The new generation of NVIDIA ION

Today, an embargo on the publication of information about the NVIDIA ION2 platform is officially lifted, so I can not help sharing the news with the habrasoobschestvom. In fact, the official name of the platform is not ION2 at all, but Next Gen ION. Apparently marketers decided not to undermine the authority of the platform of the previous generation, adding sequence numbers. If the previous platform was a bundle of Intel Atom processor and NVIDIA ION chipset, the approach changed significantly in the new platform.

Under the cat, technical details of the platform and descriptions of the first interesting products based on it ...

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Next Gen ION

The new-generation ION platform is a bundle of NVIDIA GPUs and Intel PineTrail platform, consisting of fresh Intel Atom processors with an integrated graphics core, as well as Intel NM10 Express Chipset chipsets . In fact, ION itself is a separate GPU, which is turned on at the right time and helps the graphics core built into the processor in difficult times. Mutual assistance is provided via the PCI-E bus.

Then I immediately remembered the price conflict between Intel and NVIDIA, which arose due to high prices for shipping Intel Atom processors. The processors were shipped almost 2 times more expensive relative to the prices of the same processors, but complete with the ICH7 chipset. The point then, if my memory serves me, ended with an ultimatum from Intel - "I do not like it - do not buy." Nice to see that NVIDIA is beautifully out of position.



Of course, to improve the efficiency of the platform, NVIDIA Optimus technology announced recently is used, which allows you to quickly switch between IGP (integrated graphics) and GPU. In this case, IGP plays the role of display control, and in the absence of adequate load, the discrete graphics core will simply turn off to save power.



In the case of launching demanding applications, the graphics core is quickly put into operation, without requiring any actions from the user. In case the monitor is connected to the IGP graphic ports - the GPU only handles the processing and transfers the IGP image for output. If the monitor is connected to the HDMI port on the GPU - and processing and output rests on its shoulders.

To identify these most resource-intensive applications, three main triggers are used:

• DirectX Calls
• CUDA Calls
• HD hardware decoding

For triggering these triggers, the NVIDIA graphic driver is responsible, which works even when the video card itself is turned off. In addition, you can create your own rules for binding applications to the graphics adapter. As a result, Optimus technology will allow mobile devices to live even longer and work even better.



A beautiful marketing scheme demonstrating the capabilities of the new generation ION platform, relative to the standard Intel PineTrail platform. It is stated that for the same 10 hours of continuous work, users will be able to afford more. True, based on everyday logic, the claimed 10 hours netbook on a fresh ION will only work with a disconnected discrete graphics card, since the processor and chipset are unlikely to eat less.



Surface specifications are visible on the image, I will tell a little more detail about the chips themselves. Indeed, for different types of devices, within the same platform, different GPUs will be used, which will have 8 and 16 CUDA cores, respectively. The first will go to the low-end segment of netbooks with a diagonal of less than 10 ", and the second to all other devices.



The 16- core solution, according to NVIDIA, is about 70% more powerful than its smaller counterpart. In my opinion, this is a very significant difference, which allows us to think about the positioning of the LE chip on the market. Both chips have the same size 23x23mm and are manufactured at TSMC factories using 40nm technology (the previous generation - 65nm and 35x35mm). There is also information on TDP: for the younger chip it is 6W , and for the older one - 13W . The special name of the chips will not have, and will be sold under the logo ION.

Products based on fresh ION

Monoblock Lenovo C200



Monoblock ASUS EEETop PC ET2010PNT



ASUS EeeBox 1501P Nettop





Nettop Zotac Zbox



ASUS EEE PC 1201PN Netbook







Media player Boxee Box from the company D-link. Works with a handy Boxee htpc-shell. I plan to buy myself such a ...
I took what I wanted for reality, and in fact Boxee Box works on Tegra2. ION platform support is claimed for the Boxee shell itself.





And the most interesting is desktop low profile discrete cards on ION chips. As a base, an older, more powerful chip is used, on the basis of which a discrete card with an PCI-E x1 interface is assembled.

If you want, device manufacturers can implement NVIDIA Optimus technology even with these desktop cards, but this will require additional components. So at home to get Optimus will not work, which is a pity. But why save the extra 10W on a stationary PC?

I'd like to see what products the company Sony will offer to the market, which has long collaborated with NVIDIA and used switches between discrete and integrated graphics in VAIO Z-series models. There would be an analogue of the VPC-X11S1R on ION-e ...

Now you still have to feel it, this new ION ...