Video: Mini-ITX 2.0 with VIA Nano really does play Crysis

Today VIA announced their Mini-ITX 2.0 platform for mini PCs. The standard calls for a high-performance, power efficient x86 processor like the VIA Nano, DirectX 10 graphics for Blu-ray Disc playback, 6-channel surround support, and a PCI Express x16 slot for video expansion. An optimized 2.0 system combined with a 1.8GHz Nano processor, CN896 chipset, nVidia GeForce 8600 card and 64-bit Windows will even kick its way through Crysis just as VIA has been saying all along. Don't believe us? Check the video after the break.

Read -- Mini-ITX 2.0 announcement
Read -- Crysis

[Jaque-o @ Jun 5th 2008 8:10AM]

Try squeezing that in a notebook!

Lol, seriously though, thats quite impressive

[Neonic @ Jun 5th 2008 9:12AM]

My laptop plays Crysis on High at stable framerates...

[Flashpoint @ Jun 5th 2008 9:35AM]

ahhhh

but, can it play Scrabble?

[Leo @ Jun 5th 2008 10:09AM]

yeah but can it play crys... ah damn

[KC @ Jun 5th 2008 10:37AM]

I can imagine the video card being bigger than the rest of the system. Good Job VIA.

[OneLove @ Jun 5th 2008 11:07AM]

ok, throwing turtles is not allowed.

[AJ @ Jun 5th 2008 11:10AM]

Pwnd.

[OneLove @ Jun 5th 2008 11:13AM]

P.S. when someone (htc/nvidia) makes an phone that can run crysis, then I will be impressed. (...and it will have a mega huge video card sticking out of it. lol)

[Jeebus @ Jun 5th 2008 1:03PM]

"My laptop plays Crysis on High at stable framerates".

A stable 3 fps?

[Derry Quinn @ Jun 5th 2008 8:12AM]

Ah, but does it play Doom?

[CUBSWILLWIN @ Jun 5th 2008 8:14AM]

if it played crysis amazingly fine, woudn't you expect it to play doom?

[unearthed @ Jun 5th 2008 8:19AM]

@CUBSWILLWIN

You didn't get the joke, don't you?

[Nat @ Jun 5th 2008 8:31AM]

@unearthed

His name is CUBSWILLWIN.... clearly he's not a serious person either

[TRAFFICBLOWS @ Jun 5th 2008 8:47AM]

The Doom "joke" is getting old...

[CJ @ Jun 5th 2008 7:20PM]

@ TRAFFICBLOWS

Ah, but the question is, WHO'S A MAN AND A HALF?

props to anyone who gets this.

[CUBSWILLWIN @ Jun 5th 2008 9:25AM]

I got the joke, I'm just tired of people repeating the same damn joke.

[retro77 @ Jun 5th 2008 9:31AM]

Ah but will it blend? That would make a fine puree!

[CUBSWILLWIN @ Jun 5th 2008 10:42AM]

sigh....

[Joe Anstine @ Jun 5th 2008 12:55PM]

No it does not. It cannot handle the demanding nature that is DOOM. My old 486, however, can.

[Derry Quinn @ Jun 5th 2008 12:59PM]

I'm sorry guys, i've never lowered myself to that before, but...gah, the title was just asking for it...I, however, am all for the pureé

[ben @ Jun 5th 2008 4:16PM]

We all know that it can play Doom... Now can it play lemmings at a stable framerate and be playable?

[NHAnimator @ Jun 5th 2008 8:13AM]

Runs Crysis fine, but bogs down in Word. Gotta be careful how you tweak your hardware.

[Ysleiro @ Jun 5th 2008 10:19AM]

Can somebody please tell me exactly why Crysis is considered the "Ultimitate" stressor of computers. Why is it that everyone always asks "does it play Crysis?"

What exactly is going on in this damn game? Is it like "pushing it to the limit" like Brucie would say or what ?

[v3xx @ Jun 5th 2008 11:29AM]

have you ever played it? if so turn on anti aliasing and watch the computer cry in pain.

[z0phi3l @ Jun 5th 2008 8:13AM]

Impressive

Wonder what video quality they got considering YouTube totally butchers video quality

[Geir E @ Jun 5th 2008 9:35AM]

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Z-Obx7ZYTTU&fmt=18

there you see it a tad better.

hard to tell what res it is they play crysis at though. never even tried the game myself.

