Asus Eee PC 1000HE WinSat Disk SSD performance

Since we have been on the topic of WinSat performance in the various configurations we have had here in the shop with Intel’s new second generation solid-state drives, we did not test the Netbook that started the whole thing off!

So, here are the results:

C:\>winsat disk
Windows System Assessment Tool
> Running: Feature Enumeration ''
> Run Time 00:00:00.00
> Running: Storage Assessment '-seq -read -n 0'
> Run Time 00:00:07.49
> Running: Storage Assessment '-ran -read -n 0'
> Run Time 00:00:01.03
> Running: Storage Assessment '-scen 2009 -drive C:'
> Run Time 00:01:02.59
> Running: Storage Assessment '-seq -write -drive C:'
> Run Time 00:00:13.43
> Running: Storage Assessment '-flush -drive C: -seq'
> Run Time 00:00:03.26
> Running: Storage Assessment '-flush -drive C: -ran'
> Run Time 00:00:02.67
> Running: Storage Assessment '-hybrid -ran -read -n 0 -ransize 4096'
NV Cache not present.
> Run Time 00:00:00.05
> Running: Storage Assessment '-hybrid -ran -read -n 0 -ransize 16384'
NV Cache not present.
> Run Time 00:00:00.03
> Disk  Sequential 64.0 Read                133.19 MB/s          7.0
> Disk  Random 16.0 Read                    122.65 MB/s          7.3
> Responsiveness: Average IO Rate        2.43 ms/IO          6.7
> Responsiveness: Grouped IOs             13.21 units          6.4
> Responsiveness: Long IOs                   11.57 units          7.3
> Responsiveness: Overall                    152.89 units          6.6
> Responsiveness: PenaltyFactor               0.0
> Disk  Sequential 64.0 Write                73.57 MB/s          6.1
> Average Read Time with Sequential Writes  1.192 ms       7.5
> Latency: 95th Percentile                     2.361 ms          7.4
> Latency: Maximum                             157.421 ms          7.5
> Average Read Time with Random Writes    1.440 ms       7.9
> Total Run Time 00:01:31.76

The specific Asus Eee PC 1000HE SSD performance variables we look at:

• Disk  Sequential 64.0 Read                133.19 MB/s          7.0
• Disk  Random 16.0 Read                    122.65 MB/s          7.3
• Disk  Sequential 64.0 Write                73.57 MB/s          6.1
• Total Run Time 00:01:31.76

This was the Toshiba Tecra S10’s 160GB Intel SSD’s Winsat performance (previous blog post) the last time we measured it.

Here are the Tecra S10’s single 160GB SSD read/write stats that we retook today:

• Disk  Sequential 64.0 Read              215.06 MB/s        7.4
• Disk  Random 16.0 Read                    63.50 MB/s        6.7
• Disk  Sequential 64.0 Write              87.69 MB/s          6.3
• Total Run Time 00:01:28.20

It looks as though the I/O bottleneck has been dealt a serious blow on both configurations. Though, the S10’s Random Read number does look a little low relative to the Netbook.

The Netbook is running Windows 7 Professional x86 (32bit) with no BitLocker Drive Encryption while the Tecra S10 is running Windows 7 Enterprise x64 (64bit) with BitLocker Drive Encryption enabled.

All in all, bumping out the 160GB 5400RPM SATA drive in the Netbook was a _really good decision_!

Philip Elder
MPECS Inc.
Microsoft Small Business Specialists
Co-Author: SBS 2008 Blueprint Book

*Our original iMac was stolen (previous blog post). We now have a new MacBook Pro courtesy of Vlad Mazek, owner of OWN.

Windows Live Writer

The Verdict Is In: Eee PC and Windows 7 = ~7 Hours Of Battery Life

We posted earlier about loading Windows 7 on a new Asus Eee PC (previous blog post).

Last weekend there was some writing to do but I did not want to lug home the Tecra S10. It was used, on battery, for about a couple of hours in total on the weekend.

This morning we had an on-site to install four new workstations on our client’s SBS 2003 network. The Eee PC was not plugged in to charge up before the service call.

