NVIDIA ION 2: more power in our netbooks

Netbooks with NVIDIA ION are only just starting to appear and there's already talk of its successor. More powerful, it will also be available for VIA Nano processors. An opportunity to gain market share then, unless Intel comes up with its equivalent before then.

Already available on some nettops such as the Acer Aspire Revo, NVIDIA'S ION technology offers improved performance for video and gaming.

It's becoming possible to play with good quality graphics on these machines. Even if they don’t measure up to a real graphics card designed for the job, current levels of performance are fine for games such as Call of Duty 4 (with, we suppose, low detail settings).

When it comes to video, built in decoding means Blu-Ray works fluidly and can transform a low cost PC into a living room player if you use the HDMI out (if it exists).

The ION 2 continues this good work and is likely to give even better performance at lower energy consumption. ION 2s will be engraved at 40 nm rather than 55 nm on the first version, which should increase performances without increasing energy consumption or heat levels.

The graphics chip used for ION 2 is also likely to have at least twice as many shader units (namely 32) as on the 9400M used for the current ION. This increase wont be enough on its own to double performances but should mean a significant increase. In the best case scenario we can hope for a doubling of performance, which will open the door for even more games on these machines.

Lastly, the ION 2 platform will also be used with Via Nano processors. This is excellent news as it will encourage competition and diversify netbook configurations, which tend to be too similar one to another. The Atom processor seems a little out on its own here, which will certainly please Intel.

NVIDIA is reported to be planning to release the ION 2 for the end of the year but we’ll stilll have to wait a bit to see the first netbooks with the first version of ION. At the top of the list: the Lenovo IdeaPad S12 will be a key element for the success of the ION platform. This model is expected in a few months.

Product survey: Netbooks