Source:Arstechnica
Netbook users rejoice: NVIDIA has announced plans to pair Intel's Atom processor with a real mobile GPU, the 9400M. It's no secret that Intel's integrated graphics processors stink across the board, and they're the biggest weakness in the company's ultramobile platform. But by pairing the Atom processor with a 9400M, NVIDIA will be able to offer users a mobile x86 platform that supports 1080p video decoding, dual-link DVI out, DirectX 10 graphics, CUDA, and OpenCL.
The entire platform should draw about 18W of power, which is in the same ballpark as the current Intel Atom platform (12 watts). Note that Ion will cut the number of chips in the Atom platform down from Intel's three-chip design (Atom + 945GSE + I/O hub) to just two chips (Atom + 9400M), but the 9400M is substantially more powerful as GPU and you can't get something for nothing.
AMD and VIA also in the game
NVIDIA's and Intel's competition is by no means sitting still. AMD announced its Yukon ultramobile platform last month, and it combines a mobile Radeon GPU with a forthcoming AMD processor. Due out in 2009, the platform will support HD video decoding, but it will have a slightly higher power draw than any Atom-based offerings just based on the CPU alone. (AMD doesn't yet have an Atom or Nano equivalent.)
More recently VIA announced its Trinity platform, which combines the VIA Nano processor, the VX800 northbridge (plus IGP), and a discrete GPU from S3. Like the Ion and Yukon platforms, Trinity will support Windows Vista, DirectX 10, and HD video decoding in a very small form factor.
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