Zotac IONITX-A-U HTPC Motherboard Review

We all want more for less. That's why enthusiasts overclock, and that's why we build HTPCs. The PlayStation 3 game console has sold millions of units because of its ability to delivery realistic video game performance, but Sony has sold more units because of the PS3's Blu-ray Disc player capability than any other factor. Bringing personal computer technology into the home theater environment has just come one step closer, thanks to the NVIDIA ION platform. The synergistic effect of an NVIDIA GeForce 9400M and the dual-core 1.6GHz Intel Atom process have delivered true high-definition performance beyond any HTPC before it. The Zotac IONITX-A-U packages the Atom N330 CPU and 9400M GPU on a Mini-ITX DDR2 motherboard. Benchmark Reviews discovers how nice it is to have native HDMI connectivity from the HTPC into the HDTV in this article.

For years now I have searched for the true home theater PC, and every time the 'perfect' combination was within reach a critical drawback would snatch it away. My criteria was strict, as a man's home theater is a trophy onto itself. The ideal HTPC needed to allow wireless web browsing and file transfers, display multimedia content over native uncompressed HDMI, and share the ability to play PC video games. Not a very tall order, but no short order by any measure. So while past HTPC projects have come close, the size and functionality have always created limitations. Zotac has helped me build the best HTPC yet, with their Zotac IONITX-A-U Mini-ITX kit.

The problem has always been size and performance. High-performance notebook computers have evolved to the point where they can now replace desktop PC's, so it seems the age of large heavy-weight HTPC has come to pass. Equipped with a capable dual-core Intel Atom N330 1.6GHz CPU for processing power, the Zotac IONITX-A-U easily outpaces most other mobile/compact alternatives. Up to 4GB of 800MHz DDR2 is supported by the 533MHz FSB on a 128-bit memory interface, with Gigabit Ethernet and Wireless-N capability integrated. NVIDIAs ION platform includes the GeForce 9400M GPU, which is perfect for streaming video content over a native HDMI 1.3a connection at high-definition resolutions up to 1920x1440 at 75MHz (1080p is 1920x1080 at 60MHz).

But the list of features is only as good as its ability to perform them without side effects or limitations. In this article, Benchmark Reviews puts the Zotac IONITX-A-U 1.6GHz Atom N330 Dual-Core Wi-Fi-N DDR2 Mini-ITX DDR2 HTPC motherboard kit to the test, and reveals just how well the NVIDIA ION package can perform in other tasks. Video game benchmarks, 1080p uncompressed video playback, and streaming media capabilities are all evaluated with an eye of scrutiny. So will the Zotac IONITX-A-U be the gateway to a perfect HTPC? Benchmark Reviews will soon find out.

About ZOTAC International (MCO) Limited

ZOTAC International is one of the largest producers of NVIDIA VGA and motherboard solutions worldwide.

ZOTAC International (MCO) Limited was established in 2006 with a mission to deliver superb, high quality NVIDIA graphic solutions to the industry. It has strong backing from its parent group, PC Partner Ltd. - with headquarters in Hong Kong, factories in mainland China and regional sales offices in North America, Europe, and the Asia Pacific region. The scale of support ZOTAC provides is currently unrivaled in the world. With 40 surface mount technology (SMT) manufacturing lines, 6,000 workers and a production facility with over 9,000,000 square feet, ZOTAC employs a full array of state-of-the-art technologies and skilled personnel in order to meet your hardware needs. In addition, ZOTAC has over 130 research & development professionals in Hong Kong and mainland China, working to bring you the best from the cutting edge of the industry. ZOTAC's international bases of operation work together to enable effective and efficient global as well as localized sales and marketing support.

ZOTAC doesn't just mean top tier quality, it is also synonymous with high performance, absolute reliability and unparalleled value. With a range of products featuring overclocked performance, excellent cooling properties, and unique packaging ZOTAC products routinely meet - and exceed - users' expectations. ZOTAC's unwavering commitment to our users is to bring the latest products quickly to the market with the best value. Needless to say ZOTAC is the right choice for those who demand the highest quality graphics solutions.

NVIDIA ION Features

More than web browsing. More than emails. NVIDIA ION graphics processors turn up the visuals on small PCs with graphics performance up to 10X faster than similar systems. Watch the latest movie releases in full 1080p HD video with true-fidelity eight-channel audio. Leave the competition in the dust in today's most popular mainstream 3D games. And enjoy a full Windows 7 or Windows Vista Premium experience on a system that provides much more bang for the buck than similarly-priced PCs. Why settle for a basic PC when you can have a compact, low-power, full PC experience optimized with NVIDIA ION?

Intel's Atom CPU is characterized by its low power footprint and capable processing ability. Many users who purchase an affordable PC today expect it to perform like a full-size system. Although consumers are looking for a great value for their next PC, they still want hardware capable of handling multi-media content like video, photos, and games at some point during the use of their computer. Consider the parents who purchase a computer which is then co-opted by kids wanting to game. Many games simply won't run with typical integrated graphics. In a business environment, today's users need to be able to manage photos, graphics, and video, and they are often severely limited by the integrated solution in today's Atom-based systems.

Small Mini-ITX Form Factor

ION-based PCs are not only small, they cost less to buy and operate, use less power, take up less space, and are much quieter. Despite its surprisingly small size, the Zotac ION platform is a fully capable motherboard with advanced graphics and impressive multimedia features.

Mini-ITX Form Factor

Mini-ITX is a 17 x 17 cm (or 6.7 x 6.7 inches) low-power motherboard form factor that is slightly smaller than the microATX motherboard form factor. The Zotac ION Mini-ITX board is passively cooled due to the low power consumption of the NVIDIA ION architecture, making it in places where fan noise can detract from enjoyment of the PC. Power is supplied by an external 19V DC power brick.

High Definition Audio (HDA)

High definition audio brings consumer electronics quality sound to the PC, delivering high quality sound from multiple channels. Using HDA, systems can deliver 192 kHz/32-bit quality for eight channels.

Integrated HDMI technology with HDCP

An onboard HDMI connector designed to meet the output protection management (HDCP v1.3a) and security specifications of the Blu-ray Disc and HD DVD formats allows the playback of encrypted movie content on PCs when connected to HDCP-compliant displays. The Zotac ION includes HDMI^TM for a true-to-life reproduction of Full HD video, and a VGA connector. Both connectors can be used simultaneously to drive separate displays.

