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News Nvidia drops Intel Atom from Ion 2

Discussion in 'Article Discussion' started by CardJoe, 20 Feb 2009.

  1. CardJoe

    CardJoe Freelance Journalist

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  2. p3n

    p3n What's a Dremel?

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    Is the nano better than the atom at 'x'? If the CPU is so useless why do nvidia need to keep swapping? :p
     
  3. Denis_iii

    Denis_iii What's a Dremel?

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    now that is awesome news, Via Nano has the power to play HD whereas the Atom doesn't. I'll be first to purchase when its avialable.
     
  4. Tim S

    Tim S OG

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    Atom will have the power when combined with a 9400M. I was watching a 30Mbps 1080p stream being played on an Ion-based machine at CES.
     
  5. Cobalt

    Cobalt What's a Dremel?

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    You still need a CPU, but I think the point is that many intensive functions are moving off the CPU onto the highly parallel GPU leaving current CPUs with tasks that aren't very stressful. Hence why netbooks can get away with low powered processors: they aren't being used for high end media functions and you don't need much power to write a word document or browse the internet.

    With the ion platform nV can give you the media functions thanks to a decent GPU which Intel doesn't have.
     
  6. Tyinsar

    Tyinsar 6 screens 1 card since Nov 17 2007

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    :clap: I've been waiting for this partnership to form. :thumb:

    Though I am a little sad that it wasn't an AMD+Nvidia thing. :sigh:

    Now where is AMD/ATI's answer?
     
  7. E.E.L. Ambiense

    E.E.L. Ambiense Acrylic Heretic

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    Didn't see that one coming! ;)
     
  8. perplekks45

    perplekks45 LIKE AN ANIMAL!

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    Both Intel and nVidia seem to feel they're in a very strong position. Let's see what AMD/ATI has on offer. Maybe they'll outfox them both.
     
  9. pimlicosound

    pimlicosound What's a Dremel?

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    It does mean, though, that Ion 2 won't be the best platform for low-energy netbooks. Probably fine for budget laptops and HTPCs, though.
     
  10. Goty

    Goty Minimodder

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    It depends on what you define as the "best" platform, I guess. If you're looking for the best combination of performance and power consumption in a small form factor, Nano has always been the better choice.
     
  11. TreeDude

    TreeDude What's a Dremel?

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    Good question. They are leaving an entire market on the table for no good reason. Not to mention that they could make a kick ass platform.
     
  12. wyx087

    wyx087 Homeworld 3 is happening!!

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    wow, the wait continues, even before Ion1 comes out, Ion2 already looks really attractive.
     
  13. steveo_mcg

    steveo_mcg What's a Dremel?

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    How so? my understanding is the via (nano) doesn't use an appreciable amount more energy than the intel (atom) cpu. The total platform would consume be vastly more energy than either CPU so i doubt it'll make a huge difference.

    Besides that the nano has OoOE which should make it seem snappier in real use.
     
  14. Xtrafresh

    Xtrafresh It never hurts to help

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    I gotta hand it to nVidia, this has all been a really cunning marketing trick! :clap:

    1: hitch a ride on the Atom bandwagon
    2: show how much room for improvement there is on the Atom platform
    3: get the buzz on Ion going on all tech sites
    4: replace Atom with Nano, call it Ion 2, implying it's even better
    5: ...
    6: Profit!
     
  15. Joeymac

    Joeymac What's a Dremel?

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    Good news. Actually I think if Nvidia and Via merged properly it would be great for the PC business. Let Intel and AMD do their thing.. with the two little guys joining forces and resources; that would create a realistic third player.
    What would a bunch of nvidia stream processors hooked up with a couple of via's general PC cores be like? Or is that crazy talk?
     
  16. pimlicosound

    pimlicosound What's a Dremel?

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    Nano uses more power than Atom and 9400M uses more power than Intel 950. Nano and 9400M together would mean substantially higher power consumption, making it a less-than-ideal solution for those who want the longest battery life they can get in a netbook.

    But don't get me wrong, I think it's a good idea. I've been wanting a more multi-media capable luxury netbook from the beginning, so I see this as something I could want, if it's packaged nicely.
     
  17. Jojii

    Jojii hardware freak

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    If they merged i bet that intel would revoke via's x86 licence, but if via bought out nvidia.. maybe.. but nvidia seems to be the kind of company that likes to be "on top" in the relationship.
     
  18. Horizon

    Horizon Dremel Worthy

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    amd said has made it clear that this isn't a market they aren't going to enter, and cemented their position by retiring geode with no successor
     
  19. Panos

    Panos Minimodder

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    I believe ION 2 will be a winner. Why?
    Because by the time Nvidia has ready the platform, VIA will have on the market the Dual Core Nano (End 2009).
    I will put Linux, and done :D
     
  20. Timmy_the_tortoise

    Timmy_the_tortoise International Man of Awesome

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    Good news.

    From what I've seen Nano easily outperforms Atom at lower power ratings, plus it's cheaper.

    And it's always good to give the big guys like Intel some serious competition.
     
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