Windows 7 soon.

The Asus Eee Top ET2002T has a list price of $599, but you can pick it up for $581 from Amazon. I shot a short video of the ET2002T in action with Asus spokesperson Josh Norem the other night. You can check it out after the break.

Read the rest of this entry »

If you’ve been wondering where all the computers based on NVIDIA’s ION platform were, the answer appears to be Taipei. Because at a Computex press event today, NVIDIA announced 21 different netbooks and nettops that would make use of the new platform which bundles an Intel Atom processor with an NVIDIA GPU to offer enhanced graphics performance.

NVIDIA also unveiled 12 machines using the Tegra processor, which basically does the same thing, but with an ARM based CPU instead of an Intel Atom chip.

The list of ION and Tegra machines includes a few pleasant surprises. For instance, the Asus Ee e Top ET2002 all-in-one PC will pack an NVIDIA GPU, which should give the machine better graphics performance than you’ll get from the company’s current Eee Top ET1602. ECS is also showing off a rather crazy looking nettop that’s packed entirely into a small vase. That’s right, it’s a vase with an Intel Atom 230 CPU, 1GB of RAM, a 2.5 inch hard drive, and even a Blu-Ray disc drive.

The 12 Tegra based machines include the Mobinnova élan, as well as several other netbook and tablet style devices from Pegatron, Wistron, Inventec, and Compal. If those names don’t sound familiar, that’s because they’re primarily ODM companies that produce computers for bigger name companies that you have heard of. If all goes according to plan, you’ll start seeing Tegra powered machines built by these companies but rebranded and sold by telecoms for around $200 or less by the end of the year.

You can find a list of all 21 ION based netbooks as well as some of the Tegra powered devices after the break.

Update: Digitimes reports that HP and Dell will also launch netbooks and all-in-one PCs based on the NVIDIA ION latform during the third quarter of 2009.

Read the rest of this entry »