7.1-Channel HD Audio via HDMI

Full support for premium 1080p HD video with true-fidelity 7.1-channel audio make designs built with the NVIDIA ION GPU more advanced than any other systems in its class.

NVIDIA Native Gigabit Ethernet Technology

The industry's fastest Gigabit Ethernet performance eliminates network bottlenecks, improves overall system efficiency and performance, and guarantees an ultrafast network connection into the network of other home computers.

Blu-ray Movie Playback

The Zotac ION supports full Blu-ray playback through CyberLink PowerDVD versions 8 and 9 when connected to Blu-ray disc drives like the LiteOn external BD-ROM drive pictured to the right. External BD-ROM drives can be connected to the Zotac ION through one of its six USB 2.0 connections, or via the eSATA connector.

Media Player Classic Home Cinema

Media Player Classic (MPC) is a freeware player that uses the traditional Windows Media Player 6.4 interface, but is packed with modern features. Features include support for many video and audio formats, and full support for NVIDIA GPU hardware acceleration. One of the popular file formats supported by Media Player Classic is Matroska, the extensible open standard Audio/Video container. Matroska is usually found as .MKV files (matroska video) and .MKA files (matroska audio). With Media Player Classic properly configured, the Zotac ION can play large .MKV files, up to 1080p resolution, using NVIDIA GPU hardware acceleration. The movie file is able to play both the video and audio smoothly without any skipping/stuttering while keeping even a single-core Atom CPU load at a minimum.

ION Media and Communications Processor

The NVIDIA ION Platform is powered by the NVIDIA GeForce 9400 GPU, that transforms low-cost Intel Atom-based PC designs into a premium experience. It is fully Windows Vista Premium compliant, and supports Premium DirectX 10 graphics with advanced digital display connectivity. Below are the features built into the NVIDIA GeForce 9400 GPU that powers the ION platform:

• 16 Dedicated GPU Cores - NVIDIA GeForce 9400 GPUs for Intel redefine the entry-level PC gaming experience. With a revolutionary unified architecture and 16 dedicated GPU cores, they deliver unprecedented performance and detailed environments.
• NVIDIA CUDA^TM technology - The 16 parallel processors built into ION are harnessed by CUDA^TM Software to accelerate a broad range of compute intensive applications, vastly improving your PC's ability to work with visual content such as video encoding.
• Full Microsoft DirectX 10 Support - A DirectX 10 GPU with full Shader Model 4.0 support delivers unparalleled levels of graphics realism and film-quality effects. NVIDIA ION graphics processors include 16 dedicated graphics cores to deliver the best visual experience.
• Built for Microsoft Windows Vista - The fourth-generation NVIDIA GPU architecture built for Vista offers the best possible experience with Windows Aero 3D graphical user interface.
• NVIDIA Lumenex^TM Engine - Delivers stunning image quality and floating point accuracy with ultra-fast frame rates and a blistering 3.6 billion/second texture fill rate.
• 16× Antialiasing Technology - High-quality antialiasing at up to 16× sample rates obliterates jagged edges.
• 128-bit Floating Point High Dynamic-Range (HDR) Lighting - Twice the precision of prior generations for incredibly realistic lighting effects-now with support for anti-aliasing.
• OpenGL 2.0 Optimizations and Support - Ensures top-notch compatibility and performance for OpenGL applications.
• 300 MHz RAMDAC - Blazing-fast RAMDAC supports display with high, ergonomic refresh rates up to and including 2048 × 1536 at 75 Hz.
• NVIDIA nView Multi-Display Technology - Advanced technology provides the ultimate in viewing flexibility and control for multiple digital and analog monitors.
• NVIDIA PowerMizer System Extensions - The dedicated PowerMizer microcontroller intelligently monitors application and device activity to seamlessly adapt performance to suit the task at hand. By matching the performance to the application, PowerMizer ensures the ION graphics processor provides the longest battery life possible.

IONITX-A-U Specifications

Experience fluid and vivid high-definition video playback with the ultra-compact ZOTAC ION platform. The mini-ITX form factor ZOTAC ION combines a high-performance NVIDIA ION graphics processor with a power-efficient Intel Atom processor for the ultimate eco-friendly platform that has no troubles handling regular web browsing, e-mail, & productivity and HD video playback tasks.

NVIDIA PureVideo HD technology harnesses the power of the ION's 16 high-speed stream processors for high-definition Blu-ray playback capabilities. PureVideo HD technology decodes HD video formats and enhances standard-definition videos with the ION GPU for flawless HD and superior SD video playback.

• NVIDIA ION GeForce 9400m GPU
• 16 stream processors
• Integrated Intel Atom N230 (single-core) or Atom N330 (dual-core) processors
• 533 MHz front-side bus
• HDMI 1.3a, DVI and VGA outputs
• HDCP compliant
• 2 DDR2 DIMM slots
• DDR2-667/800 compatible
• Up to 4GB of DDR2 memory
• Integrated DC-DC power supply (optional)
• Included 19V AC/DC power brick (optional)
• Integrated 802.11n Wi-Fi (optional)
• Mini PCI Express slot (optional)
• Microsoft DirectX 10 and OpenGL 2.1 compatible
• NVIDIA CUDA^TM and PhysX^TM ready
• NVIDIA PureVideo^TM HD technology
• ZOTAC Extended Warranty

Closer Look: Zotac IONITX-A-U

Zotac is the NVIDIA-arm of PCPartner, the company behind ATI's dependant Sapphire brand. With this relationship comes a wealth of marketing research, most of it retail test proven. Like all Zotac products, an attractive black and yellow color catch your attention and draw you in. The packaging for the Zotac IONITX-A-U 1.6GHz Atom N330 Dual-Core Wi-Fi N DDR2 Mini-ITX DDR2 motherboard kit is no different, and you're immediately drawn in to take a closer look. Some of the key benefits to building with the NVIDIA ION platform are:

• Small Form Factor design
• DirectX 10 graphics with advanced digital display connectivity
• HDMI, DVI and eSATA ports
• Support for 800MHz DDR2 Dual-Channel Memory
• Premium 1080p HD video with true-fidelity 7.1 channel audio
• Full support for 24-bit 8-channel LPCM uncompressed audio through HDMI
• Accelerated video enhancement and transcoding using NVIDIA CUDA^TM technology
• CUDA technology unlocks the processing power of the GPU to accelerate video transcoding and run the most compute-intensive applications

What actually comes out of the retail package is really very small, and for enthusiasts with experience building computer systems using full-size ATX motherboards, the mini-ITX form factor will be quite the surprise.

