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Nvidia isn't saying much about its next Ion platform, but if recent rumors turn out to be true, the followup platform looks to be a doozie. According to news and rumor site Fudzilla, Nvidia will double up the number of shaders on the second generation of Ion.
That means Ion 2, as it will likely be called, would ship with at least 32 shaders, providing a big boost to gaming performance on netbooks and nettops built around the platform. And best of all, thermals aren't expected to rise very much, if at all, on the upcoming shrunken version of Ion.
Nvidia's first Ion has yet to really penetrate the market and cut into Intel's Atom platform marketshare, but that could change as more major manufacturers jump on board. Samsung recently announced plans to launch an Ion netbook this month, and Lenovo's Ion-based IdeaPad S12 is due out in August.
Nevertheless, Fudzilla says Ion 2 should launch by the end of this year.
That means Ion 2, as it will likely be called, would ship with at least 32 shaders, providing a big boost to gaming performance on netbooks and nettops built around the platform. And best of all, thermals aren't expected to rise very much, if at all, on the upcoming shrunken version of Ion.
Nvidia's first Ion has yet to really penetrate the market and cut into Intel's Atom platform marketshare, but that could change as more major manufacturers jump on board. Samsung recently announced plans to launch an Ion netbook this month, and Lenovo's Ion-based IdeaPad S12 is due out in August.
Nevertheless, Fudzilla says Ion 2 should launch by the end of this year.
http://www.maximumpc.com/article/news/rumo...e_shaders_ion_1
The Ion 2 is actually a part of a package. The first Ion 1 hasn't been fully released yet, but it gives netbooks with Intel Atoms an integrated 9400M. The Ion 2 will double the stream processors thus allowing for better performance. Couple that with a much better CPU (the GPU is clocked), and 2 gigs of ram and it may be possible for netbooks to not only play World of Warcraft in good settings, but maybe even Team Fortress 2.
According to this source: http://optimitza.cat/news/2008/10/16/nvidi...00m-benchmarks/ , a 9400M nets TF 2
Team Fortress 2: 1280×800, max settings, AA 2x, HDR lighting, no motion blur, Vertical Sync on: smooth, around 35 FPS.
Anyone else excited about it?