Nvidia Ion2 to roll out by year end

By: Raghav Kapoor

Faster graphics, improved performance, and a much smaller die

Just when we are experiencing Nvidia Ion, otherwise called GeForce 9400M chipset loaded netbooks out in the market, here comes another surprise. Nvidia, we have been told is all set to launch Ion 2 by Dec 2009. Ion 2 is expected to deliver far faster graphics and a much smaller die. It will support Intel Pentium 4 compatible CPUs such as Atom, together with Via Nano and there is speculation that it might fit in for a Celeron or a Core 2 Chip too. Current Ion delivers 1080p high-definition graphics performance to Intel Atom based devices. It is reported that the integrated graphics performance is about 2x the current Ion. The number of shaders might rise to 32.

The dilemma here is we are expecting to see switchable graphics next year that will allow the user to enable Nvidia GPU to preserve the battery when not needed. Ion 2 powered netbooks and nettops are expected to be seen by Q2 2010. We might see more ION based products based on the new chipset ready for CeBIT next year.

The first official customer for Ion is rumored to be Lenovo, with companies like Apple and veteran netbook producers also expressing interest. Samsung recently announced plans to launch a notebook around Ion 1 platform with Atom processors. It’s a usual sight to see new products coming out in Q4 but I think it’s worth the wait for all gamers.