NVIDIA Ion: Graphics for Netbooks

[Wraith]

http://farm1.static.flickr.com/218/471717032_35769dc95f.jpg

Oh, wait...

http://origin-images.pcworld.com/reviews/graphics/155566-pico_ion_360.jpgThe netbook is driving the PC industry right now -- the little systems are characterized by lightweight, small screens, low purchase price, and low performance for the most part.

NVIDIA has announced a new platform called Ion that should add significantly to the performance of netbooks, small form factor PCs, and all-in-one PCs. The key to Ion is that the platform combines an Intel Atom CPU with a NVIDIA GeForce 9400 GPU. The combination will allow netbooks running the Ion platform to play rich full 1080p HD media and even video games that the traditional netbook couldn't handle.

NVIDIA claims that Ion provides the smallest premium PC experience available today. Big green says that the addition of a 9400 GPU with the Atom CPU in the Ion platform provides a ten times improvement in graphics performance compared to the typical netbook.

Ion fully supports Windows Vista and the upcoming Windows 7 platform. One of the most important facts about Ion is that it is able to integrate the Atom CPU and the 9400 GPU in about half the space of today's current Atom CPU platforms. That should mean netbook users have enough room to add RAM to make a viable Vista netbook.NVIDIA Unveils Ion Platform (http://www.dailytech.com/NVIDIA+Unveils+Ion+Platform/article13723.htm) (DailyTech)

More powerful graphics and more space for extra system RAM sounds like a no-brainer.

[JRR1285]

I just bought an Acer One... Should have waited. I wonder how much they are going to run?

[KingGorilla]

Makes sense, Netbooks are taking the market by storm. With AMD/Intel as the leading mobile chipset producers. I just hope NvIdia can try to make a real mobile chip for a change, not a hot power hogging desktop chip with insufficient cooling.

[fitbabits]

Nice move by nVidia. ATI/AMD is really dropping the ball these days when it comes to innovation. I miss the days of my Radeon 9800 Pro.

[LiquidRain]

Anxiously awaiting to see what comes of this. Perfect combination. Ditch the 945GC chipset, you damned netbook makers! Argh!

[itchyeyes]

Very nice. I'm definitely putting any potential netbook purchases on hold until these things hit the market.

[Tron]

I'll contain any enthusiasm until I see benchmarks.

[LiquidRain]

I'll contain any enthusiasm until I see benchmarks.
Considering how amazing the 9400m is for Core 2 Duos, I have every reason to believe this thing will blast the 3 year old 945 chipsets out of the water in absolutely every respect. The 9400m runs circles around the Intel G45 chipsets in every respect (system performance and graphics) while consuming less power and placing all I/O functionalities onto 1 chipset. And the 945 is 3 generations behind the G45!

[Tron]

Considering how amazing the 9400m is for Core 2 Duos, I have every reason to believe this thing will blast the 3 year old 945 chipsets out of the water in absolutely every respect. The 9400m runs circles around the Intel G45 chipsets in every respect (system performance and graphics) while consuming less power and placing all I/O functionalities onto 1 chipset. And the 945 is 3 generations behind the G45!

I like concrete numbers.

[Spectre-7]

I like concrete numbers.

http://i44.tinypic.com/znas7c.jpg

Sorry, granite was the best I could do on short notice.

[Disgustipated]

Nice move by nVidia. ATI/AMD is really dropping the ball these days when it comes to innovation. I miss the days of my Radeon 9800 Pro.

Not really. You have to make a distinction between the ATI side of AMD and the AMD side. The AMD side will definitely make up with Phenom II, and ATI has been killing NVidia lately.

[Xerxes]

That little dell laptop actually intrigues me. If I was just running around with money falling out of my pockets I'd get one of those jokers.

[mesh]

You mean the mini? it's nice, but a bit underpowered. It can handle most web browsing and similar tasks fine and the lack of a fan is definitely a plus. Wish more netbooks lacked the noisy fan.

[Xerxes]

You got you Ions and the Atoms, who has the Protons?

[J Arcane]

Can I just say I reaaaally appreciate Nvidia stepping up on the mobile/integrated front?