Not much taller than half the height of an ATX motherboard, the Zotac IONITX-A-U motherboard measures a miniscule 6.7" square... barely longer than the I/O panel. You're looking at the platform that can actually fit inside the palm of your hand.

Zotac offers several versions of their IONITX m-ITX series motherboards. The version Benchmark Reviews will be testing is labeled with the model number IONITX-A-U, and features a dual-core 1.6GHz Atom N330 processor, Wi-Fi N mini PCI-Express card, and comes with a 90W A/C adapter power supply. Zotac includes nearly everything you'll need to build a system with the IONITX-A-U kit: power connections, SATA cables, etc. Additionally, the IONITX-A-U version adds a slim 60mm fan for active cooling.

Builders will need to supply the primary drive, optical drive, and DDR2 system memory. For our tests, the OCZ Vertex SSD was used to drive the O/S in all test systems, and our Zotac ION HTPC received 4GB of OCZ Gold 800MHz DDR2 in dual-channel mode. A slim DVD burner fit the small space allowed for an optical drive.

There was one item that would have completed the kit for HTPC builders would be an Optical Audio (TosLink) cable, but HDMI connections will make this unnecessary. Unfortunately, Zotac does not bundle any media center themed software with the ION kit.

In the next section, Benchmark Reviews will detail some of the more advanced features hidden in the ION platform and IONITX-A-U motherboard kit.

IONITX-A-U Detailed Features

When you task your design engineers with building on a micro-small scale, component placement must be handled with the utmost efficiency for the system to work. Zotac has done an excellent job finding a home for everything needed to bring the ION platform to life on the mini-ITX form factor. From the overhead view illustrated below, you can see that the IONITX-A-U kit offers a remarkable amount of functionality, with nearly no compromise from what HTPC builders would get with larger form factors.

While the hardware components are scaled down to fit in the smallest of enclosures (Benchmark Reviews used the Antec ISK300-65), there's still room for expansion. Our kit came with a mini PCI-Express Wi-Fi-N network adapter, but different hardware can be connected if needed. Two headers allow another four USB 2.0 ports to be added, and headers are present for HD audio and serial (COM) connectivity.

The Zotac IONITX-A-U features a dual-core 1.6GHz Intel Atom N330 processor, which is roughly the equivalent of early-generation Core 2 Duo CPUs. A large aluminum heatsink covers both the NVIDIA 9400m GPU and Intel N330 CPU, and a slim 60mm fan attaches onto the top and cools the processors in complete silence. Depending on the enclosure, a larger standard 60mm fan can be fitted, although it is unnecessary based on our experience.

The side view exposes a very busy I/O panel on the ION platform, which is going to make most HTPC enthusiast smile. For those moments when a wireless keyboard won't access the BIOS, a PS/2 port is available. A total of six USB 2.0 ports are spaced at intervals across the panel, with eSATA connectivity nestled in the mix. It occurred to me that this ION HTPC was built with a OCZ Vertex 120GB SSD as the primary drive, but something like the OCZ Throttle eSATA flash drive would be perfect for toting around a large multimedia library while also keeping SSD performance in tact.

Optical (TosLink) and digital audio connections join the native HDMI (1.3a) ports, and have analog 5.1 channel audio ports for a fall-back. Uncompressed digital video can stream from the HDMI port, or a monitor can connect to either digital DVI or analog D-Sub ports. A single Gigabit Ethernet port compliments the (optional) Wi-Fi-N antenna.

The NVIDIA ION platform offers two DDR2 DIMM's for dual-channel memory configurations, with capacity capped at 4GB. This is more than enough for any 32-bit Operating System (Windows XP SP3 was our choice), but it's just barely enough to keep Windows Vista happy. Our favorite HTPC O/S was 64-bit Microsoft Windows 7 RC1, which asked for much less than Vista, and somehow offered a lot more. Perhaps a BIOS update will eventually allow for an 8GB DDR2 capacity (2x 4GB modules), but since most media applications aren't terribly demanding on system memory, 4GB was more than enough for our needs.

In our next section, Benchmark Reviews begins testing the Zotac IONITX-A-U motherboard kit against a few other HTPC solutions, including the ASUS Eee PC 1000HE.

Testing Methodology

Benchmark Reviews has used the following systems and test software for the performance tests reported in this article. Each system compared was tested using common software and Operating System variables, however not all aspects could be matched identically.

The CPU Benchmarks were collected from PCMark Vantage, EVEREST Ultimate Edition, PerformanceTest, and CINEBENCH test suites, and all used common settings for each test. PCMark Vantage features test suits with static settings, which include the TV/Movies, Gaming, and Music. PerformanceTest also conducts tests with static settings, such as the 2D and 3D graphics performance.

Intel Atom Processors

In the chart assembled below, Benchmark Reviews has organized the various Intel Atom processors released as of July 2009 for comparison. The NVIDIA ION is the only platform which supports EM64T instructions, for 64-bit Operating System compatibility, a feature that will prove invaluable with the upcoming Microsoft Windows 7 O/S release.

Zotac IONITX-A-U System

• Motherboard: Zotac IONITX-A-U
• System Memory: 4GB OCZ Gold 800MHz DDR2
• Processor: 1.6GHz Intel Atom N330 Dual-Core
• Video: Integrated NVIDIA GeForce 9400 GPU (ION)
• System Drive: OCZ Vertex 120GB SATA SSD OCZSSD2-1VTX120G
• Enclosure: Antec ISK300-65 Mini-ITX Computer Case

ASRock Nettop AMCP7A-ION System

• Motherboard: ASRock AMCP7A-ION
• System Memory: 4GB OCZ Gold 800MHz DDR2
• Processor: 1.6GHz Intel Atom N330 Dual-Core
• Video: Integrated NVIDIA GeForce 9400 GPU (ION)
• System Drive: OCZ Vertex 120GB SATA SSD OCZSSD2-1VTX120G

ASUS Eee PC 1000HE-BLK005X System

• Mainboard Chipset: Intel i945GSE
• System Memory: 2GB 667MHz DDR2
• Processor: 1.6GHz Intel Atom N280
• Video: Intel Graphics Media Accelerator 950 (GMA 950)
• System Drive: OCZ Vertex 120GB SATA SSD OCZSSD2-1VTX120G

