This is really more of what we'd expect out of some slightly deranged basement hacker, not a company like ECS at a major tradeshow, but we'll take any entrants in the burgeoning "nettop in a vase" space we can get. To be serious for a moment, this is actually a pretty interesting illustration of the future afforded by small, low-power components: ECS has stuffed a full Intel Atom 230 system, including NVIDA ION graphics, 1GB of RAM, a 2.5-inch HDD and a Blu-ray drive into what looks like a family heirloom. There's even room for a couple USB ports, Ethernet and HDMI plugs on the bottom, which keeps the main body uninterrupted other than the tray-loading drive. Basically, we're floored.

Jonesing for a new small form factor PC, are you? Not so keen on selecting a pre-fabricated unit? If you definitely fit the bill here, it's worth taking a gander at Zotac's recently released IONITX-A motherboard. As the first of its breed to actually ship, a whole lot is riding on its solder points, and according to reviews found 'round the web, it's done a satisfactory job of living up to expectations. The test bench-abusin' kids over at Hot Hardware found that Zotac's board (and the included dual-core Atom 330 CPU) performed "as expected," notching results that were "significantly better than any of the single core Atom 230-based systems." The unique DC power input was also lauded, and the silent nature made this a perfect candidate for a low-power, highly-capable carputer building block. All in all, this here mobo won't transform your life, but it's certainly a welcome extra in the all-too-stale DIY SFF market. Check the links below for all the bar charts you can handle.

Read - Hot Hardware ("most appealing of the Ion-based products")
Read - PC Perspective ("an impressive motherboard for its size")
Read - The Tech Report ("as good as the Ion platform gets")
Read - Tom's Hardware ("it's most promising destination is in the HTPC space")

We'd heard a few whispers rolling through the gentle breeze that Zotac would be hopping on the Ion bandwagon early on, and sure enough, it looks like said firm is indeed latched on. Reportedly, the outfit will be producing a few Mini-ITX motherboards in the near future that support Intel's Atom 230 / 330 processors and come loaded with NVIDIA's GeForce 9400M G chipsets. The mobos would also include all of the basic amenities: Ethernet, two RAM slots, HDMI / DVI / VGA outputs, a trio of SATA ports and a WiFi module. There's still no word on what system maker is looking to slap these into their next-generation nettops, but who knows, maybe this will end up being the first standalone Ion-based board for the DIYers in attendance.

[Via Expreview, thanks Shawn]

MSI's eco-friendly Wind Top AE1900 has already been formally introduced and spotted over in Hanover earlier this year, but the outfit notorious for withholding price and availability information until the last possible moment has finally let loose those very details. The 18.5-inch all-in-one PC is available with an Atom 230 or 330 CPU, a 1,366 x 768 resolution touchscreen, integrated GMA950 graphics, 2GB of DDR2-533 RAM, a 160GB or 250GB hard drive, 4-in-1 multicard reader, dual-layer DVD writer, WiFi, gigabit Ethernet, a 1.3 megapixel webcam and audio in / out sockets to boot. Two configurations are available (both are shown after the break), with the lesser of the two going for $529.

Surely you remember the Atom-based Shuttle X27 barebones kit -- you know, that cute little nettop case that was selling for $189 with its insides all hollow? For those with no time to fill it up, the full-fledged X2700N is now on tap. Boasting a 1.6GHz Intel Atom 230 processor, 1GB of DDR2 RAM, a 120GB hard drive and a GMA950 integrated graphics set, this Linux-based box can be yours right now for $379.99. That'll also buy you a dual-layer DVD writer, gigabit Ethernet port, 802.11b/g WiFi, a handful of ports (six USB, VGA, DVI, audio in / out) and a 1-year warranty. 'Tis a shame it's not housing one of those dual-core Atom 330s, huh?

[Via ComputerMonger]

Netbooks based on VIA's Nano mobile processor aren't nearly as common as those based on Intel's Atom, but based on the benchmarking that's been going on recently, that's a shame, since the Nano appears to be much faster than the Atom 230. PC Perspective, Eee PC News, and Hot Hardware all ran some tests recently, and a 1.8GHz Nano L2100 with Chrome9 graphics was usually able to outperform a 1.6GHz Atom 230 with GMA950 graphics at everything from MP3 ripping to 3D benchmarking. Of course, that's not without a tradeoff -- the Nano was a bit more power-hungry, and the Atom's memory and graphics systems were occasionally faster than the Nano's. Still, it seems like the Nano has more raw horsepower than the Atom -- and it's pin-compatible with VIA's popular C7M, so hopefully we'll be seeing machines like HP's Mini-Note make the jump relatively soon.

Read - PC Perspective results
Read - Hot Hardware results
Read - Eee PC News results

We'd already heard that Intel planned to trot out some dual-core Atom processors sooner or later, and the Fudzilla website has now turned up a few more details on 'em courtesy of a supposedly legitimate leak. According to it, the first dual-core processor will be dubbed the Atom 330, and will clock in at the same 1.6GHz as the current single-core Atom 230 (no word on that 1.87GHz version we heard about previously). What's more, the processor will supposedly pack 1MB cache memory (twice the amount of the current single-core processor), and boast a TDP rating of just 8W, which is a good deal more than the 2W rating the current Atom 230 has, but still far less than any of Intel's other low-voltage processors. Still no word on a price for it, unfortunately, but it's said to be on track for a release sometime in the third quarter of this year.

[Via Electronista]