Asus Eee Box B206

HDMI-equipped budget media centre

Thu 7 May 2009 // 08:02 UTC

Aside from HD video, its performance scores were similar to those you'd expect from other Atom equipped Small, Cheap Computers. It achieved an overall PCMark05 result of 1,526 and its individual scores weren't that far off the original Eee Box apart from graphics, where it did almost twice as well. Its 3DMark06 score of 1,053 is reasonable given its price, but it's not really enough for any serious gaming.

Box above its weight? The Atom CPU lacks punch to be an HD knockout

Another feature that boosts its lounge side suitability is when hooked up to a big screen TV you can manually adjust the amount of underscan or overscan of the image, so the screen can be filled without losing the ability to see the taskbar or other Windows elements.

Verdict

If you're looking at the B206 as a cheap home theatre PC then, unless your requirements are fairly specific or you're happy to stick to standard definition, you'll likely be disappointed. High def output is achievable, but it's not incredibly flexible currently. If you're looking for a cheap and cheerful machine for general use that can tackle the odd bit of video, however, it's more than up to the job. ®