Dell Inspiron 6400 System

Mainboard Chipset: Intel i945GM (Calistoga)
System Memory: 2GB 533MHz DDR2
Processor: 1.66GHz Intel Core Duo 2300 Dual Core
Video: Intel Graphics Media Accelerator 950 (GMA 950)
System Drive: OCZ Vertex 120GB SATA SSD OCZSSD2-1VTX120G

Support Hardware

• Sharp AQUOS LC-52D62U 52" LCD 1080P HDTV
• Insignia NSLCD32 32" LCD 720p HDTV
• SOYO DYLM26E6 26" LCD Monitor
• Samsung 2220WM-HAS 22" LCD Monitor

Test Software

• Microsoft Windows XP Professional SP-3
• Microsoft Windows XP Home SP-3
• Microsoft Windows 7 RC1 32-bit Edition (Build 7100)
• Microsoft Windows 7 RC1 64-bit Edition (Build 7100)
• Futuremark PCMark Vantage v1.01 System Test Suite
• Lavalys EVEREST Ultimate Edition v5.02.1750
• PassMark PerformanceTest v7.0 Build 1006 (32- and 64-Bit)
• Maxon CINEBENCH Release 10

PCMark Vantage Results

PCMark Vantage is an objective hardware performance benchmark tool for PCs running 32 and 64 bit versions of Microsoft Windows Vista or Windows 7. PCMark Vantage is perfectly suited for benchmarking any type of Microsoft Windows Vista/7 PC from multimedia home entertainment systems and laptops to dedicated workstations and hi-end gaming rigs. Benchmark Reviews has decided to use a few select tests from the suite to test the NVIDIA ION platform in this article. Our tests were conducted on 32- and 64-bit Windows 7 RC-1 Build 7100, with the 32-bit results displayed in the charts below. A 32-bit versus 64-bit performance analysis has been included a few sections later in this article.

TV and Movies Suite

The tests in the TV and Movies Suite have been selected to represent the Windows Vista TV and Movies Consumer Scenario. The combination of test sets covers the common TV and Movies usage. The TV and Movies Suite gives a separate PCMark TV and Movies Score which does not affect the overall PCMark Score. TV and Movies Suite include the following tests:

TV and Movies 1

o Two simultaneous threads
o Video transcoding: HD DVD to media server archive
o Video playback: HD DVD w/ additional lower bitrate HD content from HDD, as downloaded from net

TV and Movies 2

o Two simultaneous threads
o Video transcoding: HD DVD to media server archive
o Video playback, HD MPEG-2: 19.39 Mbps terrestrial HDTV playback

TV and Movies 3

o HDD Media Center

TV and Movies 4

o Video transcoding: media server archive to portable device
o Video playback, HD MPEG-2: 48 Mbps Blu-ray playback

Gaming Suite

The tests in the Gaming Suite have been selected to represent the Windows Vista Gaming Consumer Scenario. The combination of test sets covers the common Gaming usage. The Gaming Suite gives a separate PCMark Gaming Score which does not affect the overall PCMark Score. Gaming Suite includes the following tests:

Gaming 1

o GPU game test

Gaming 2

o HDD: game HDD

Gaming 3

o Two simultaneous threads
o CPU game test
o Data decompression: level loading

Gaming 4

o Three simultaneous threads
o GPU game test
o CPU game test
o HDD: game HDD

Music Suite

The tests in the Music Suite have been selected to represent the Windows Vista Music Consumer Scenario. The combination of test sets covers the common Music usage. The Music Suite gives a separate PCMark Music Score which does not affect the overall PCMark Score. Music Suite includes the following tests:

Music 1

o Three simultaneous threads
o Web page rendering - w/ music shop content
o Audio transcoding: WAV -> WMA lossless
o HDD: Adding music to Windows Media Player

Music 2

o Audio transcoding: WAV -> WMA lossless

Music 3

o Audio transcoding: MP3 -> WMA

Music 4

o Two simultaneous threads
o Audio transcoding: WMA -> WMA
o HDD: Adding music to Windows Media Player

Analyzing the results offers some perspective on where technology has helped shape performance. In our PCMark Vantage benchmark tests, the NVIDIA ION platform outperformed the Intel i945GM-based Dell Inspiron 6400 notebook in Gaming performance, primarily because the Intel Graphics Media Accelerator 950 is not a DirectX 10 compatible hardware component. We can at least give it credit for trying... since the ASUS Eee PC cannot display the 1024x768 resolution required by PCMark Vantage (640x480 was the best it offered).

While Benchmark Reviews recognizes that a D-Sub monitor capable of 1024x768 could have been attached to the ASUS Eee PC 1000HE, and the PCMark Vantage tests completed, we would no longer be testing the Eee PC netbook. Even if a monitor was connected, we suspect that the ASUS Eee PC 1000HE would have produced a score similar (albeit lower) to the Dell Inspiron 6400 notebook computer, since they both use the same GMA 950 processor for graphics.

Aside from gaming, which the ION's GeForce 9400m GPU certainly appears to do much better than Intel's GMA 950 solution, the ION's 1.6 GHz Intel Atom N330 dual-core processor held its own against the slightly more-powerful 1.66GHz Intel Core Duo 2300 dual core CPU.

EVEREST CPU Benchmarks

Lavalys EVEREST Ultimate Edition is an industry leading system diagnostics and benchmarking solution for enthusiasts PC users, based on the award-winning EVEREST Technology. During system optimizations and tweaking it provides essential system and overclock information, advanced hardware monitoring and diagnostics capabilities to check the effects of the applied settings. CPU, FPU and memory benchmarks are available to measure the actual system performance and compare it to previous states or other systems. Furthermore, complete software, operating system and security information makes EVEREST Ultimate Edition a comprehensive system diagnostics tool that offers a total of 100 pages of information about your PC.

All of the benchmarks used in our test bed: Queen, Photoworxx, ZLib, and AES, all rely on basic x86 instructions, and consume very low system memory while also being aware of HyperThreading, multi-processors, and multi-core processors. While the EVEREST CPU tests really only compare the processor performance more than it measures platforms, it still offers a glimpse into what kind of power each platform posesses.

