NVIDIA Ion 2 now official; Acer, ASUS and Lenovo at the ready
By Joanna Stern 
posted March 2nd 2010 12:01AM
posted March 2nd 2010 12:01AM
NVIDIA's Ion 2 chipset -- or "the next generation of Ion" as the company clunkily calls it -- hasn't exactly been a secret, but NVIDIA is finally signing on the dotted line and giving up the deets on the new Intel Atom-compatible graphics chipset. It hasn't been a secret that Ion 2 uses NVIDIA's new Optimus GPU switching tech to automatically toggle between the Pineview chipset's integrated GMA 3150 and a discrete NVIDIA Ion GPU, but we can now confirm that both the 16-core Ion chip for desktops and eight-core unit for netbooks are based on the GeForce G210 GPU. That means Ion 2 should support HDMI out, 1080p Blu-ray and Flash playback, Windows 7 Home Premium, and mainstream gaming out of the box. (Take that, Broadcom Crystal HD.) And unlike Ion numero uno, NVIDIA's also promising up to 10 hours of battery life on netbooks -- thanks to Optimus the system knows when to shut off the discrete GPU when not in use to save power.
How about some actual systems? While the Acer Aspire 532G netbook already popped up at MWC, NVIDIA is promising 30 more Ion netbooks, nettops and all-in-ones before the summer. To kick it off, NVIDIA confirmed that ASUS will update its Eee PC 1201PN netbook, Eee Top 2010P, and Eee Box with the new graphics solution, while Lenovo's C200 and Acer's Aspire Revo will also get in on the action. We got to see the Revo strut some Blu-ray playback, so hit the break for some video footage and the full PR.
New NVIDIA ION Netbooks Deliver 10x Faster Graphics And Up To 10 Hours of Battery Life Thanks to Acclaimed NVIDIA Optimus Technology
Acer, ASUS and Lenovo Among Leading Vendors to Introduce Next-generation ION PCs
CEBIT-HANOVER, Germany-March 2, 2010-NVIDIA introduced the Next-generation NVIDIA® ION™ graphics processor today, which will supercharge netbooks with 10 times the graphics performance of standard netbooks1 and enable up to 10 hours of battery life2 thanks to NVIDIA® Optimus™ technology.
The new ION graphics processing unit (GPU) vastly outperforms basic netbook graphics by delivering rich HD media in games, movies, and Internet-based video. Unlike netbooks with Intel integrated graphics, ION netbooks have the power to play amazing HD video smoothly from sites like YouTube and support popular PC games like World of Warcraft.
The new ION netbooks also feature NVIDIA's highly acclaimed Optimus technology, which automatically selects the best graphics processor for running any given application – seamlessly routing the workload to either an NVIDIA discrete GPU or Intel integrated graphics. The result is great battery life and superior performance when you need it.
More than 30 products featuring the new ION GPU are expected to launch by this summer including netbooks, small form factor desktops, "barebones" systems, motherboards, and discrete add-in cards. The Acer Aspire One 532G (10-inch) and ASUS 1201PN (12-inch) are expected to be the first new ION netbooks to be introduced. New all-in-one PCs powered by next-generation ION will include the ASUS EeeTop 2010PNT and Lenovo C200. Channel partners including AOpen, AsRock, Asus, Foxconn, Giada, J&W, Jetway, Pegatron, POV, Shuttle, and Zotac also plan to introduce new ION-based products soon.
Facts about Next-generation NVIDIA ION graphics: It's a discrete GPU (graphics processing unit) with dedicated memory that attaches to an Intel Atom Pine Trail CPU via PCI Express. It supports streaming HD video on sites like YouTube HD, and smooth gaming performance on titles like World of Warcraft and Spore.
ION netbooks feature NVIDIA Optimus technology, which automatically assigns processing chores to the NVIDIA ION GPU or integrated graphics. Optimus powers down the GPU for basic tasks like web surfing, further extending battery life. When more graphics horsepower is needed for playing 3D games, running videos, or using GPU compute applications, Optimus automatically enables the ION GPU. It will be available starting in April with the Acer Aspire One 532G netbook. It accelerates a growing list of media-rich applications including Muvee Reveal for making home movies, Badaboom for media conversion, Total Media Theater and PowerDVD 9 for watching HD video or instantly upscaling standard definition video to near-HD quality.