[steve @ Jun 5th 2008 10:31AM]

@Gier E

That's the wrong link btw, (this is the correct one; http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eBGIQ7ZuuiU )

[jon @ Jun 5th 2008 10:58AM]

@ steve
AHHH i have been rick rolled!!!

[CUBSWILLWIN @ Jun 5th 2008 8:13AM]

1.8GHz? Welcome to 2006 VIA

[Mike @ Jun 5th 2008 8:22AM]

I didn't realize there were that many 1.8 ghz 65nm processors running at 5-8 watts and designed for the ultra portable market back in 2006.

[B @ Jun 5th 2008 9:37AM]

It's only the 1GHz version of Nano which is 5W. At 1.8GHz Nano is 25W therefore it's inferior than old LV/ULV C2D stuff from Intel. Put a decent GPU into Atom based system and it will play Crysis too.

Hardly an achievements.

[Marcus @ Jun 5th 2008 10:15AM]

CUBSWILLWIN, you are an idiot. No really, you are.

[zzebi @ Jun 5th 2008 10:41AM]

Intel's Atom is very slow compared to this VIA chip. According to previous benchmarks it is about half as fast as the old P3 chips on the same frequency. That means Intel should drive Atom at very high frequencies to run Crysis.

[CUBSWILLWIN @ Jun 5th 2008 10:47AM]

@Marcus

Well, with this being my 818th comment, I'm running out of things to say :P

[jimmy @ Jun 5th 2008 11:43AM]

all those posts, yet you contribute nothing. congrats, stupid

[atuck @ Jun 5th 2008 12:11PM]

Gee, thanks for talking anyway

[CUBSWILLWIN @ Jun 5th 2008 1:08PM]

Your welcome. On a side note, VIA will make a great entrance for themselves into the big boy companies with this.

[David Van (Cool Prizes Inc.) @ Jun 6th 2008 1:11AM]

lmfao... I got a 2.1GHz in 2003 -_-

[Chad @ Jun 6th 2008 10:56AM]

Do you people not realize that architecture has more impact than frequency. Anyone can make a 5Ghz chip, doesn't mean that it can do anything useful. C2Duos run at a lower frequency than P4s but they stomp on them.

[Nat @ Jun 5th 2008 8:15AM]

They picked up the turtle, threw it in the water then SHOT at it? That's horrible! PETA will be on your arse tomorrow morning.

Seriously though, WOW.

[Nat @ Jun 5th 2008 8:16AM]

Oh, that WOW was for the really smooth demo of Crysis on a VIA's Nano setup.

[Chird @ Jun 5th 2008 10:28AM]

I wouldn't say REALLY smooth. idk if it was the video or what, but the framerate seemed to be laggin quite a bit, especially in the intro video (much like FEAR is known to do).

As far as I can tell, the only parts that were running flawlessly were the clips they showed of the trailer. The 2 seconds of actual gameplay I would guesstimate to be running at about 20-30 fps tops. Good, but not great.

[Carl Vitullo @ Jun 5th 2008 3:51PM]

it lags in the intro because of all the crazy high poly resolution people in it, along with the plane. I'm pretty sure they reduce the resolution during play, i've noticed flat parts during play that weren't there during the cutscenes.

the very beginning when it shows the plane flying by is the only time it gets choppy for me.

[unearthed @ Jun 5th 2008 8:15AM]

Real working pc was behind the display!

[aaronbareford @ Jun 5th 2008 8:19AM]

"CJ how you doing today?"

"Im excited... :|"

[TareX @ Jun 5th 2008 8:25AM]

Games like crysis needs to be played in smooth high detail to be appreciated. It doesn't mean anything if it "can" play crysis.

Need a small machine to play really good PC games?
Telson UMPC prototype with KDC glasses-free 3D
http://www.slashgear.com/telson-umpc-prototype-with-kdc-glasses-free-3d-0411897.php

Word on the street NVidia will have a hand in this...

[Pfanne @ Jun 5th 2008 8:31AM]

wait... is the nano the c8?
it had another name before, right?

[jakem @ Jun 5th 2008 8:49AM]

Isaiah

[Armoured @ Jun 5th 2008 8:31AM]

ummm...any 'good' computer can run Crysis as long as you lower the settings. This is just stupid! I'm also sick of all talk about being able to run crysis...I run it just fine.

And it has a 8600GT! How is that Crysis worthy? Atleast say what settings the game was running at.

[Pfanne @ Jun 5th 2008 8:37AM]

i think its not about the videocard...
more like the cpu is able tu handle windows and crysis at the same time...