'Cause, as someone who'd like to own a Mac someday, it's suddenly proving to mean I might be able to get a decent one for less than a jillion dollars.

[biosc1]

You got you Ions and the Atoms, who has the Protons?

Hehe...I searched for Proton Technology and came up with this gem..

Proton Corp plans to market a 'monoputer' or 'Intelligent Terminal' in 1996 that will contain a television set, personal computer and audio system in one piece of machinery. The television set will have a 15-inch screen and the product will cost approximately $2,000. The product will be built by an original equipment manufacturer without the Proton name.

MONOPUTER!

[Heretic Machine]

Hehe...I searched for Proton Technology and came up with this gem..



MONOPUTER!

I can't believe you haven't heard of them, they virtually revolutionized modern living. How could I make it day-to-day without my monoputer?

[Matthias]

Can I just say I reaaaally appreciate Nvidia stepping up on the mobile/integrated front?

'Cause, as someone who'd like to own a Mac someday, it's suddenly proving to mean I might be able to get a decent one for less than a jillion dollars.

Amen to a cheap Mac netbook. I would have that thing with me ALWAYS.

not that I don't carry my MBP with me all the time anyway. It'd just be much easier.

[Tron]

Can I just say I reaaaally appreciate Nvidia stepping up on the mobile/integrated front?

'Cause, as someone who'd like to own a Mac someday, it's suddenly proving to mean I might be able to get a decent one for less than a jillion dollars.

Apple will still charge $1999 so I don't see this helping much.

[Xerxes]

Apple will still charge $1999 so I don't see this helping much.

That's if there nice.

[LiquidRain]

Unfortunately, nothing new from nVidia *or* from their manufacturing partners about anything Ion based at CES. Seems we might be waiting a while to get a handle on these. Shame, that. :(

[Libuke]

You got you Ions and the Atoms, who has the Protons?

An Ion is an atom it just has a charge.

[BlackPete]

This would be uber sweet when it comes out. I no longer care about having an uber PC rig... as long as I can run the PC games I want to play, I'd be more than satisfied.

I bought a laptop a couple of years ago, and I don't think I could ever go back to a desktop system, so this is great news for me.

[PathMaster]

Considering how amazing the 9400m is for Core 2 Duos, I have every reason to believe this thing will blast the 3 year old 945 chipsets out of the water in absolutely every respect. The 9400m runs circles around the Intel G45 chipsets in every respect (system performance and graphics) while consuming less power and placing all I/O functionalities onto 1 chipset. And the 945 is 3 generations behind the G45!

Yes, but will the overall product improve on battery life? That is a far better and more important question, at least to me.

You mean the mini? it's nice, but a bit underpowered. It can handle most web browsing and similar tasks fine and the lack of a fan is definitely a plus. Wish more netbooks lacked the noisy fan.

I think he(Xerxes) was referring to the Adamo (http://www.pcmag.com/article2/0,2817,2338646,00.asp) by Dell (http://www.tomshardware.com/news/Dell-Adamo-Studio-XPS-13,6827.html)?

Rather than use carbon fibre, the Adamo uses brushed aluminum. Unlike the new Apple MacBooks, however, there still are still plastic bits and the keyboard appears to be framed in a more traditional manner. What the Adamo does have from the new MacBooks, for better or worse, is a sheet of glass covering the 13-inch screen which many users have complained about.

[Xerxes]

No he was right. Adamo is new to me.

[boratika]

Unfortunately, nothing new from nVidia *or* from their manufacturing partners about anything Ion based at CES. Seems we might be waiting a while to get a handle on these. Shame, that. :(

This was so disappointing. I'm really wishing nVidia would throw us a bone here. Just a general target release window or something. They announce it, distribute so nice little prototype boxes and then just leave us hanging. I know I'm going to buy a netbook sometime this year, but now I my plans are on hold without a timeframe. Is frustrating.

Kind of a tangent: by far my favourite thing shown at CES was this (http://www.reghardware.co.uk/2009/01/07/asus_eee_keyboard/). It would/will benefit greatly from an Ion inside it. But since Asus are aiming for a September release, it should be done by then.