Queen and Photoworxx tests are synthetic benchmarks that operate the function many times over and over-exaggerate by several magnitudes what the real-world performance would be like. The Queen benchmark focuses on the branch prediction capabilities and misprediction penalties of the CPU. It does this by finding possible solutions to the classic queen problem on a chessboard. At the same clock speed theoretically the processor with the shorter pipeline and smaller misprediction penalties will attain higher benchmark scores.

The NVIDIA ION platform, with a soldiered-in Intel Atom 330 dual-core processor, offered the best Queen performance of the bunch. The ASUS Eee PC 1000HE uses a single-core Intel Atom N280 processor, which rendered 57% less performance than the ION's 330. Even with the larger cache, the Dell Inspiron 6400's 1.66 GHz Intel Core Duo 2300 still fell behind the Atom 330 by almost 10%. But that's only CPU Queen...

Like the Queen benchmark, the Photoworxx tests for penalties against pipeline architecture. The synthetic Photoworxx benchmark stresses the integer arithmetic and multiplication execution units of the CPU and also the memory subsystem. Due to the fact that this test performs high memory read/write traffic, it cannot effectively scale in situations where more than two processing threads are used. The EVEREST Photoworxx benchmark performs the following tasks on a very large RGB image:

• Fill
• Flip
• Rotate90R (rotate 90 degrees CW)
• Rotate90L (rotate 90 degrees CCW)
• Random (fill the image with random colored pixels)
• RGB2BW (color to black & white conversion)
• Difference
• Crop

The Eee PC's Atom N280 scored 2294 in the CPU PhotoWorxx test, with the ION's N330 raising the score nearly 70% to 3882. The Dell Inspiron's Intel Core Duo 2300 performed 35% better than the ION's N330 CPU with 5253.

The Zip Library test measures combined CPU and memory subsystem performance through the public ZLib compression library. ZLib is designed as a free lossless data compression library for use on virtually any computer hardware and operating system. The ZLib data format is itself portable across platforms and has a footprint independent of input data that can be reduced at some cost in compression. The Eee PC's Atom N280 scored 8004 in the CPU Zip Library test, with the ION's N330 improving that score by 111% to 16845. The Dell Inspiron's Intel Core Duo 2300 performed only 17% better than the ION's N330 CPU with 19766.

The AES integer benchmark measures CPU performance using AES data encryption. It utilizes Vincent Rijmen, Antoon Bosselaers and Paulo Barreto's public domain C code in ECB mode and consumes 48 MB of memory. In the AES testing, the Eee PC's N280 offered a mere 1909 points, with the ION's N330 processor scoring 3677 for a 93% improvement. The Intel Core Duo 2300 scored 5882 points, offering a 60% lead over the N330.

Intel Atom Processors

In the chart assembled below, Benchmark Reviews has organized the various Intel Atom processors released as of July 2009 for comparison. The NVIDIA ION is the only platform which supports EM64T instructions, for 64-bit Operating System compatibility, a feature that will prove invaluable with the upcoming Microsoft Windows 7 O/S release.

Passmark PerformanceTest

PassMark PerformanceTest is a PC hardware benchmark utility that allows a user to quickly assess the performance of their computer and compare it to a number of standard 'baseline' computer systems. The Passmark PerformanceTest CPU tests all benchmark the mathematical operations, compression, encryption, SSE, and 3DNow! instructions of modern processors. In our tests there were several area's of concentration for each benchmark, which are combined into one compound score. This score is referred to as the CPU Mark, and is a composite of the following tests:

• Integer Math
• Floating Point Math
• Find Prime Numbers
• SSE/3DNow!
• Compression
• Encryption
• Image Rotation
• String Sorting

Taken together as a whole, the eight separate CPU tests offers a very realistic segment of what taxes the processor most for users. The tests are grossly exaggerated synthetic benchmarks, but they can still help illustrate the difference.

Collectively speaking, Passmark PerformanceTest has simply reinforced the scores we previously explained in the Lavalys EVEREST section: a single-core Atom N280 does half as well as the newer dual-core Atom 330, and the older Intel Core Duo 2300 shows its desktop heritage by outperforming the Atom 330 (and requiring an improved cooling solution).

The surprising element here is the 2D and 3D graphics tests, which give the Dell notebook's GMA 950 a distinct advantage over the NVIDIA ION's GeForce 9400m GPU, which also in turn managed to outperform the very same GMA 950 used in the ASUS Eee PC. The 2D Marks score makes sense, because of a heavy reliance on CPU power and memory (which the full-size notebook has more of), but the 3D Marks score is a different story.

Since the Intel i945GM/GMA950 platform used in the Dell Inspiron notebook and ASUS Eee PC netbook are not DirectX 10 compatible, Passmark PerformanceTest did not complete the final (DX10) test and offered a short-score. Oddly enough, the Dell Inspiron's score of 105 3D Marks is still in the same realm as the NVIDIA ION's 111 score.

Maxon CINEBENCH OpenGL Results

Cinebench is a real-world test suite that assesses the computer's performance capabilities. Maxon Cinebench is based on Maxon's award-winning animation software, Cinema 4D, which is used extensively by studios and production houses worldwide for 3D content creation. Maxon software has been used in blockbuster movies such as Spider-Man, Star Wars, The Chronicles of Narnia and many more.

Maxon Cinebench runs several tests on your computer to measure the performance of the main processor and the graphics card under real world circumstances. The benchmark application makes use of up to 16 CPUs or CPU cores and is available for Windows (32-bit and 64-Bit) and Macintosh (PPC and Intel-based). The resulting values among different operating systems are 100% comparable and therefore very useful with regard to purchasing decision-making. It can also be used as a marketing tool for hardware vendors or simply to compare hardware among colleagues or friends.

The OpenGL test measures graphics card performance and is run inside the 3D editor window. The project file used can test all graphics cards that support the OpenGL standard. In this scene, only the camera was animated. This scene places medium to low demands on graphics cards and tests the maximum speed with which the scene can be properly displayed at the 800x580 resolution. Essentially, the Cinebench test removes the system hardware from the scoring influence, and centers the results around the GPU.

