Posts tagged nvidia ion
Asus 1201NL is a single-core version of 1201N, not much cheaper
Jan 8th
Are you considering picking up an Asus 1201N with its beefy dual core Atom 330 processor? Maybe you’re a little concerned about battery life, though. That 330, after all, is intended for use in nettops, not netbooks.
You’re in luck! Asus has unveiled the Eee PC 1201NL at CES. The system is essentially the same as the 1201N, but it has an Atom 270 processor under the hood. That means you’ll get better battery life – and you’ll also be giving up a bit of straight-up CPU performance. The CPU switch should put the 1201NL in line with other Ion netbooks like the HP Mini 311 and Samsung N510.
Now, here’s the rub. Brad Linder spoke with an Asus rep and was told the retail price for the 1201NL would be around $20 or $30 less than the 1201N.
If we look at the results of Laptop Magazine’s Ion shootout and base the 1201NL’s battery life on the HP or Samsung, you’re gaining 1 hour, giving up about 200 points in PC Mark, and saving $25.
Is that a compelling combo to you? I think I’d rather just stick with the original 1201N, especially since there’s no waiting – Amazon has it in stock for $484
via Liliputing
Jolicloud ready to add native NVidia Ion support, 1080p HD video
Jan 4th
A few hours back on Twitter, Jolicloud announced that one featured users have been clamoring for is about to go live: built-in support for NVidia Ion.
If you’re running the distro on a system like the Asus 1201N or HP Mini 311, you’ll be able to utilize the Ion’s GPU kung-fu without having to lift a post-install finger. On top of that, 1080P video support has also been added.
Bottom line: if you’re a Linux fan but weren’t sure which distro to load on your netbook, Jolicloud is now a better choice than ever. Don’t forget, it’s Ubuntu-based. You’ve got access to apt-get and all the Ubuntu repositories, where you’ll find loads of awesome Linux games.
Keep an eye on @jolicloud on Twitter, then go grab the new version once it’s released – or just grab it now and perform an update later!
Do HD displays harm netbook performance? Survey says: yes.
Dec 31st
It’s no secret that Ion-powered netbooks pretty much destroy their straight-up Intel cousins when it comes to gaming and GPU acceleration-enabled multimedia apps. But what about more traditional apps which don’t know what to do with the Ion’s added horsepower?
Like your web browser. Or favorite word processing app…or most any other app on your netbook. If your system sports a 1366×768 display, there’s a good chance those added pixels are working the Atom CPU a bit harder when it’s processing 2D tasks.
Over at Liliputing, my pal Brad was starting to notice something strange when reviewing various systems with high-def displays. They seemed slightly less zippy than their 1024×768 counterparts – and I’m sure he’s right. As Brad points out, an HD netbook display has almost 70% more pixels. That’s a pretty fair sized chunk of additional work for the already-taxed Atom CPUs to tackle.
So for now at least, netbooking continues to be a game of compromises.
Want Ion for 3D gaming? Ok, but you might have to deal with slightly poorer 2D performance.
ECS MD120 dual-core Atom/Ion nettop now available
Dec 29th
While OEMs have been a little sluggish in producing netbooks with NVidia’s Ion under the hood, they seem to be falling over themselves to release nettops sporting the gaming-friendly chipset.
This time, it’s ECS offering the tandem – inside the MD120. It’s a barebones similar to the Asrock Ion 330, with a dual-core Atom 330, 2x SODIMM slots with a max of 4GB memory, multi-format card reader, 6 USB 2.0 ports, HDMI, DVI, and VGA outputs, and room for 2 mini PCIe expansion cards and a slimline SATA optical drive.
There’s also room for a full 3.5″ SATA hard drive, which means cramming 1TB or more into this baby is very doable.
The MD120 is selling on Newegg for $269. Throw in the missing bits – say, a 1TB HDD, 2GB SODIMM, and tray-load DVD-Burner, and you’re looking at about $190 more.
Don’t forget you’ll still need an OS, which pushes this little system up over the $550 mark. Is it worth it at that price? Seems a little on the high side to me.
Of course, if you’ve got some good pulls sitting around and can kit this out with repurposed parts, $269 for the shell isn’t a bad deal at all.
via Netbooked