[LiquidRain]

The main problem with the Ion is that Intel is shipping Atom as bundles to OEM: chipset+Atom. You can't just buy an Atom on its own, or at least, that's what I hear. There's also speculation that nVidia doesn't have the license to sell chipsets for Atom. (despite having the license for the Intel FSB that Atom uses) Maybe the Ion announcement/push was to put manufacturer pressure on Intel. Who knows aside from the business folk at either company.

[Xerxes]

So what you are saying is wait for the AMD/ATI solution.

[LiquidRain]

The AMD/ATI solution is already out, and its power envelope is aimed at ultra portable notebooks, as a highly cutdown Athlon64 X2. It's not a design squarely aimed at the netbook/pico ITX market like the Ion or Atom. It can't get small or low power enough to compete with Atom, since AMD isn't investing in that market. (their loss, unfortunately, Intel's going to make a killing)

[Xerxes]

That sucks. With AMD/ATI all under the same house, they could make the chipset, cpu, and gpu. And like you said, with Intel freezing Nvidia out, they would be the better unified choice. Seems stupid of AMD/ATi.

[LiquidRain]

Intel hasn't frozen nVidia out, at least not officially or obviously. I don't think nVidia would market this product if they were truly shut out - I'm sure their lawyers carefully reviewed Ion before they even though of starting the project.

It still wouldn't (or shouldn't) stop manufacturers from making the nVidia units if they really wanted. nVidia said the price premium for using Ion, even with a bundled chipset from Intel being tossed away in the process, won't break the budget. (though they did not give any numbers)

[Wraith]

So Apple might be using Ion for the Mac Mini... and/or for AppleTV.

UPDATE: Apple Mac Mini Based on Nvidia Ion (http://www.tomshardware.com/news/apple-mac-nvidia-ion,6849.html) (Tom's Hardware)
A large portion of the Apple Mac community is waiting for Apple to refresh the Mac Mini line. We learned today that the next generation of Mac Mini computers will be based on Nvidia's Ion platform.

An Nvidia partner confirmed to us that Apple was the first to receive samples of Nvidia's Ion platform, which we covered extensively during CES. In fact, Apple received prototype units long before Nvidia partners who opted to work on Ion. We're told that some partners still only have blue prints of Ion.

...

Update: We had a discussion with Kasper at AppleInsider on this detail, and according to Kasper, Apple may be using Nvidia's Ion platform for an updated Apple TV. This seems highly plausable. At this time however, neither we nor AppleInsider are absolutely sure where Apple will be using Ion, but an Nvidia partner explicitly said Apple has Ion for Mac Mini.

[J Arcane]

Hmm. Well, Ion will be better than the damn Intel chip, but I was kinda hoping for the one from the Macbook.

[LiquidRain]

It is the one from the Macbook. The 9400M.

[J Arcane]

It is the one from the Macbook. The 9400M.
Then I clearly misunderstood or misread something on the way.

Either way, I got what I wanted. Now to wait for the release.

[Wraith]

Nvidia Ion Netbook Platform Reviewed: Incredible Video Performance, Not-So-Incredible Battery Life (http://i.gizmodo.com/5145257/nvidia-ion-netbook-platform-reviewed-incredible-video-performance-not+so+incredible-battery-life) (Gizmodo)PC perspective (http://www.pcper.com/article.php?aid=663&type=expert&pid=1) took an Nvidia Ion reference platform—all the guts crammed in a box—for a test drive and found the performance very much lives up to the hype: It blows away every other netbook.

But that incredible performance (for a netbook), with smooth HD video playback and Left4Dead running at an average of 20FPS, comes at a price. Literally, since Ion-based netbooks will run about $50 more than regular Atom-based netbooks with otherwise similar specs. And then on the battery front—the reference platform used double the amount of power of a standard Atom netbook. Nvidia says the reference platform lacked all of the power-saving features actual Ion netbooks will have, but definitely expect less time on the go.

[boratika]

Nvidia Ion Netbook Platform Reviewed: Incredible Video Performance, Not-So-Incredible Battery Life (http://i.gizmodo.com/5145257/nvidia-ion-netbook-platform-reviewed-incredible-video-performance-not+so+incredible-battery-life) (Gizmodo)

I guess that was to be expected. Though hopefully by the time it gets to retail will be better than the twice the power usage than an Eee that the reference was showing.