Looking over the chart, it becomes clear that the NVIDIA ION platform is far superior to anything the ASUS Eee (or MSI Wind) platforms can offer. We'll see more about this later in the gaming performance section, but suffice it to say that the GeForce 9400m in the ION has established itself as a dominant force when compared against other 'nettop' or 'netbook' systems. While the NVIDIA ION offered an impressive OpenGL Graphics score of 1184, the ASUS Eee PC 1000HE netbook and Dell Inspiron notebook appear to have completely missed the mark. CINEBENCH demonstrates how ineffective the GMA950 graphics processor is compared to the NVIDIA ION's 9400m GPU, which offered a noteworthy 1668% performance lead over the Eee and Inspiron.

The tone changes once CINEBENCH begins CPU testing, at which point the CPU-intensive image-rendering scenes dismiss the GPU and train themselves on the platforms computing capability. In the single CPU test, both the ION and Eee are identical, but the Intel Core Duo 2300 offers up a 182% lead over the ION's N330. In CPU tests with multi-processor (or HyperThreading) speedup enabled, the netbook scores 874, while the ION nettop score 1534, and the notebook yields 2796.

ION Gaming Performance

Allow me to begin this section by stating up front that NVIDIA offers a full range of desktop video cards with their GeForce product line, and that the ION platform was never meant to compete against discrete add-in graphics accelerators. What the ION platform does, and does very well, is offer an extremely versatile range of video connectivity options while at the same time delivering exceptional graphics performance through an integrated GeForce 9400 GPU.

While most readers will understand that comparing integrated video on the ION platform to an NVIDIA GeForce or ATI Radeon add-in graphics solution would be unfair, and at the same time it's also unfair to match the GeForce 9400 GPU on the ION platform against netbooks. While discrete graphics have the advantage of large memory buffers and powerful dedicated graphics processors, they can never fit inside the micro-size package an ION system can. On that same token, NVIDIA's ION platform is capable of rendering digital graphics resolution as high as 2560x1600 (2048x1536 analog), while an ASUS Eee PC has a miniature 10" LCD screen intended for WSVGA 1024x600 resolution. The ION platform is the bridge between impotent netbook graphics, and overactive desktop performance.

Benchmark Reviews has already proven that almost any product on the desktop graphics market will play our favorite video games with acceptable settings and frame rate performance, but we can't rightfully say the same for netbook platforms. While I'm sure someone has found some level of satisfaction in playing video games on their ASUS Eee PC or MSI Wind at 1024x600, it's simply unrealistic to expect an experience equal to a desktop PC or even a gaming console. What's dangerous about the NVIDIA ION platform is that it takes a very powerful GeForce 9400 integrated graphics processor and essentially creeps inside the desktop perimeter. Sure, the ION can perform well at 1280x720 for 720p resolution on your HDTV, or even 1920×1080 for 1280p, but can it hold up at higher 1680x1050 or 1920x1200 resolutions? The quick answer is 'yes', but ultimately this will depend on your needs.

NVIDIA has touted game play performance on the ION as offering exception frame rate performance when paired with many of the popular titles people play today. The problem is how they arrived at this conclusion. Testing ION graphics at 800x600 (0.48 MegaPixel) and 1024x768 (0.79 MP) may be fine if you're comparing performance to a netbook's 1024x600 (0.61 MP) resolution, but Benchmark Reviews knows full well that no LCD monitor on the market is built to display resolutions this low. The ION GeForce 9400 GPU easily trumps the graphics performance of Intel's integrated graphics chipset inside an Eee PC, and even some notebook systems are kept at bay, which is no surprise. But ultimately, the NVIDIA ION platform isn't going to be your cheap ticket to replacing desktop-level graphics performance in video games.

Benchmark Reviews tested frame rate performance using several video games displayed at 720p (0.92 MP) and 1080p (2.07 MP) resolutions, and the NVIDIA ION platform proved itself capable of every video and 2D application we threw at it. When playing 3D games, such as Devil May Cry 4 or Call of Duty 4, the results were considerably different. At 1080p these games were not enjoyable, even with all of the settings turned down. At 720p (1080x720) the performance perked up, and frame rates were nearing 30 FPS. Perhaps I was being unrealistic, and expecting that people would actually pass-up their gaming console or PC just to play these games on an HTPC in the first place. After all, this amounts to comparing integrated graphics against add-in video cards.

Since most first-person shooter and intense-action games are best experienced on high-resolution monitors and not at the HDTV resolutions I was testing with, I decided to change my format and play some of the more entertaining titles that depend less on graphics power. The first was Battlefield Heroes, an online-only first-person shooter that requires very little graphic processing but still offers outstanding game play and hours of fun. Comparing the desktop experience of playing Battlefield Heroes on high-resolution monitors (1680x1050 or 1920x1200) against the ION experience on my 1080p HDTV actually offered no perceivable difference, which is exactly what desktop graphics should begin to fear.

When it came to games like Spore, The Sims, or any of the parlor games such as Mahjong, Solitare, online Poker, or puzzles, the ION's versatility really shined. It's okay to sit behind a computer and play these games, but it sure is nice to sit on the couch or in a recliner and take it all in while relaxing... feet up. The ION platform doesn't really threaten gaming consoles, since they've got advanced graphics processors and a proprietary format, but then again consoles don't have Spore or The Sims to their credit. The bottom line is that an ION system can handle any graphical demand you place on it, with exception to desktop-level performance with games designed specifically for that level of power.

32-bit vs 64-bit Performance

When this section was first drafted, there was enough data to make it into a stand-alone article (which might still happen). Most enthusiasts want to know if Windows 7 32-bit performs better or worse than the 64-bit version, and for good reason. In the context of this article, we compared the 32- and 64-bit versions of Microsoft's upcoming Operating System on the NVIDIA ION platform to see which would offer the best performance.

Testing a 32-bit Operating System against an 64-bit edition of the same name will always be dependant on the hardware used. For example, 32-bit versions of Windows have a memory map limited to 4GB, and so any amount of system memory installed beyond this limit is unmapped and wasted. Alternatively, a 64-bit version of Windows will require more memory for most services and applications, and the same 4GB of memory may not be enough. It's all dependant on the software you plan to use. For the benchmark performance tests in this section, our test system included the following hardware:

NVIDIA ION System

• Motherboard: NVIDIA ION
• System Memory: 4GB OCZ Gold 800MHz DDR2
• Processor: 1.6GHz Intel Atom 330 Dual-Core
• Video: Integrated NVIDIA GeForce 9400m GPU
• System Drive: OCZ Vertex 120GB SATA SSD OCZSSD2-1VTX120G
• Enclosure: Antec ISK300-65 Mini-ITX Computer Case

Test Software

• Microsoft Windows 7 RC1 32-bit Edition (Build 7100)
• Microsoft Windows 7 RC1 64-bit Edition (Build 7100)
• Futuremark PCMark Vantage v1.01 System Test Suite
• Lavalys EVEREST Ultimate Edition v5.02.1750
• PassMark PerformanceTest v7.0 Build 1006 (32- and 64-Bit)
• CINEBENCH Release 10

PCMark Vantage appears to favor the 64-bit version of Windows 7 on the ION platform. TV and Movies score is virtually identical among Operating Systems, but 64-Bit Gaming and Music scores are 8.2% and 7.3% improved over the 32-bit O/S.

