ASUS EeeBook X205TA 11.6-inch Windows Laptop $139 Review - Compared to HP Stream 11 and Acer E 11

Buy it on Amazon - (affiliate link) (reduced to $139!)
VIDEO INDEX:
0:08 - Hardware overview
1:44 - Metal clip issue
3:31 - Web performance
5:18 - Gaming and Minecraft demo
6:01 - Microsoft Word demo
6:54 - Conclusion and final thoughts
Asus is joining the sub-$200 Windows PC market with their new X205TA laptop.
This one differs from similar priced offerings from HP and Acer in that it's powered by a quad core Intel Atom processor at 1.3ghz. The Acer and HP both have a faster Intel Celeron N2840 processor. But because the Atom processor uses less power, the Asus is able to put a smaller battery inside their PC that reduces weight and lasts longer than the competition. The result is a PC that can run for approximately 12 hours doing light tasks and weighs only 2.2 pounds.
The Octane javascript benchmark puts the Asus X205TA considerably slower than the HP Stream 11 and Acer E 11. It's also behind most Chromebooks. But it doesn't feel as slow as its benchmark scores indicate. I think that might be because its quad core processor can handle more browser rendering tasks than the N2840's dual core processor can.
The display is the nicest I've seen on one of these sub $200 Windows computers so far. It's crisp and clear and much nicer to look at.
There is a significant design issue with two metal protrusions on the back of the display. When the screen is opened and on a desk the metal can dig into wood, leaving scratches and dents on the desk surface.
Like its competitors it doesn't have much available storage. After the windows installation and recovery partition there's only about 15-17 gigabytes of free space available. This can be supplemented by installing a microSD card to add additional storage. The card sits flush to the case when installed.
I think the HP Stream 11 still remains the best value among the sub $200 Windows PCs, primarily because it's faster and comes with a full year of an Office 365 subscription.
But if portability and weight is a factor the X205TA wins out.
Subscribe to my email list to get a weekly digest of upcoming videos! -
Visit the Lon.TV store to purchase some of my previously reviewed items!
Want to help the channel? Start a Patreon subscription!
Follow me on Facebook!
Follow me on Twitter!
Follow me on Google+
DISCLOSURE: I purchased this device with my own funds