Can't say this has dampened my enthusiasm though. Still waiting for a release target though...

[Wraith]

I guess that was to be expected. Though hopefully by the time it gets to retail will be better than the twice the power usage than an Eee that the reference was showing.

Can't say this has dampened my enthusiasm though. Still waiting for a release target though...Well, nVidia did claim that the hardware they tested didn't have all the standard power saving features yet, so I guess we'll have to wait to see how it performs in a finished product to see how much battery life is actually affected.

[TrackZero]

What the fuck is a netbook?

[J Arcane]

What the fuck is a netbook?
It's where they take a bunch of cheap underpowered parts, and slap them in a tiny case, and then charge way too much for it.

[Wraith]

What the fuck is a netbook?Larger than a UMPC, but smaller than a notebook? With a low-power processor in a low cost package?

[TrackZero]

Larger than a UMPC, but smaller than a notebook? With a low-power processor in a low cost package?

Ah, it's a fad. Gotcha. Thanks!

[Wraith]

Ah, it's a fad. Gotcha. Thanks!Well, I don't own one personally, but I'm kinda glad that manufacturers are paying attention to the sub-$300 notebook space. Especially once nVidia Ion and Windows 7 are on the market.


And really, for your average computer user, this kind of design makes sense going forward. An inexpensive, portable computer that has power enough for word processing, email, web browsing, watching videos, listening to music. Doesn't take up much space, doesn't use much power. Take it on vacation. Plug it into a monitor/keyboard/mouse at home, if needed. Makes a nice second computer for households that already have a more powerful desktop / desktop replacement.

I bet they're selling a ton of these to college students.

[Xerxes]

Ah, it's a fad. Gotcha. Thanks!

I figure it's much more than that.

[total]

Ah, it's a fad. Gotcha. Thanks!

Go to a college campus basically anywhere in the US and you will see these things everywhere. They are basically killing the Mac market for the college kiddies.

[jpublic]

What the fuck is a netbook?

They're essentially mini-laptops, or halfway between small laptops and PDAs.

Usually 9" diagonal form factor, with minimal(1GB) memory, a small (8-16GB) SSD.

I use one at my work - instead of spending extra for a performance notebook, I argued it was more effective to get me a decent desktop and a netbook, at a slightly lower cost.

When I need to travel, run around the building, or even connect to check problems from home, its perfect. It can do RDP fine, web browse, check email, and when I'm bored, play Flash games. I even have a minimal OpenOffice install (instead of MSOffice) so I can open documents if required.

[Xerxes]

See I'm thinking about getting a Netbook because it sounds like a good machine to handicap myself into working, or CoG.

[Cpl_Punnishment]

I have an MSI Wind that overclocks the 1.6 Atom to 2 GHz via a bios update and new "turbo" mode. Put 2 gigs of ram in it and the little thing screams!

even played Rome Total War on it.

The only thing I wish is that I could have held out for the ION chipset, but maybe I'll just get a second when that happens.

[Xerxes]

I would only want the graphics card for hulu, and movies and such.

[Slack3r78]

Go to a college campus basically anywhere in the US and you will see these things everywhere. They are basically killing the Mac market for the college kiddies.
I have never owned a computer that gets as much interest and questions as my two week old Aspire One.

Keep in mind that I'm a Mac owner, as well.

Girls, in particular, really dig these little guys.

They completely kick the ass of full size notebooks in terms of being a carry around machine. My MBP only weighs around 5lbs and it feels huge in comparison.

[Xerxes]

I have never owned a computer that gets as much interest and questions as my two week old Aspire One.

Keep in mind that I'm a Mac owner, as well.

Girls, in particular, really dig these little guys.

They completely kick the ass of full size notebooks in terms of being a carry around machine. My MBP only weighs around 5lbs and it feels huge in comparison.

How many laptops and desktops do you own Slack?

