Nvidia Ion Platform Overview

Nvidia announced recently the Ion platform that supports Intel’s Atom processor and includes the GeForce 9400 integrated graphics chip.

The Nvidia Ion is designed for use in netbooks, laptops, small form factor systems, and all-in-one PCs.

Sized at 1709 square millimeters and with a power consumption of 18W, the Ion platform with the Atom chip offers DirectX 10-compatible graphics with 16 processing cores and a 128-bit memory interface, 7.1 audio, HDMI output, Gigabit Ethernet LAN, and support for up to 12 USB connections.

The company claims the GeForce 9400 GPU delivers up to ten times the graphics performance of the existing chipsets for Atom processors.

The upcoming Ion-based computers can play 1080p high definition video. The platform supports the full Windows Vista user interface and the upcoming Windows 7 OS, as well as 3D games such as Call of Duty 4, according to Nvidia.

“The GeForce 9400 GPU does all of this in about one-half of the space of today’s Atom CPU-based solutions with minimal affect on battery life,” Nvidia’s press release says.

We have no information on availability of the Ion-powered PCs at the time of this writing.

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