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EXPRESS GATE
This Linux mini-OS is a feature we've seen on Asus motherboards
before, including the P5E3 Premium,
the M3A78 Pro and M3N78
Pro. In fact, its featured on at least half a dozen Asus board models, but
it's the first time we've seen it in a full system. In the Eee Box, this instant-on
mini OS is an excellent fit. It's promoted as being accessible in 5 seconds
after turn on; this is about right. Once you're set up a profile in Express
Gate, we were connected to the web via Wifi through our wireless router in about
15 seconds. This is quicker than with any PC running any conventional OS, about
as quick as accessing the web with a Windows PC out of S3 sleep mode.
The Express Gate desktop is accessed in under 5 seconds.
Four application are provided: A web browser, an image browser/manager
with direct upload to Flickr
if you have an account there, "Pigdin" instant messaging, and Skype
Internet phone. For many users, the web browser is probably most important;
through it, you can access web mail, web-based apps, web-media videos, photo
collections, etc. All the apps were intuitive and easy enough to use, especially
for checking email or visiting web sites. One function is conspicuously absent:
A media player to play videos and music. It would not be a surprise to see this
added in future, as Express Gate can be updated like a real operation system
or BIOS.
BIOS
Express Gate can be enabled or disabled in the BIOS, which is
spartan with hardly any adjustments or tweaks. Remember, this is no enthusiast
system but a complete plug-and-play system. The Hardware Monitoring section
has only one line, to turn the automatic fan control (Q-fan) on or off. The
latter option is definitely not recommended: The internal fan shifts to full
speed and stays there. It's noisy, measuring some 37 dBA@1m.
Booting into Windows XP (Home) was brisk enough, taking about
30 seconds from Express Gate, and about 5 seconds more from turn on. It was
a relief to discover that there was no clutter of superfluous trial software,
unlike typical systems from suppliers like Dell or HP.
TESTING METHODOLOGY
Equipment
Measurement and Analysis Tools
Our main test procedure is designed to determine gauge the overall user experience
while using the PC in typical functions, measured the system power consumption
at various states, and to test the integrated graphics' proficiency at playing
back high definition videos, an important function in the role of a home entertainment
hub, which Asus says the Eee Box is good for. An external DVD player would have
to be added to complete the latter role, but many people are collecting movies
and video clips in digital form for playback from a home server on the network.
We use a variety of H.264/VC-1 clips encoded for playback on the PC. The clips
are played with PowerDVD 7 and a CPU usage graph is created by the Windows Task
Manger for analysis to determine the approximate mean and peak CPU usage. High
CPU usage is indicative of poor video decoding ability on the part of the integrated
graphics subsystem. If the video (and/or audio) skips or freezes, we conclude
the board's IGP (in conjunction with the processor) is inadequate to decompress
the clip properly.
Finally, an Asus MK241H 24" widescreen LCD monitor with 1920x1200 native
resolution was also used. The Eee Box had no trouble with this setting, even
though the initial spec sheet indicated that 1600x1200 is the highest display
resolution.
Video Test Suite
720p | 25fps | ~5.7mbps |
|
1080p | 24fps | ~10mbps |
|
1080p | 24fps | ~7.5mbps |
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