Quotes:
"Most netbooks have lousy performance, but ION changed all that. ION netbooks let you do all of the things people expect from a notebook. Now, with Optimus they give you super long battery life too. It's the best of both worlds."
- Rob Enderle, President and Principal Analyst of the Enderle Group, one of the most influential technology experts in the world
"With Adobe Flash Player 10.1 support for GPU acceleration of video, consumers with NVIDIA ION netbooks can enjoy smooth, high definition video from sites like YouTube, Hulu and millions of other web sites. It's amazing to see flawless 1080p video streaming live from the web on ION PCs."
- David Wadhwani, general manager and vice president, Platform Business at Adobe
"CyberLink applications are optimized to run faster on ION netbooks. This makes ION netbooks with CyberLink software incredibly useful multimedia devices. You'll enjoy faster video file conversion with MediaShow Espresso and smooth video playback with PowerDVD on ION netbooks."
- Alice H. Chang, CEO of Cyberlink
"ION systems are a great way to enjoy Internet-based video from a PC. ION PCs with Boxee deliver flawless entertainment from a small, low-powered, and affordable PC."
- Avner Ronen, CEO, Boxee
"ASUS recognizes that not all consumers are satisfied with the basic netbook experience. Our Eee PC with ION graphics raised the bar for netbook performance, and now it's getting even better with Optimus. EeePC netbooks with ION graphics are perfect for users who want great media capabilities and all-day battery life."
- by S.Y. Shian, Vice President and General Manager of Notebook Business Unit, System Business Group , ASUS Corp
"If you want a netbook with the horsepower to play HD video and PC games, your only choice is ION. The new ION netbooks deliver an unbeatable combination of performance and battery life. We continue to raise the standard for what a netbook should be."
- Drew Henry, General Manager of GeForce and ION GPUs
1 Tested with 3D Mark 06 using a Next-generation NVIDIA ION GPU, Atom N450 CPU, and 1GB DDR2 memory versus Intel GMA 3150 graphics with an Atom N450 and 1GB DDR2 memory.
2 Based on MobileMark 2007 productivity mode with a 6-cell battery pack. Battery life varies by system, model, configuration, applications, power management settings, operating conditions, and utilized features.
Links:
Video of the Next-generation NVIDIA ION GPU
NVIDIA ION Channel on YouTube
Tags / Keywords:
Netbook, laptop computers, battery life, NVIDIA, ION, GPU, mobile graphics solutions, Optimus, gaming netbook, Atom, Pine Trail, nettop, all-in-one
About NVIDIA
NVIDIA (Nasdaq: NVDA) awakened the world to the power of computer graphics when it invented the graphics processing unit (GPU) in 1999. Since then, it has consistently set new standards in visual computing with breathtaking, interactive graphics available on devices ranging from portable media players to notebooks to workstations. NVIDIA's expertise in programmable GPUs has led to breakthroughs in parallel processing which make supercomputing inexpensive and widely accessible. Fortune magazine has ranked NVIDIA #1 in innovation in the semiconductor industry for two years in a row. For more information, see www.nvidia.com.
Acer, ASUS and Lenovo Among Leading Vendors to Introduce Next-generation ION PCs
CEBIT-HANOVER, Germany-March 2, 2010-NVIDIA introduced the Next-generation NVIDIA® ION™ graphics processor today, which will supercharge netbooks with 10 times the graphics performance of standard netbooks1 and enable up to 10 hours of battery life2 thanks to NVIDIA® Optimus™ technology.
The new ION graphics processing unit (GPU) vastly outperforms basic netbook graphics by delivering rich HD media in games, movies, and Internet-based video. Unlike netbooks with Intel integrated graphics, ION netbooks have the power to play amazing HD video smoothly from sites like YouTube and support popular PC games like World of Warcraft.