Lavalys EVEREST Ultimate Edition v5.02.1750 was one of the few tests that measured performance nearly identical between 32- and 64-bit versions of the Windows 7 Operating System, although there appeared to be a slight preference for the 32-bit version.

Passmark PerformanceTest 7.0 indicates a preference for 64-bit CPU and 2D graphics, while 3D graphics leaned towards the 32-bit version of Windows 7 O/S on the ION platform.

Cinebench R10 graphics tests concurred with PerformanceTest, and favored 32-bit Windows 7, while CPU instruction tests were clearly 64-bit dominated. 64-bite Windows 7 Single and Multi-thread CPU tests offered a 24.2% and 22.9% improvement over 32-bit Windows 7.

Based on these benchmark tests, the NVIDIA ION takes full advantage of Intel's EM64T instruction set included in the Atom 330 processor. Of all the Atom processors released to date, only the Atom 330 (dual-core) and Atom 230 (single-core) processors can accept 64-bit code. At the time of this writing, the NVIDIA ION is the only Intel Atom-based platform to offer support for 64-bit Operating Systems.

ION Platform Final Thoughts

For most people an HTPC means many things, but to many it means Windows Media Center, MythTV, or even XBMC. This is primarily what I had in mind for the ION platform, but then NVIDIA reminded me that the 16 parallel processors built into ION's GeForce 9400m GPU can be harnessed by CUDA-based software to accelerate a broad range of compute intensive applications, improving the ability to work with visual content such as video encoding. At first, I hadn't considered the ION platform for these tasks, but when it dawned on me that many users would rather be ripping content and updating their social media profiles from the living room instead of the office.

For example, The Badaboom Media Converter from Elemental Technologies, Inc. formats video and audio files for a variety of devices using a process called transcoding. With NVIDIA CUDA technology, Badaboom enables users to painlessly convert video in multiple formats and view them on their portable media devices in a convenient, intuitive application. Video compression divides frames into blocks of pixels which dual-core and quad-core CPUs process serially. NVIDIA ION GPUs contain 16 processing cores that enable tasks to be parallelized for faster processing.

The Badaboom Media Converter converts digital audio and video of commonly distributed formats to formats that are necessary for various portable devices. This conversion includes the unpacking and decompression of audio and video, re-formatting the media for the desired device, and then re-compressing into a new file. The video processing is done using the NVIDIA graphics processing unit (GPU), which accelerates the task. By taking advantage of the multiple stream processors in the NVIDIA ION, transcoding speed is greatly improved compared to Atom CPUs.

MotionDSP's vReveal is an exciting NVIDIA CUDA enabled application for consumers. vReveal features an adaptation of the "CSI-style" video enhancement technology behind MotionDSP's "Ikena," the high-powered forensic software used by law enforcement and intelligence agencies. This technology allows vReveal to enhance low resolution or poorly captured video with a single click. While vReveal will run on the CPU, it has been programmed specifically to leverage the tremendous parallel processing power of CUDA enabled GPUs. By tapping into the many parallel cores of CUDA-enabled NVIDIA GPUs, vReveal can process videos up to five times faster compared to just using a CPU. That means consumers can enhance their videos in less time and have their CPUs available for normal everyday tasks like emailing and internet browsing.

vReveal is MotionDSP's video enhancement software for Windows. It can dramatically improve the quality of flawed videos with just one click. The unrivaled enhancement technology powering vReveal works wonders with the shaky, dark, noisy, pixelated, and blurry videos that come from cell phones, digital cameras, and other handheld devices. With vReveal, you can play video files, preview enhancements to videos, and then save enhanced videos to disk or upload them directly to YouTube. Plus, vReveal has been specially tuned to run up to five times faster on CUDA-enabled NVIDIA ION graphics processors. That means you can process video enhancements in less time and have your CPU available for normal everyday tasks like emailing and internet browsing.

Consumer-generated video has a lot of problems. Low-resolution sources like cell phone cameras capture videos with poor detail, shakiness, pixilation, and other artifacts. Even high resolution sources (like digital still cameras in "video" mode) record videos that are shaky, dark, and rife with noise artifacts like pixilation and graininess. vReveal is a consumer video enhancement application that makes it easy to dramatically improve the quality of these consumer generated videos with the use of CUDA. vReveal features an adaptation of the CSI-style video enhancement technology behind MotionDSP's Ikena, the high-powered forensic software used by law enforcement and intelligence agencies.

Nero Move it v1.5 also features NVIDIA CUDA-accelerated video encoding when transcoding files to AVC/H.264 format. Simply transfer your music, videos, and photos to enjoy online or on portable devices. Nero Move it solves one of the most common problems facing consumers today - too many devices and too many pieces of digital content in a range of file formats that simply aren't compatible. Nero Move it is the first product of its kind providing one hassle-free solution for consumers and the fastest way to transfer content from device-to-device.

While building a first-class HTPC using the Zotac IONITX-A-U, the list of ingredients I need to supply was quite small. Any high-capacity low-latency 800MHz DDR2 would work, along with a slim optical drive and 2.5" solid state or hard disk drive. The real kingpin to the entire build was the choice of enclosure, which is where we called upon the affordable Antec ISK300-65 mini-ITX computer case. In retrospect, there were other options found afterwards that might have better suited my tastes, such as those found at Logic Supply. Most all mITX enclosures will allow at least a slim optical drive, as well as additional front-panel USB and audio ports (the ISK300 also adds eSATA). To make the ION system into a true HTPC, you'll probably want Blu-ray Disc support, which a slim internal BD (or a much less-expensive external or IDE) drive can add.

