Low Power CPU + High End Graphics: Ion Platform?

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Limp Gawd
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Apr 28, 2007
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I'm trying to get a low power system together by the end of this upcoming summer. My initial intentions were to get that new Via Nano board with the PCI-E 16x slot and add discrete graphics, but I've decided it isn't economical enough from a power standpoint - If I'm aiming for a low power solution, it would be more worthwhile to keep the gfx integrated as far as I can tell, not to mention it keeps the form factor minimal.

My graphics requirements are limited to playing 1080p h264-encoded video files. I do little to no gaming. I use Linux, and newer Nvidia gear finally supports offloading playback of these files onto the video device. Thus, a perfect match for me would be a Nano CPU and integrated Nvidia graphics, but as far as I can tell, this combination does not exist. Is this correct?

In February it seems that a lot of talk regarding the Nvidia 'Ion' platform hit the net. This pairs a Nano with Nvidia 9400 gfx - perfect! That's exactly what I'm looking for. Is there a projected release date for this thing? Can I get it before the end of the upcoming summer?

I suppose this question might be better suited for the Video Card subforum, but I'd prefer to keep the focus on the VIA Nano and the mini-itx form factor. I think the Ion, paired with a nice low-capacity SSD, should give me the small, low powered, and very quiet result that I am looking for.

Anybody in the same boat? I hate playing the waiting game, so I'm trying to find if there are any other options worth considering.
 
Ion stuff is a month or two out. I don't remember exact dates but I recall it being pretty aggressive.
 
If all you need the power for is h.264 files, why not look into the Atom processor which has a hardware h.264 decoder?
 
Tekara said:
If all you need the power for is h.264 files, why not look into the Atom processor which has a hardware h.264 decoder?
Click to expand...

Any idea if this has support in Linux? I was purposefully trying to support VIA because I like what they've been doing with their community support, not to mention Intel is the big guy on the block and doesn't really need my money.
 
id wait for the ion too. why not have gaming capability? and you're right, if you can go with something other then intel then do it. the market is too lopsided in their favor. problem is with desktop cpu's you just cant do that right now....
 
It's cheaper and smaller. The only computing I do that requires a greater-than-minimal amount of CPU time is watching HD movies, so I'm trying to specialize the system.
 
Well, this won't solve those two things, but if what you care about is power then you could underclock and undervolt a regular CPU. You can actually save quite a bit that way. You could start with a Core 2-based Celeron or something. Though Intel chipsets use quite a bit of power, but so does Ion.
 
Do you intend to use High Def audio from Blu Ray films?
If so, there are no integrated graphics solutions (that I know of) that have a secure audio path with HDMI audio.
This means the protected high def audio tracks (ie on Blu Ray films) will not be used.
Also, the current Blu Ray software players downsample high def sound to 16bit/48KHz and will not pass the high def sound without downsampling.

The only solution is the Asus HDAV 1.3 HDMI soundcard as this provides a secure audio path and comes with its own Blu Ray player software that doesnt downsample the high def audio.
It takes the HDMI video out from your PC and adds the sound to it which feeds to your AV amp.
This card is PCI-E only so you will need a spare PCI-E x1 slot.

There is an analogue daughter board for the card which should allow you to play multichannel high def sound without an HDMI AV amp.
This isnt confirmed though but it would be daft if it didnt.
 
Nenu said:
Do you intend to use High Def audio from Blu Ray films?
If so, there are no integrated graphics solutions (that I know of) that have a secure audio path with HDMI audio.
This means the protected high def audio tracks (ie on Blu Ray films) will not be used.
Also, the current Blu Ray software players downsample high def sound to 16bit/48KHz and will not pass the high def sound without downsampling.

The only solution is the Asus HDAV 1.3 HDMI soundcard as this provides a secure audio path and comes with its own Blu Ray player software that doesnt downsample the high def audio.
It takes the HDMI video out from your PC and adds the sound to it which feeds to your AV amp.
This card is PCI-E only so you will need a spare PCI-E x1 slot.

There is an analogue daughter board for the card which should allow you to play multichannel high def sound without an HDMI AV amp.
This isnt confirmed though but it would be daft if it didnt.
Click to expand...


You can do HD audio in the form of LPCM 5.1 and 7.1 from the 8200/8300 and 9300 Nvidia chipsets right now--just like many blu-ray players like the PS3. Some of the 780g chipsets can supposedly do 5.1 LPCM as well. I have an Asus M3N78-VM board and use a 5050e low-power AMD processor in one of my PCs right now and send multichannel LPCM to my Onkyo receiver. This is a very low power system.

