Nvidia ION

Included in GeForce 9400M chipset

The Nvidia Ion system produced by Zotac includes Nvidia’s GeForce 9400M (MCP79) chipset, DDR3-1066 or DDR2-800 SDRAM and the Intel Atom processor. With this platform, the processor which is the nerve center of any computer and the graphics chips have reached a high level of quality. According to the manufacturer’s description, the next generation Nvidia Ion graphics energizes your PC with over 10 times the performance of integrated graphics and enables you to experience full 1080p video on sites like YouTube HD or play the most popular PC games like World of Warcraft. We couldn’t agree more. With Nvidia Ion graphics new sophisticated games are getting more realistic and 3D modeling applications more efficient.

Much electricity but able to run 3D

At the heart of Nvidia ION is the graphics chip from Nvidia GeForce 9400M. It consumes much electricity but is powerful enough to support some 3D games which makes it quite appropriate for netbooks or PCs of reduced dimensions. The Atom processor that was imposed in the world of netbooks also represents a real advance for multimedia applications and games.
Nowadays most netbooks share a series of characteristics, including the classic Intel Atom processor able to run at 1.6 GHz systems like windows XP and launch applications that are not too heavy. The memory embedded in netbooks is generally limited to 1GB. This may be sufficient but does not leave much space for open programs. Indeed, to compensate for the lack of memory, the netbook will use the hard drive. Other differences refer to photo editor applications. The latest version of Photoshop CS4 offers hardware accelerated graphics card with Geforce 9400M and MediaShow 5 allows you to manage your library of images and has a tool face recognition that is much faster on the ION platform. However, it is important to remember that the Atom processor is modest, not to mention the amount of memory that is too small to handle large real-time footage. This leads to the conclusion that the acceleration provided by ION is possible only if the software is compatible.

Encode video to see on mobile devices

It is also possible to encode videos to watch on a mobile device. Thus, a netbook with ION is sufficiently powerful and Badaboom software provides plenty of possibilities. Very easy to use, it is a media converter tool that formats video files for a variety of devices, including iPod, PSP, iPad, and YouTube by using the system’s graphics processing unit (GPU). It is also capable of copying a DVD into a file on the computer’s hard disk. But the video encoding may become a long heavy operation, so it is recommended to use a powerful processor that can also take several minutes or even hours before finalizing the project. Clearly, an Atom is not enough. This is where ION steps in with new performances on netbooks. Not only that it is now able to do the encoding but it also deal with a more powerful laptop.
In terms of high definition, with the ION platform playing movies in 720p or even in Full-HD (1080p) is now possible without restrictions. A quick glance at the task manager shows that the main processor is used very little when the load is 100% permanently without acceleration using the GPU. And as long as the netbook or the net-top has an HDMI output, you can connect to a TV to watch videos comfortably in high definition. This is particularly the case for the N510 from Samsung, the Compaq Mini 311 and Acer Aspire Revo are the first to benefit from the ION platform.

The positive points (pros)

Excellent graphics, good price.

The negative points (cons)

None

Technical specifications for NVidia ION

Ion 1:
Intended Operating System: (Ion): Microsoft Windows XP, Vista, Windows 7, Linux; (Ion-LE): Microsoft Windows XP, Linux
Memory Interface: DDR3-1066 or DDR2-800
Graphics Cores: 16
Core/Shader Clocks: 450/1100 MHz
RAMDACs: 300 MHz
Maximum High-Dynamic Range (HDR) Precision: 128-bit
Maximum Analog Resolution: 2048 x 1536
Maximum Digital Resolution: 2560 x 1600
Graphics APIs: DirectX 10.0, OpenGL 3.2
Full HD decode (1080i/p): Yes, 3rd Generation PureVideo
Display Options: HDMI, Dual-link DVI, DP, or VGA (any 2)
HDMI Version: 1.3 (according to the manual of the zotac ION itx-f board)
Networking: 10/100/1000 BASE-T
USB Ports: 12/2C
PCI Slots: 5

Ion 2
Standard Memory Configs: 512 MB of DDR2, 256 MB of DDR3, 512 MB of DDR3
Memory Interface Width: Up to 64-bit
Hardware Video Decode Acceleration: Yes, 4th Generation PureVideo
NVidia CUDA Technology: Yes
Audio: HDA
Maximum Digital Resolution: 2560 x 1600
Maximum VGA Resolution: 2048 x 1536
Netbook Supported Display Connectors: HDMI
Desktop Supported Display Connectors: Dual-link DVI, DisplayPort, HDMI, VGA
Multi-monitor: Yes
HDCP: Yes