[Slack3r78]

How many laptops and desktops do you own Slack?
Right now? Gaming desktop at the house, the MBP, and the netbook. I've got a box at work that I keep around for various experiments when things are slow, though.

[Xerxes]

Right now? Gaming desktop at the house, the MBP, and the netbook. I've got a box at work that I keep around for various experiments when things are slow, though.

Why too laptops? I have a mediocre desktop which I plan to decommission in favor of my laptop which seems to have more juice. But these cheap little netbooks seem so tempting.

[Slack3r78]

Why too laptops? I have a mediocre desktop which I plan to decommission in favor of my laptop which seems to have more juice. But these cheap little netbooks seem so tempting.
The MBP is big and the battery on it is completely shot, but given how little I'd get out of selling it, I'd rather hold onto it to still have a Mac around.

[J Arcane]

The MBP is big and the battery on it is completely shot, but given how little I'd get out of selling it, I'd rather hold onto it to still have a Mac around.
Really? MBP's usually resell pretty well. Not saying you should, I miss my Mac already and I've only been without my Hackenmac for like 3 months, just seems wierd to hear.

[Slack3r78]

Really? MBP's usually resell pretty well. Not saying you should, I miss my Mac already and I've only been without my Hackenmac for like 3 months, just seems wierd to hear.
Mine's got some problems like the 2 minute battery life, missing key on the keyboard, and a flaky DVD-RW drive. What I would get out of it wouldn't be worth not having a Mac at all anymore.

[J Arcane]

Mine's got some problems like the 2 minute battery life, missing key on the keyboard, and a flaky DVD-RW drive. What I would get out of it wouldn't be worth not having a Mac at all anymore.
Ahh. That explains it.

Personally, I wound up getting fed up with trying to update my hacked Mac, so I'm just waiting for the aforerumored Ion powered Mac mini.

[total]

Mine's got some problems like the 2 minute battery life, missing key on the keyboard, and a flaky DVD-RW drive. What I would get out of it wouldn't be worth not having a Mac at all anymore.

My Asus laptop's DVD-RW is shot too. Cheapest replacement I can find is like $60 so I said fuck it and just install everything over the network or through flash drives/external HDs.

I have 2 laptops, (Asus F3J and Acer 8103, gave the Aspire One back to my buddy...waiting for ION to hit before I get a netbook) 4 desktops, 2 servers (basically NAS) and a HTPC. I could also throw together about 5 more machines that could run Team Fortress decently if I wanted to. I have so many parts lying around my house it is fucking stupid. I actually donated like 4 Linux PCs to my grade school just so I could get rid of some of the clutter.

[total]

aforerumored Ion powered Mac mini.

This...would so make me buy my first Mac. If nothing else to throw XBMC on it and use it with my projector for HD content. Stupid 733mhz Celeron.

[Tron]

Ah, it's a fad. Gotcha. Thanks!

It's hardly a fad but then again some people say that the Wii is a fad.

[Slack3r78]

My Asus laptop's DVD-RW is shot too. Cheapest replacement I can find is like $60 so I said fuck it and just install everything over the network or through flash drives/external HDs.
yeah, MBP slot load drives are like $175-200, hence why I just burn on other computers.

[total]

yeah, MBP slot load drives are like $175-200, hence why I just burn on other computers.

I looked into slot load drive replacements for my lappie and it was pretty dumb how much they were asking for them. I'm sitting here thinking, that is like a quarter of what the laptop is worth!

[Tron]

Anandtech has a review of one of these as a HTPC. Doesn't look so hot. They ripped an HD movie which means it was already decrypted at the time of playback and it hit 90% CPU utilization on occasion. Well the CPU does the decrypting before the GPU ever gets a chance to hardware accelerate the playback. This equals dropped frames on the atom.

[cp#]

Any word on these fuckers in netbooks? I care not about ripping HD movies. If you want a HTPC, get something with some power.

[astranoir]

Any word on these fuckers in netbooks? I care not about ripping HD movies. If you want a HTPC, get something with some power.

Wasn't there something recently about the newest Eee PC claiming to have it and getting a ton of preorders, then admitting it didn't have the ION actually?

