Zotac ION mini-ITX motherboard launched

ZOTAC® International, an award-winning manufacturer of graphics cards and motherboards, today unleashes its first eco-friendly all-in-one platform – the ZOTAC® ION. The ZOTAC® ION™ delivers an integrated CPU and GPU with high-definition video playback and SATA RAID capabilities into a single mini-ITX platform. Powered by a brand new NVIDIA® ION™ graphics processor, the ZOTAC® ION™ is ready to take on DirectX 10, OpenGL 2.1, NVIDIA® CUDA™ and PhysX™ games and applications with its 16 blazing-fast stream processors. An integrated Intel® Atom™ processor provides ample performance for daily productivity, email and web browsing tasks.

Single and dual-core Atom™ processors power the ZOTAC® ION™. A single-core Atom™ N230 processor delivers plenty of power for daily computing uses while an optional dual-core Atom™ N330 processor is available for those demanding more power.

“Achieving greater power efficiency while maintaining competitive performance was previously a hard feat to achieve. With the new ZOTAC® ION™ platforms, we’re able to deliver competitive performance with unmatched power efficiency,” said Carsten Berger, marketing director, ZOTAC® International.

NVIDIA® PureVideo™ HD technology enables high-definition video playback on the ZOTAC® ION™ platforms. With PureVideo HD technology, the ZOTAC® ION™ is able to playback vivid 1080p high-definition movies smoothly and enhance standard-definition contents to near-high-definition levels.

A native HDMI output enables easy connectivity to the latest high-resolution monitors or high-definition television sets. HDCP compliance secures the HDMI connection for playback of protected video content. DVI and VGA outputs are also available for multiple display connectivity.

“Home theater PCs are becoming popular around the glove. Our new ZOTAC® ION™ is an instant solution for users seeking to build an HTPC. Since the CPU and GPU are integrated on the board, we’re also able design a fan-less cooler for the board,” Mr. Berger added.

Integrated 802.11n wireless networking on Atom N330 equipped ZOTAC® ION™ motherboards allow blazing-fast network connectivity at speeds up to 144 Mbps for high-speed wireless file transfers and high-definition video streaming. The Atom™ N330 equipped ZOTAC® ION™ motherboard also features an onboard DC/DC power supply that delivers greater power efficiency than standard AC/DC power supplies.

“The onboard DC/DC power supply removes the need for a large internal power supply that is typically noisy and occupies a lot of space. With the onboard DC/DC power supply, the dual-core ZOTAC® ION™ motherboard can fit into slimmer and more stylish mini-ITX chassis’ with ease,” Mr. Berger said.

ZOTAC® stands by the quality of the ZOTAC® ION™ motherboards and backs it with an extended warranty. With the ZOTAC® extended warranty, the ZOTAC® ION is guaranteed to be trouble-free throughout its lifetime.

• New ZOTAC ION platforms
• NVIDIA ION mGPU
• 16 stream processors
• Integrated Intel Atom N230 (single-core) or Atom N330 (dual-core) processors
• 533 MHz front-side bus
• HDMI (w/7.1-channel Audio), DVI and VGA outputs
• HDCP compliant
• 2 DDR2 DIMM slots
• DDR2-667/800 compatible
• Up to 8GB of DDR2 memory
• Integrated DC-DC power supply (optional)
• Included 19V AC/DC power brick (optional)
• Integrated 802.11n WiFi (optional)
• Mini PCI Express slot (optional)
• Microsoft DirectX 10 and OpenGL 2.1 compatible
• NVIDIA® CUDA™ and PhysX™ ready
• NVIDIA® PureVideo™ HD technology
• ZOTAC Extended Warranty