I'm waiting to see how the Ion platform turns out myself as far as pricing and availability. I'd love to get my hands on a few of these tiny little systems! Here's some more info on it:
http://hothardware.com/Articles/NVIDIAs-Ion-Small-FormFactor-PC-Platform-/

It looks like the new price/performance/power ratio winner (at least for pure HTPC/net appliance applications) if they can pull it off without Intel stomping on them...
 
RavenZero said:
You can do HD audio in the form of LPCM 5.1 and 7.1 from the 8200/8300 and 9300 Nvidia chipsets right now--just like many blu-ray players like the PS3. ...
Click to expand...

Yes it seems you are right, cool!
Can you play back Blu Ray movies using DTS-HD and TrueHD converted losslessly to LPCM?
Or does it require you to unprotect and rip/convert (muxing high def sound back on) the movies to hard drive before you can play high def sound?
 
Nenu said:
Yes it seems you are right, cool!
Can you play back Blu Ray movies using DTS-HD and TrueHD converted losslessly to LPCM?
Or does it require you to unprotect and rip/convert (muxing high def sound back on) the movies to hard drive before you can play high def sound?
Click to expand...

The HD codecs are converted to LPCM by the software you're using, such as PowerDVD or Arcsoft's Media Player, and transported to the reciver via the HDMI connection. Some have had success using Media Player Classic in conjunction with codecs stripped from these players or other combinations of software.
 
I also have an ATI Radeon HD 4850 in another SFF gaming/Windows/Linux box on an Intel Core 2 Duo platform that sends all of its audio (stereo music as well as gaming and movie multi-channel audio) over HDMI to the Sony HT-CT100 soundbar and sub setup I now have in my bedroom. Awesome little setup that didn't cost an arm and a leg and offers great sound and video for when I need some more raw power for PC games.

I'm thinking of getting an Ion to either replace my HTPC or to setup in an Chenbro box as a media server (or pull double/tripple duty) with raid to supply media to my entire home as I slowly incorporate home automation and media extenders into my setup. That may still be a ways off though as time and money permit.:D This Ion platform, and potentially the newest offering from VIA (the VIA VX855), are going to make inexpensive, small and low-power media servers and HTPCs a much more accessible possibility this year for everyone. I'm really looking forward to their arrival.
 
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RavenZero said:
The HD codecs are converted to LPCM by the software you're using, such as PowerDVD or Arcsoft's Media Player, and transported to the reciver via the HDMI connection. Some have had success using Media Player Classic in conjunction with codecs stripped from these players or other combinations of software.
Click to expand...

Unfortunately, protected HD sound is converted to 16bit/48KHz by all the current Blu Ray players except Arcsofts which will pass HD audio only if a recognised protected audio path is found.
Arcsofts Media Player currently will only pass HD sound unmolested when using the Asus HDAV 1.3.
http://www.takesontech.com/?tag=dolby-truehd
HDMI 1.3 pass-through support, for lossless 7.1 channel audio output through receivers (ASUS Xonar HDAV series audio card required.)
Click to expand...
Although it doesnt mention conversion to full bandwidth LPCM, if it could do that without a recognised protected audio path it would be a known solution by the guys at Doom9 and AVforums for playing direct from Blu Ray disk.

I'd love to be proven wrong btw so if you have proof, I'm all ears!
 
Nenu said:
Unfortunately, protected HD sound is converted to 16bit/48KHz by all the current Blu Ray players except Arcsofts which will pass HD audio only if a recognised protected audio path is found.
Click to expand...

Thanks for adding additional detail, but you should know that I already fully understand these facts. I'm also SlackerX over on the avsforum.com... ;)

I stopped bothering with such arguments--ahem--"discussions" a while ago and just concentrate on giving basic information now. I've come to accept that many, if not most, people cannot tell the difference between full bit-rate and downsampled LPCM, multi-channel audio anyway. There are so many variables involved from the quality of amp/receiver to the speakers and sub that are used that can make so much of a difference that I've given up on arguing those points now. People have to go out and try the items and listen for themselves in order to settle on what's best for them and their ears... golden or otherwise. :)
 
I understand :) It can be like bashing your head on a stone trying to get the point across.

I agree that its hard to tell the difference between 192K/24bit vs downsampled 48K/16bit sound with most computer hifi systems.
Well chosen AV parts (even cheap) can produce surprising detail though so its worth pursuing for some.
(Not trying to preach, just finalising for less savvy readers)
Cheers for your input too.
 
I have a rather unorthodox suggestion: Grab the highest clocked 45w Athlon X2 processor here, and a micro ATX board with onboard video. You'd have to do your research about whether a Geforce 8200 is better in Linux for what you want than the 780G, but I know AMD's onboard gfx are very, very good. Just get a good board that allows for fsb and voltage changes, and just downclock and undervolt the processor as needed. You'd also have the benefit of having two cores.
 
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