Ion 2 is just... Fail...

Z

Zachstar

[H]ard|Gawd
Joined
Sep 27, 2005
Messages
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This might be pushing it for this forum but this has just about as much to do about HTPC as it is about gaming.

Ion 2 was supposed to be a superior low power graphics chip for use in systems that had no potential for a 3rd party Northbridge. I remember hearing about how it was supposed to be able to run very cool and very quiet and be even cheaper than Ion 1.

What we have gotten in my opinion is a bunch of pure fail instead.

For gaming performance people note how the reduced bandwidth badly hampers performance in some games and resolutions. Oftentimes the Ion 1 beats it. With the older Atom!

For HTPC we get this load of crap

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16813500054

They have got to be joking. Now its its own card? With a fan?! Granted there is SOME merit in being able to switch from Intel graphics to the higher wattage Nvidia. But who the heck wants to run 2 drivers to do that on an HTPC or gaming machine?

This is just the tip of the the iceberg of a growing trend that "bigger is better" for Notebooks and small form PCs. Of course price is the biggest to grow. Want Ion these days on a netbook? How about paying more than a much higher performance laptop?

In my opinion it is time to focus on keeping things UNDER 10 watts for HD Video playback and gaming. Can AMD Bobcat do it? That remains to be seen but it has to be better than this junk in my opinion.
 
I blame Intel. They cut NV completely out of the mobo chipset market with their newest chips. Having an onboard GPU means that Intel's more interesting, low powered offerings will forever be crippled with 5 year old graphics tech. Pinetrail uses a die shrunk G33 based chip for it's graphics, they couldn't even use the newer G45 stuff because they're afraid it will compete with their i3/5 and even the older s755 stuff.

You know what? I would totally be down with buying a cheap 1.5Ghz i3 CPU (even without HT) if it had the better Intel HD GPU built into it.

Anyways, I do find this very interesting:
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16814500164

Might have to pick one up for my now slightly aging 8200 based HTPC (mostly just for testing, still very satisfied with it) but I do have an older 7100 series Intel board I could then use as an HTPC too with that card.

Ion 2 sucks. For HTPC work it should be okay for HD movies but is seems like it's cutting it very close.
 
I would like extensive testing for that card first.

A person said it was quiet on there but how quiet? Small fans are notorious for being a whiny loud that is different from the large fans of most mainstream and upper cards,

Also why does that card even need a fan at all? Ion 1 was what 15 watts? And that was a tri chip housing graphics/decode northbridge and southbridge. If Ion 2 takes the same amount of power without the stress of northbridge and southbridge then what is the point. Especially as it is 40nm instead of 55nm.

What is going on with Nvidia these days?
 
I would assume that it has more to due with the application of the card and not the fact that it "needs" a fan to keep it cool. The aim with the card is to add it to an existing Atom like setup, typically they are all super small systems with very limited airflow. Ion 1 is notorious for getting hot in certain cramped conditions so I assume that they threw a fan on it to help in limited airflow systems.

I plan on using a case with a bit more room so disabling the fan should be no problem.
 
Do you mind writing up a bit of a detailed review on that card when you test it? Namely fan speed and noise.
 
No it just costs an arm instead. Especially when a small modification (Plastic cutting or melting) of the average X1 port allows use of an X16 card in it.

Sorry I am just not convinced this thing draws so little power compared to the first chipset.
 
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