The new ION netbooks also feature NVIDIA's highly acclaimed Optimus technology, which automatically selects the best graphics processor for running any given application – seamlessly routing the workload to either an NVIDIA discrete GPU or Intel integrated graphics. The result is great battery life and superior performance when you need it.
More than 30 products featuring the new ION GPU are expected to launch by this summer including netbooks, small form factor desktops, "barebones" systems, motherboards, and discrete add-in cards. The Acer Aspire One 532G (10-inch) and ASUS 1201PN (12-inch) are expected to be the first new ION netbooks to be introduced. New all-in-one PCs powered by next-generation ION will include the ASUS EeeTop 2010PNT and Lenovo C200. Channel partners including AOpen, AsRock, Asus, Foxconn, Giada, J&W, Jetway, Pegatron, POV, Shuttle, and Zotac also plan to introduce new ION-based products soon.
Facts about Next-generation NVIDIA ION graphics: It's a discrete GPU (graphics processing unit) with dedicated memory that attaches to an Intel Atom Pine Trail CPU via PCI Express. It supports streaming HD video on sites like YouTube HD, and smooth gaming performance on titles like World of Warcraft and Spore.
ION netbooks feature NVIDIA Optimus technology, which automatically assigns processing chores to the NVIDIA ION GPU or integrated graphics. Optimus powers down the GPU for basic tasks like web surfing, further extending battery life. When more graphics horsepower is needed for playing 3D games, running videos, or using GPU compute applications, Optimus automatically enables the ION GPU. It will be available starting in April with the Acer Aspire One 532G netbook. It accelerates a growing list of media-rich applications including Muvee Reveal for making home movies, Badaboom for media conversion, Total Media Theater and PowerDVD 9 for watching HD video or instantly upscaling standard definition video to near-HD quality.
Quotes:
"Most netbooks have lousy performance, but ION changed all that. ION netbooks let you do all of the things people expect from a notebook. Now, with Optimus they give you super long battery life too. It's the best of both worlds."
- Rob Enderle, President and Principal Analyst of the Enderle Group, one of the most influential technology experts in the world
"With Adobe Flash Player 10.1 support for GPU acceleration of video, consumers with NVIDIA ION netbooks can enjoy smooth, high definition video from sites like YouTube, Hulu and millions of other web sites. It's amazing to see flawless 1080p video streaming live from the web on ION PCs."
- David Wadhwani, general manager and vice president, Platform Business at Adobe
"CyberLink applications are optimized to run faster on ION netbooks. This makes ION netbooks with CyberLink software incredibly useful multimedia devices. You'll enjoy faster video file conversion with MediaShow Espresso and smooth video playback with PowerDVD on ION netbooks."
- Alice H. Chang, CEO of Cyberlink
"ION systems are a great way to enjoy Internet-based video from a PC. ION PCs with Boxee deliver flawless entertainment from a small, low-powered, and affordable PC."
- Avner Ronen, CEO, Boxee
"ASUS recognizes that not all consumers are satisfied with the basic netbook experience. Our Eee PC with ION graphics raised the bar for netbook performance, and now it's getting even better with Optimus. EeePC netbooks with ION graphics are perfect for users who want great media capabilities and all-day battery life."
- by S.Y. Shian, Vice President and General Manager of Notebook Business Unit, System Business Group , ASUS Corp
"If you want a netbook with the horsepower to play HD video and PC games, your only choice is ION. The new ION netbooks deliver an unbeatable combination of performance and battery life. We continue to raise the standard for what a netbook should be."
- Drew Henry, General Manager of GeForce and ION GPUs
1 Tested with 3D Mark 06 using a Next-generation NVIDIA ION GPU, Atom N450 CPU, and 1GB DDR2 memory versus Intel GMA 3150 graphics with an Atom N450 and 1GB DDR2 memory.
2 Based on MobileMark 2007 productivity mode with a 6-cell battery pack. Battery life varies by system, model, configuration, applications, power management settings, operating conditions, and utilized features.
