ZOTAC Offers New Mini PCs and Mini-ITX Mobos With Intel CULV CPUs and NV Ion

NVIDIA's Ion platform got off to a really hot start, but it has struggled to maintain the momentum of late. At launch, we saw one device after the other shipping with Ion, from netbooks to nettops to just about everything in between. Now, that flow has slowed somewhat as legitimate competition has mounted, but Zotac has always been a big supporter of the technology. To that end, the company is introducing a handful of new nettops (much like the one we reviewed in recent months) with Intel CULV processors and NVIDIA's Ion inside: ZBOX HD-ND22, HD-NS21, IONITX-N-E and IONITX-P-E.


These new mini PCs and mini-ITX platforms have dual-core Intel Celeron SU2300 and single-core Celeron 743 processor options, support for DDR3 memory, room at least a single 2.5" hard drive, and HDMI/DVI outputs. That's plenty for the average living room PC or HTPC, and even casual bedroom PC users should find those components sufficient. There's also onboard 802.11n Wi-Fi and NVIDIA's PureVideo HD technology, but no pricing or release information has been outed just yet.

        ZOTAC® Revolutionizes ION™ With World’s First Intel® CULV-Powered Mini-PC and Mini-ITX Platforms

          New ZOTAC® ZBOX HD-ND22, HD-NS21, ION-ITX N and P series combine Intel® CULV processor with NVIDIA® ION™ graphics processor

    HONG KONG – Aug. 26, 2010 –  ZOTAC® International, a leading innovator and the world’s largest channel manufacturer of graphics cards, motherboards and mini-PCs, today revolutionizes the award-winning ION™ platform with the processing power of Intel® consumer low-voltage, or CULV, processors for new platforms with superior performance capabilities while maintaining class-leading energy-efficiency. The new ZOTAC® ION platforms powered by Intel® CULV processors include the new ZBOX HD-ND22, HD-NS21 mini-PCs, ION-ITX N series and ION-ITX P series mini-ITX platforms.

          An Intel® Celeron® SU2300 processor powers the ZOTAC® ZBOX HD-ND22 and ION-ITX P series with dual-cores clocked at 1.3 GHz for multi-threaded processing power that delivers unprecedented performance levels in an energy-efficient mini-PC for demanding users. A Single-core Intel® Celeron® 743 processor powers ZOTAC® ZBOX HD-NS21 and ION-ITX N series platforms for outstanding single-threaded CPU performance.

          “Intel® CULV processors have previously been exclusive to ultra-portable notebooks, but not anymore. We’ve taken the award-winning Intel® CULV processors and paired them with our award-winning ION™ platforms to produce the world’s first mini-PCs and mini-ITX platforms that combine the power of Intel® CULV processors with NVIDIA® ION™ graphics processing for the perfect combination of CPU and GPU performance with superior energy-efficiency,” said Carsten Berger, marketing director, ZOTAC® International.

          NVIDIA® ION™ graphics empower the Intel® CULV-powered ZOTAC® ZBOX and ION-ITX platforms with outstanding 3D capabilities and support for Microsoft® DirectX® 10, DirectCompute and NVIDIA® CUDA™-enabled applications for energy-efficient GPU computing. NVIDIA® PureVideo™ HD technology delivers flawless GPU-accelerated high-definition video playback with breathtaking clarity and details.

          ZOTAC® ZBOX HD-ND22 and HD-NS21 mini-PCs with Intel® CULV processors feature class-leading flexibility with an easily customizable tool-less chassis and room to accommodate a 2.5-inch SATA 3.0 Gb/s HDD or SSD, two DDR3 SO-DIMM memory slots, integrated 802.11n WiFi and four different placement positions – flat, on a stand, on the back of a monitor or on a wall with the included VESA75/100-compatible mount. External expansion options include plenty of USB 2.0 ports, a 6-in-1 memory card reader that supports SD, SDHC, MMC, Memory Stick, Memory Stick Pro and xD memory card formats, and an eSATA 3.0 Gb/s port for plug ‘n play expansion.

          ZOTAC® ION-ITX N and P series are world-class platforms that combine the miniature size of mini-ITX with big-system expansion capabilities including a PCI Express x16 slot, two DDR3-1066 DIMM slots, three SATA 3.0 Gb/s ports, up to 10 USB 2.0 ports and an eSATA 3.0 Gb/s port. Onboard 802.11n WiFi and Gigabit Ethernet port enables lightning-fast network transfers for stutter-free high-definition video streaming.

          It’s time to play with the new ZOTAC® ZBOX HD-ND22, HD-NS21 and ION-ITX N and P series.
     

     General details

    * ZOTAC® Revolutionizes ION™ Platform with Intel® CULV processors
    * Unprecedented performance and energy-efficiency in mini-PC and mini-

         ITX platforms

    * ZBOX HD-ND22
          o Intel® Celeron® SU2300 (1.2 GHz, dual-core)
          o 2 x DDR3-1066 SO-DIMM slots
          o Support 1 x 2.5-inch SATA 3.0 Gb/s HDD/SSD
          o HDMI and DVI-I outputs
    * ZBOX HD-NS21
          o Intel® Celeron® 743 (1.3 GHz, single-core)
          o 2 x DDR3-1066 SO-DIMM slots
          o Support 1 x 2.5-inch SATA 3.0 Gb/s HDD/SSD
          o HDMI and DVI-I outputs
    * ION-ITX N series
          o Intel® Celeron® 743 (1.3 GHz, single-core)
          o PCI Express x16 expansion
          o 3 SATA 3.0 Gb/s + 1 eSATA 3.0 Gb/s
          o HDMI, DVI-D and VGA outputs
          o Mini-ITX form factor
    * ION-ITX P series
          o Intel® Celeron® SU2300 (1.2 GHz, dual-core)
          o PCI Express x16 expansion
          o 3 SATA 3.0 Gb/s + 1 eSATA 3.0 Gb/s
          o HDMI, DVI-D and VGA outputs
          o Mini-ITX form factor
    * NVIDIA® ION™ graphics processor
          o 16 unified shaders
    * NVIDIA® CUDA™ technology
    * NVIDIA® PureVideo™ HD technology
    * Onboard 802.11n WiFi