[Wraith]

Nvidia Ion Microsoft Approved; Due in Spring (http://www.tomshardware.com/news/Microsoft-Nvidia-Ion,7010.html) (Tom's Hardware)Ion has certainly caused a stir as of late. The platform was awarded "Best Enabling Technology" at CES 2009, and is also expected to be under the hood of the next Mac Mini. According to Drew Henry, Nvidia's mainboard chipset manager, the first Ion system will be a desktop, and will arrive this spring with a $299 price tag. While the company behind the first Atom desktop is still a mystery, Henry said the offering would be different from Nvidia's own demo design.

While Ion will hit shelves in desktop form first, Henry noted that portable solutions would not be far behind, according to Electronista (http://www.electronista.com/articles/09/02/11/nvidia.ion.launch.plans/).

[Wraith]

Well, until Ion gets here, there are some other graphics options showing up in netbooks.

MSI U110 Eco: Netbook with ATI Graphics (http://www.tomshardware.com/news/msi-u110-ati-radeon,7281.html) (Tom's Hardware)MSI pairs an Atom Z530 (1.6 GHz, 533 MHz FSB, 512 KB cache), with a discrete ATI Mobility Radeon HD3200 GPU on an Intel Poulsbo US15W chipset.

While the Poulsbo chipset is usually found in smaller mobile Internet devices (MIDs), the HD3200 is a staple among both desktops and notebooks for integrated graphics power. The HD3200 from ATI should be able to handle any sort of HD playback, and it's more powerful than any Intel IGP currently available. Again, don't expect the Eco to satiate your gaming appetite, but watching HD content should be a breeze.

[Xerxes]

And that's about all I wanted really. A machine to handle all my media.

[TrackZero]

They're essentially mini-laptops, or halfway between small laptops and PDAs.

Usually 9" diagonal form factor, with minimal(1GB) memory, a small (8-16GB) SSD.

*old man voice* Back in my day, they were called sub-notebooks and cost more than a normal laptop. ;) Still not a fan of the netbook moniker (rings like "cyber" in my head), but yeah, these laptops have their niche for sure.

[Wraith]

The first Ion-based netbook has been announced by Lenovo.


Lenovo's $449 IdeaPad S12 now official: first netbook with NVIDIA's Ion chipset (http://www.engadget.com/2009/05/25/lenovos-449-ideapad-s12-first-netbook-with-nvidias-ion-chips/) (Engadget)
Lenovo Reveals World’s First Netbook with Nvidia Ion Platform (http://www.xbitlabs.com/news/mobile/display/20090525232206_Lenovo_Reveals_World_s_First_Netboo k_with_Nvidia_Ion_Platform.html) (Xbit labs)


With a 12" display, full-size keyboard and starting price of $499 for the Ion version, it's edging on regular notebook territory. Ion version available later this summer. (Intel version starts at $449, available in June.)

Lenovo's Ion-powered IdeaPad S12 shows HD prowess on video (http://www.engadget.com/2009/05/25/lenovos-ion-powered-ideapad-s12-shows-hd-prowess-on-video/) (Engadget)Lenovo did itself a solid by beating the likes of Acer and ASUS with its Ion-infused IdeaPad S12, and now we're beginning to see a few more details on what performance will be like. We still wish the machine had something a bit more powerful than a 1.6GHz Intel Atom N270, but despite the fact that it's hobbling along on an aged CPU, the machine seems to handle 3D gaming and 1080p content with poise. The crew over at Notebooks managed to spend a little quiet time with a pre-production version of the S12, and it even managed to host up a few videos while the machine was kicking out content that would make the typical netbook buckle. Feel free to hit the read link to have a look yourself, and be sure to mind the three American SKUs. Here's a preview: the Ion-powered version (read: the one you want) will run $499.99 and include 1GB of RAM, a 6-cell battery and a 160GB hard drive.Lenovo IdeaPad S12 Hands On Video, First Notebook w/NVIDIA ION (http://www.notebooks.com/2009/05/25/lenovo-ideapad-s12-hands-on-video-first-notebook-wnvidia-ion/) (Notebooks.com)

http://www.blogcdn.com/www.engadget.com/media/2009/05/lenovo-s12-black-netbook_1.jpg

[total]

Yeah I can get a notebook for right around that amount. No thanks.