Links:
Video of the Next-generation NVIDIA ION GPU
NVIDIA ION Channel on YouTube
Tags / Keywords:
Netbook, laptop computers, battery life, NVIDIA, ION, GPU, mobile graphics solutions, Optimus, gaming netbook, Atom, Pine Trail, nettop, all-in-one
About NVIDIA
NVIDIA (Nasdaq: NVDA) awakened the world to the power of computer graphics when it invented the graphics processing unit (GPU) in 1999. Since then, it has consistently set new standards in visual computing with breathtaking, interactive graphics available on devices ranging from portable media players to notebooks to workstations. NVIDIA's expertise in programmable GPUs has led to breakthroughs in parallel processing which make supercomputing inexpensive and widely accessible. Fortune magazine has ranked NVIDIA #1 in innovation in the semiconductor industry for two years in a row. For more information, see www.nvidia.com.
lets get it in that sexy little 1018p shall we?
@NoOrdinaryMSFT that would be incredible. im not holding my breath though. looks like the 1201PN will be my next netbook.
@kojo87 My Dell Mini 9 is looking very very old right now.
@NoOrdinaryMSFT Really nice, although I wish they wouldn't use that rocker bar. On the 1201n its way too stiff and I don't having to press the button that far on the side for right or left click. With two separate buttons the most convenient place to click is close to the inside. Either way I am excited for the ion 2 systems.
More: http://bit.ly/asus-eee-1201PN-2010PNT
so what else exactly changed aside from the "gpu switching" function?
seems like it could have been just a minor revision.
come on, when was the last time nvidia made something new? this is just an old chip with a new number!
8800=9600=gt240=gt340.
@roosta Ion 2 is the 340? That can't be true the M11x has a 335 in it, or am I getting names confused?
@Broderbund according to the article, based on the g210 gpu, which is basically the same thing as 9400gt, same chipset used in ION 1.
nVidia... they always mess with the names of their product to confuse to consumers.
@Herman Melville The original Ion was a complete chipset with memory controller, PCI-E/SATA/USB support etc. Ion 2 is just a graphics card.
Any word on when this tech will reach motherboards? I'd like to see this in an HTPC.
@wesg
Mini-ITX all the way
@camroncake Mini-ITX boards can be pretty slow to keep up
@wesg One unusual option would be to gut the mobo from one of these and hack it into an HTPC case. Might be a bit messy, but it's an option none-the-less.
Yay for progress!
I suspect the macbook will have the same graphics and maybe the lower end macbook pros. How much better is the 210m over the 9400m graphics and power wise?
@1 STUNNA - about twice as powerful. Still nothing to write home about, but my Asus UL30vt (which uses a G210M & 1.73GHz CULV dual-core) manages Elder Scrolls: Oblivion in High Settings in its native 1366x768 resolution very well...just as a reference.
http://www.notebookcheck.net/Comparison-of-Graphic-Cards.130.0.html
Any opinions on who had the best screen on the last generation, taking into consideration the performance/price ratio? I'd be looking heavily into that computers successor and benchmarking any newcomers versus it. Thanks for any help.
@juanvaldez I vaguely implied it, but to make it clear, definitely talking about notebooks here.
This is great. I didn't know that the graphics were switchable. 2nd generation Atom with a 2nd gen low power chipset. I might just get me a netbook.
When are we gonna see one of these awesome nettop's with a built in bluray player. Thats what I really want, screw the ps3. Also, make it 500 bucks or less and we have a deal.
I've always wanted a netbook, but they're full of compromises. Want ION? Lose battery life. Want battery life? Lose graphical/video capabilities. But if this ION 2 is indeed capable of 10 hours of battery life, then this will finally be a "must buy" for me.
I personally can't wait for that Acer Aspire 532G ION 2 netbook... It's already one of the cheapest netbooks out there as the 532H (without ION), but it's not built like complete crap either. Overall win.
So if it's pci-e card you can use it in every laptop, right?
@radpilot If user-switchable graphics is what you're getting at, no that is not and will likely never be possible on 99.9% of laptops.
Come on Asus, bring some of these babies over here.
@Vaio
Obvious marketer is obvious.
im still worried that the talk that the ion 2 will only have access to a single PCIE x1 bus, thus bottlenecking the card and actually giving it lower performance than the origional Ion. Also, its the N450 now instead of the more powerful 330 dual core, which is another worry. I hope that when the 1201PN is released that it will prove to be better, but its not looking good.
