Netbooks with Nvidia ION graphics – best available options

Netbooks are great mini computers you can easily carry around and use for daily activities like web-surfing, listening to music, watching movies and even writing and light editing photos.

They are not the best in terms of performance though, as the Intel Atom platform (found inside the vast majority of them) was designed with accent toward energy efficiency rather than power.

So, if you’ll want to watch HD movies, Flash clips or even play some games on your portable standard netbook, you won’t be able to.

And here’s where Nvidia ION netbooks come in handy, thanks to Nvidia’s technology able to enhance graphic performances on these mini computers, while still keeping them affordable and with a decent autonomy.

Latest generation ION

As for early spring 2010, Nvidia ION has reached its second generation. This version offers a hybrid graphic solution (GMA 3150 + dedicated 512MB Nvidia G315 chip) and is built around the Intel ATOM PineTrail architecture (with the N450 1.66 GHz processor). You can find more details about it in this post.

At the moment, there are no devices with this new ION on the market. However, they should be available in a couple of weeks, with netbooks like the 10 inch Acer Aspire One 532g or Asus EEE PC 1201PN being some of the expected pioneers.

Next gen ION netbooks are just around the corner

That’s why I’ll update this section in the near future, as these devices start popping out.

First generation ION

More popular (at least at the moment I’m writing this post – spring 2010) are the older implementations of ION, which provide a combo between single-core Atom N270/N280 or dual-core Atom D330 processors and Nvidia’s GeForce 9400M graphic chip.

This solution does not bring switchable graphics, sacrificing battery life somewhat, but overall performances are good, at least on the options with that dual-core ATOM CPU. Netbooks built on it can run 1080P content both self-stored or Flash and can run decently most modern games (Wow, Call of Duty, NFS Shift, Spore are just some examples). Of course, these devices are not meant for extreme gaming, they are everyday computers with strong multimedia capabilities, but if needed, they can face even this task.

The of the most popular netbooks with Nvidia ION in this configuration are the HP Mini 311 and the Asus 1201N.

11.6 inch HP Mini 311

If you need a portable, reliable and capable mini laptop, able to play 3D games and run HD content, the HP Mini is at the moment one of your best choices. With a price tag under 400 bucks (and dropping), this 11.6 inch netbook offers a little bit of everything, although is not perfect.

Graphic performance is its main strong point over standard netbooks, but the fact that it only comes equipped with the older Intel N270 single-core processor makes it a little bit sluggish sometimes. Design is fine but not spectacular, as so are the trackpad and keyboard (there’s only a 92% of a regular sized one on the HP Mini 311, while most other 11.6 inch devices offer a full-size one ). Most users will get pass these minor inconvenient when they’ll see the good HD ready display (1366 x 768 px) and the big battery equipped on this HP, a 6 Cell 55 Wh one capable of 5+ hours of life during everyday use (up to 7 on paper).

And even more will lean towards the HP Mini when they’ll find it now sells with a pretty nice discount. That’s for the version with 1 GB of RAM, 160 GB storage and Windows XP Home. There’s also a more buffed up option, with 2 GB of memory, 250 GB storage and Windows 7 Home available for around $500.

HP Mini 311 - best Ion netbook in terms of price/features

Overall, the HP mini 311 is the most affordable option for a good ION netbook computer right now. So if you want a light, cheap and reliable device able to handle games and HD movies, this is the one. However, if you have around 100 more bucks to spend, there are better options.

12.1 inch Asus EEE PC 1201N

And the best of them all is the Asus EEE PC 1201N, the most popular Nvidia ION mini laptop on the market right now. Unlike the HP above, this Asus is slightly bigger, with a 12.1 inch display (also HD ready), but as thin and with about the same weight (3.2 pounds). In terms of design and build quality it’s better, as it’s part of the Seashell line from Asus. However, comes with the glossy exterior, a magnet for fingerprints and smudges. Luckily, there’s also a Silver version available, where those are a little more less bothering that on the Black finish.

Inside, the Asus 1201N boosts the dual core Intel D330 Atom, 2 GB of memory (upgradeable to 4 GB), 250 GB HDD storage (+500 available online) and Windows 7 Home. This combo, along with the ION solution, makes the compact Asus pretty versatile in pretty much all kind of daily applications. Battery life once again had to be sacrificed for performance so you’ll only be able to squeeze up to 4 Hours out of the 6 cell battery included. That’s not impressive, but if you’re looking for a netbook with great autonomy, you’re in the wrong place altogether (so see this post on the best 12 inchers for a solution to your problem).

Overall, the Asus 1201N is the best you’ll get in terms of portable computers with ION. This device will get replaced with the EEE PC 1201PN (mentioned above) pretty soon, but don’t expect that new versions to be way better, as it will only offer a single core N450 processor, at least in its first months.

As for prices, the 1201N sells right now for around 500 dollars.

Asus 1201N - powerful and great looking

Of course, there are other interesting ION netbook options too, like the Samsung N510 or the Lenovo S12, both with prices around 550 bucks.

Conclusions

That’s about it for now. I have to say that right now, my top pick for an Nvidia Ion equipped mini laptop is definitely the Asus 1201N.

However, this might change pretty soon. Like i said in the first part of this post, expect a bunch of netbooks built on the new ION platform to become available in the next months. And with the announced Dual-Core PineTrail Atoms for netbooks supposed to ship by July, the end of the summer should see us with quite a few more options for capable Nvidia ION netbooks.

Of course, the new devices won’t be as affordable as the HP Mini 311, but will surely bring improved performances, better battery life and new and improved looks and features. So stay tuned, this post will get quite a bunch of updates in the near future.

Update: You might also want to check out the Asus EEE PC 1215N , the Asus Lamborghini VX6 or the 10 inch Asus EEE PC 1015N and Acer Aspire One 532g.