[Wraith]

I think the question is whether you can get a notebook this size with comparable graphics for the same price. Maybe there are some out there, but it seems like most notebooks under 14" today are either netbooks or quite a bit more expensive than $500. If you don't care if it's small, you've got a lot more options at that price.

[LiquidRain]

Sure, you can get a notebook for that price. But an LED backlit, 12", sub-1" thick notebook with the option of a 6-cell battery for 6 hours battery life?

To get that now you have to order the Thinkpad X200s. It's $1400+. The regular X200 is $1000 and isn't as well spec'd. Plus, it has Intel graphics. Ick.

It doesn't matter that this is edging on notebook territory/price. The notebooks in that size are all crappy 15" cheapsies. To get a 12" or 13" notebook that's got decent specs you're looking at $1100+.

The whole netbook revolution has been an amazing thing for me as a lover of small laptops. It's driving down prices of ultraportable laptops across the board, which means my purchase of my dream laptop (to replace my current Thinkpad X60s) could be right around the corner.

And Wraith, don't put too much faith in the graphics capabilities. The Intel Atom is a serious hindrance to any game performance that you can't expect anything to be very playable anyway. It can do a lot more than the integrated graphics, but where it really helps is HD playback.

(disclaimer: I get gigantic boners from Lenovo Thinkpads. Nowhere will you find a more well engineered laptop than the X series. My opinion on all this is a bit slanted.)

[Wraith]

And Wraith, don't put too much faith in the graphics capabilities. The Intel Atom is a serious hindrance to any game performance that you can't expect anything to be very playable anyway. It can do a lot more than the integrated graphics, but where it really helps is HD playback.Yeah, none of the benchmarks out there have shown it'll be much good for gaming (compared to a real notebook graphics card), but at least it's a significant step up from Intel's netbook graphics.

[LiquidRain]

Yeah, none of the benchmarks out there have shown it'll be much good for gaming (compared to a real notebook graphics card), but at least it's a significant step up from Intel's netbook graphics.
Yeah, that's the way I look at it. Though it doesn't really matter for me, hell, I'd just be putting Linux on it anyway. :P

I wonder if these will be fanless like the Zotac motherboards, or if this is going to need a fan. I'm also curious how Intel's new chipset will turn out later this year.

[Xerxes]

I would have like maybe a 10in monitor, but this is great. The price isn't to bad. Only a fool would like a DTS and netbook over a desktop or normal sized lappy. Or even just one computer.

[Wraith]

Samsung will have an Ion-based netbook, maybe as soon as next month.

Samsung breaks Netbook mold with Nvidia chip (http://news.cnet.com/8301-13924_3-10274882-64.html) (CNet)Nvidia on Monday confirmed that Samsung will bring out a Netbook based on the graphics chipmaker's Ion chipset, another design that breaks the Netbook mold.

...

Though Nvidia would not confirm specifications, Netbook Choice is reporting that the Netbook, branded the Samsung N510, is due in July and will sport an 11.6-inch screen--large for the Netbook category, where screens typically top out at about 10 inches.

[LiquidRain]

Dammit to hell you're quick. :) I think you just beat my RSS reader.

[Wraith]

I just happened to be browsing news.com and saw it there.

I did have a bunch of tech feeds in Google Reader, but I gave up trying to follow them long ago. I just check in on news.com, HardOCP, AnandTech, X-bit labs, Tom's Hardware...

[BabyJesus]

Girls, in particular, really dig these little guys.

I know I had mine out the other day and some girl came by and was going "aww how cute". Although I was watching some porn so she could have been talking abut my junk.


On a serious note, I have an 1000HE and I get pretty good performance out of it. I can't play crysis or anything but anything from around the Quake 2 vintage seems to play just fine, perhaps stuff a LITTLE newer. I get 50-80fps on most maps in Quake Live, although a few maps with larger areas chug a bit.

I don't do much gaming on it as I use it as a netbook most of the time. Its nice to have something I can use RDP, connect wirelessly, etc with 7-8 hours of battery life that weighs about 3 pounds.