Zotac IONITX-A-U Conclusion

If you're a home theater enthusiast, or just someone who wants more functionality out of their entertainment center, the NVIDIA ION has become what I consider the de facto platform for HTPC. It's no surprise that the Zotac IONITX kits are in high demand, because my own searches for the ultimate home theater PC all point back to this platform. But there are a few varieties of the ION platform, some as kits and some as fully assembled nettop systems, and the decision really depends on your end-goal.

Unlike previous Intel Atom processors which lacked substantial muscle, the dual-core Atom 330 is equivalent to Intel's Core Duo processor. This allows a product like the Nettop ION 330 to take full advantage of the ASRock AMCP7A-ION hardware, and produce performance results far exceeding an ASUS Eee PC or Intel i945GSE-equipped notebooks. While the NVIDIA ION platform utilizes a GeForce 9400m GPU to generate decent 3D graphics, you won't be playing Far Cry 2 on your HDTV. Nevertheless, parlor-style and other 2D games worked perfectly well, as did low-demand 3D games such as Spore or The Sims. Some early pre-production reviews of single-core ION 230 systems complained of video performance problems, but the dual-core Atom 330 had absolutely no problems whatsoever playing Adobe Flash-based or disc-based multimedia. During the hands-on testing of the ION 330 unit several HD-quality movies were watched from websites such as Hulu and YouTube, as well as local content from Blu-ray Disc and saved MKV or MP4 files. All formats played perfectly, and without visible frame loss or defect.

Zotac now enjoys a head-start on system builder projects, since very few competitors have ION kits available to enthusiasts. With colorful packaging and clear specs printed on the package, it's not difficult to put together your first, and possibly last, HTPC. Although the Zotac IONITX kit is sold as a CPU-embedded motherboard product, it's really much more than that, and require very little more to get clicking.

As far as motherboards go, a black PCB lined with solid-state capacitors and bright orange plastic components is enough to catch the eye. But to home theater enthusiasts it's the full-figured I/O panel that looks sexy enough to make you drool. What I like most about the Zotac IONITX kit is that you can use either a small 90W silent A/C power brick, or rely on your own PSU to supply power.

All-solid capacitors and a thick PCB earn the Zotac IONITX motherboard kit top-shelf construction ratings, but there were a few very small items that I would be careful off. First off, respect the Wi-Fi-N antenna, since the part is made of plastic. Next is the power-supply port, which should be watched for abnormal pressure since the retaining bracket bends easily. Aside from these concerns, my estimation is that the IONITX motherboard kit is flawless in its build quality.

Zotac doesn't go small on the IONITX's motherboard BIOS, and all of the functionality and customization you find in other motherboards is also available here... up to and including overclock tweaks. While Benchmark Reviews didn't spend time covering this aspect, it certainly appeals to enthusiasts wanting to squeeze every last frame out of their performance. For an HTPC builder, it will be the full-service HDMI 1.3a connection that sells this kit, along with wireless-N capability. Even with the low-profile cooling fan installed and spinning, the IONITX kit was silent, as in no noise at all. This was a welcome night-and-day departure from the XBOX360 and PS3, which usually start humming like leaf blowers once they warm up. While each system is different from the next, the Windows 7 test system we built played streaming video content, divx, mp4, and mkv files without a problem.

As of July 2009 the Zotac IONITX-A-U 1.6GHz dual-core Atom N330 Wi-Fi-N DDR2 Mini-ITX DDR2 motherboard kit is listed on NewEgg for $209.99. While you can get around installing a permanent optical drive, you'll need a DDR2 memory kit (the 4GB kits we used cost $42.99 each) and enclosure. Benchmark Reviews used the Antec ISK300-65, which will work really well the but the Zotac IONITX-A-U, but included its own PSU, so the less-expensive ZOTAC IONITX-D-E would have been a better fit.

If you've been looking for a motherboard for building the ultimate HTPC, this is the kit you'll want. The Zotac IONITX-A-U model offers a dual-core 1.6 GHz Atom N330 processor, Wi-Fi-N adapter, silent A/C power supply brick, and operates completely silent. If you're looking at 64-bit editions of Windows 7 (or Windows XP or Vista), only the Atom 330 and 230 processors found in the NVIDIA ION platform support Intel EM64T; all other Atom processors are restricted to 32-bit Operating Systems. In terms of competing with ASUS Eee NetTop PC's, the NVIDIA ION is far superior, in both graphical and computing power. Add to the integrated GeForce 9400m GPU a fully-native HDMI 1.3a connection, and the ION platform serves video to 1080p HDTV's better than most media players. The Wireless-N connectivity keeps the IONITX-A-U kit rubbing elbows with gaming consoles, but when it comes time to browse to Hulu, YouTube, Flickr, or Network Broadcast websites, the ability to turn the ION system into a web-connected HTPC playing online content is priceless.

Pros:

+ Completely silent computer system
+ Intel Atom N330 dual-core EM64T processor
+ NVIDIA GeForce 9400m GPU
+ 4GB 800MHz DDR2 support
+ Native HDMI 1.3a A/V interface
+ Optical and digital audio output
+ eSATA and six USB 2.0 ports
+ Wireless-N and Gigabit Ethernet

Cons:

- BIOS limits system memory to 4GB
- Fragile plastic Wi-Fi antenna
- Thin metal Wi-Fi/Power bracket bends easy
- Lacks TosLink cable or bundled software
- Not a gaming PC/console replacement

Ratings:

• Presentation: 8.75
• Appearance: 9.50
• Construction: 9.25
• Functionality: 9.25
• Value: 8.25

Final Score: 9.0 out of 10.

Excellence Achievement: Benchmark Reviews Golden Tachometer Award.

Questions? Comments? Benchmark Reviews really wants your feedback. We invite you to leave your remarks in our Discussion Forum.

Related Articles:

• Biostar TA890GXB-HD mATX AMD Motherboard
• ASUS P8Z77-I Deluxe/WD mini-ITX Motherboard
• Gigabyte GA-X48T-DQ6 DES X48 DDR3 Motherboard
• Biostar Hi-Fi Z77X Intel ATX Motherboard
• ASUS P7P55D EVO P55 LGA1156 Motherboard
• Gigabyte GA-EX58-UD4P X58 Motherboard
• ASUS P8Z68V PRO Motherboard
• Intel DX79SI LGA2011 Desktop Motherboard
• ASRock Core-100HT Intel i3-330M HTPC
• Intel DH67BL H67-Express Motherboard