Asus Eee vs Thin Client?

az2008 · Post by **az2008** » Sat Feb 21, 2009 2:26 pm

I have some free time and was considering playing around with a thin client. Looking at eBay I can get a 1ghz 5700 256/256 for $50. A new 1.2ghz 5710 512/256 for $130.

Then I looked at used Eee PCs. You can get old 2gb "Surfs" for $40. Newer 900s (with 1gb RAM & 8gb SSD) for $150. Lots of choices in between (Eee 4gb, 8gb, model 701). Many come with XP Home.

Generally, the Eee use Celeron 353s @ 5w. Some of the newer ones (like the 900A) use the Atom N270 @ 2.5w.

Isn't the advantage of a thin client diminishing as these solid-state netbooks flow into the used market?

I could understand the TC's value proposition compared to a laptop. Laptops cost considerably more. Older ones may use considerably more electricity. But, the price point of these older Eees is on par with a TC. And, the CPU's energy use is comparble. And, you get more RAM and flash out of the box. Along with embedded peripherals in a TC-sized footprint.

I'm thinking the only downsize is that the Eee doesn't have a video connector. If the LCD fails, you're out of luck (unlike a real laptop or a TC).

Anyway, just curious what others think. I'm debating whether to buy a TC or a cheap Eee. If I get the Eee I could write up a how-to that doesn't exist(?). That might be valuable.

Also, I'm not trying to troll for biased viewpoints. I already concede that a TC's strong points are included XPe, EWF, nightly reboot/reset to original image. For comparison, the Eee models I'm considering come with XP Home, can have their services reduced (to eliminate SSD writes) or EWF installed, and can be restored to an original image using the free Clonezilla tool (if EWF isn't installed).

Mark

Mark

stroths · Post by **stroths** » Mon Feb 23, 2009 11:48 pm

If you are certain the power usage is comparable and you can get one for around the same price, a surf would be a good option. The added built in video would be nice and its portable if you want to take the whole thing with you.

As you mentioned, EWF would be needed and a ram disk, but I've done this plenty of times since I install XP Pro on my thin clients as well as my wife's atom based Eee 900 series.

The only downside I can think of would be the fan. The Eee's can get hot and that fan can make some noise.

pagemen · Post by **pagemen** » Tue Feb 24, 2009 1:07 am

i can't find any eee pcs for less than $100...

az2008 · Post by **az2008** » Tue Feb 24, 2009 1:47 pm

pagemen wrote:i can't find any eee pcs for less than $100...

I was a little over-optimistic when I said 2G surfs are $40. I think I saw one go for the $60-70 range. 4G $120.

That range seems to be the roughly the same as 5700 and 5710. I saw a used 5700 go for $64 the other day. New 5710s are selling for $129.

I've seen 900s go for $150. I also saw a 900 with a broken LCD go cheap. That would be a useful deal for a standalone, always-on device. Use the external VGA connector as necessary.

Which raises another point. I made a mistake in my earlier posting when I said one downside to an Eee is they have no external VGA connector (if the LCD dies, the unit is unusable). They do have external VGA.

Anyway, I'm not sure I'd do a 2G. I've read that their CPU runs extremely slow (333mhz?).

My only point was that, as more used Eees hit the market, the price differential between the thin client and Eee is much less. It becomes more feasible (and more energy efficient) than a laptop ($300?). Considering the additional resources an Eee comes with (512m to 1g RAM, 2g to 16g flash), and the ability to use it for other purposes (portability), the price difference may make sense.

I'm still not sure how the CPU performance compares. (Stroths, regarding energy use, I have used this reference as a resource. It says the Celeron M 353 uses 5w. The Atom N270 uses 2.5w. http://users.erols.com/chare/elec.htm)

Mark

mberlant · Post by **mberlant** » Tue Feb 24, 2009 7:21 pm

VoIP does not require a lot of horsepower to run, so that "slow" eee should be up to the task. Of course, if it is also running a bunch of MS bloatware, that could easily deprive the VoIP service of the sliver of power it needs.

When I was running a TigerJet solution the TigerJet dongle was happy to run on a Pentium II 166 laptop with 96MB RAM. My wife was able to do other things on the laptop while a phone conversation was underway, and I was able to VNC into the laptop to make level adjustments remotely while a conversation was underway (of course).

I will have to dust off that retired ThinkPad and see if it is happy running the MJ.

GuyOnTheAir · Post by **GuyOnTheAir** » Mon Jun 01, 2009 6:00 pm

How can you just add EWF to an existing install of Windows?