@ctweeks2002 yeah, since the dual core Atom 330 on the 1201N w/ ION has been shown to be able to play a number of modern games fairly well (20-25 FPS), I'm wondering if manufacturers will put Ion2 on C2D/i3 ultraportables as well.
I already have a Mini 9, so I'm not in the market for a netbook. My main laptop however is 3.5 years old, and I'd like my new one to be able to play at least some games, but have a non-Atom proc and still come in at under 3.5lbs. Ion2 seems to be the only way of accomplishing this for the time being.
@ctweeks2002 - I was thinking along those lines as well. I know I saw a few early benchmarks of Ion2 systems that showed they were actually SLOWER than Ion systems. That was being blamed on the way that Intel forced incorporation of their own GPU and made Ion2 a secondary choice with more limited interfacing pipelines. I suspect it was also immature drivers (these were preview benchmarks, after all). But still, it adds to the worry of just how potent the Ion2 systems will be. At least they are promising stellar battery life!
@Vrmithrax ok, i just saw another article stating that nvidia was releasing 2 versions of the new ion, one with 16 cores for 12 inch netbooks and nettops, and another with 8 cores for 10inch netbooks, so the Acer 532g has the lower end 8 core model of it and that is most likely why it got lower numbers. Also thought, i would like to see it on a dual core or maybe i3 build, but most likely intel would throw a hissy fit because they want to do discrete graphics, but really just suck at it.
Needs a 10" tablet Ion2 system. Everything else doesn't work for me now.
@strredwolf agreed I definately need one of those right now a tablet with those`capabilities (although with a 12' screen) will run me $1,100 (with warranty) something dollars. If this can do the same things for $550 (based on $500 price for current gen asus tablet) then I know what I am buying instead of the ipad.
@strredwolf its going to be sweet when this makes it to netbook tablets intel power sipping internal graphics for when I am drawing, taking notes, sketching or reading, intel ion 2 for youtube, HD video, and 10 hours of some light gaming on the train.
@strredwolf just add in pixelqi and I am set for my mobile devices
@buzz86us
Yea, those are the exact same reasons I want a netbook tablet as well. I already have a desktop, so I just need to something to supplement it (for when I'm not at home). If I get a tablet that'll meet my needs for well under a $1000, then I don't see a need to get a $2000plus tablet pc.
Well, whichever company makes the Ion 2 + tablet combination, I hope they don't make it a multi-touch only display. Cause I'm not gonna paint/draw with my fingers or use a pogo sketch. I'd rather deal with the issues of a resistive touchsreen or pay extra for a active digitizer.
What about this for a hackintosh?
I know you can do it on the current Ion.
My new dream netbook = Atom475 + Ion2 + USB 3.0 + brushed metal shell .... drooooool
combine Ion 2 with a detachable touchscreen, then we'll talk.
So is the main benefit of ion2 that it can automatically switch modes to conserve battery?
Are there any real performance differences between ion1 and ion2?
@LEDfoot I would like to know any major differences too. I just purchased a Acer Revo 330 yesterday and they announce this.
@blackric
I think you should be safe. A netbook would be much more critical since you want long battery life, a nettop shouldn't matter as much, I know the new atom CPUs doesn't offer enough performance benefit over the 330 to be worth it.
@blackric
I don't see that the N450/Ion 2 offers any advantages for a desktop, particularly one purposed for home theater. It sounds like the main advantage of the Ion 2 is auto switching to the integrated graphics to save power - no actual performance increase promised so far. I'd rather have the dual core Revo than the single core N450/Ion2.
On the other hand the gains in battery life for the Asus 1201 could make the N450/Ion 2 a gamechanger, assuming it will still run Hulu 480p, full screen.
@NorCal1953
I take back my last comment. Anandtech's report is much more detailed - even though based on materials provided by Nvidia - and indicates even the netbook version of the new Ion will be faster than the prior version of Ion. Significantly faster.
The article also states that there won't be video mode switching on the desktop version, the Ion will always be "on," and the resulting power cost is 3 watts per hour.