The on-site started at 0830Hrs (830AM) this morning and ended at 1330Hrs (130PM) this afternoon. The Eee PC finally gave up around 13:15Hrs which was about 15 minutes too soon! :)

All in all, the unit gave us about 7 hours of uninterrupted work time while on battery with an active wireless N (2Hrs) and a cellular modem (5Hrs).

Note that the Eee PC 1000HE comes with an 8700mAh (62Wh) battery versus the smaller 6500mAh batter in other Eee PCs. Bigger cells means a longer on-battery life.

The unit was plugged in when we got back to the shop and took about three or so hours to charge fully while off.

Having the ability to run the unit on the battery while doing service calls is pretty critical in that some of the server closets we work in have no available sockets or are running their 15Amp circuit to the max already.

Having a laptop, or the Netbook, while working at a client site is truly a necessity. Having access to the Internet via cellular modem allows us to download drivers, do research on any problems we may be faced with, update our service requests, or any other mundane Internet related task that should not be done from a server . . . especially a client’s server.

Philip Elder
MPECS Inc.
Microsoft Small Business Specialists
Co-Author: SBS 2008 Blueprint Book

*All Mac on SBS posts will not be written on a Mac until we replace our now missing iMac! (previous blog post)

Windows Live Writer

Windows 7 Ultimate x86 On An Eee PC with N280 Atom and 2GB RAM

Unfortunately the Asus Eee PC 1000HE is not x64 capable.

However, it was not a difficult decision to install Windows 7 on the new Asus Eee PC we picked up for shop duties, some of the longer forthcoming trips, as well as quick client trips.

Remember our experiences installing Windows 7 on the Toshiba Tecra S1? They were actually quite pleasantly surprising.

• Toshiba Tecra S1 laptop
• Intel Pentium M 1.7GHz
• Single Core
• 400MHz Front Side Bus
• 1MB Level 2 Cache
• 24.5 Watt Thermal Design Power (TDP)
• 1GB RAM

Now, let’s look at the Netbook:

• The Asus Eee PC
• Intel N280 Atom 1.66GHz
• Single Core with HyperThreading
• 667MHz Front Side Bus
• 512KB Level 2 Cache
• 2.5 Watt Thermal Design Power

Pound for pound, we are looking at 10% of the S1’s power consumption (TDP) and at least as good as, if not better, all around performance on the Eee PC. The major performance boost on the Eee PC will be the HyperThreading capability of the Intel Atom as well as the front side bus speed. The Pentium M is only a single core unfortunately.

That translates to about 2 hours of battery life on the stock battery with the Tecra S1 and at least ? hours for the Eee PC. The box and book says that it can run about 6 hours on the somewhat larger battery included with this model. We shall see.

Last night’s first battery only run after a full charge yielded about 2.5 hours on 33% battery consumption. So, the number may not be far off.

A nice feature of the Eee PC’s 945 chipset is that it supports Aero and all of the Aero goodness in Windows 7. Also, the x86 version of Windows 7 picked up all of the hardware components with the exception of the Asus proprietary button device. Windows 7 x86 also picked up all of the SBS 2003 delivered printer drivers and setup without a hiccup too.

The big difference between the full sized Tecra and the Eee PC is the screen. The Eee PC’s small screen may be good for odd jobs and the like, but other than typing out this blog post on it and the other odd jobs it will be tasked with, the smaller screen is definitely a liability . . . at least until we get use to it! ;)

The small keyboard will also be a bit of a task to get used to for big fingers and thumbs. We have somewhere in the neighbourhood of 5 different keyboard styles around here including desktop keyboards and the various laptops and now Netbook. So, switching between them becomes a blend of touch typing with a bit of hunt & peck when the keyboard is not so familiar.

Finally, the touchpad leaves something to be desired. That goes without saying for any laptop. An external mouse such as the Logitech VX Revolution, or any wireless mouse, is a necessity for anyone that does not like touchpads. That is the case here.

Philip Elder
MPECS Inc.
Microsoft Small Business Specialists
Co-Author: SBS 2008 Blueprint Book

*All Mac on SBS posts will not be written on a Mac until we replace our now missing iMac! (previous blog post)

Windows Live Writer