Nvidia releases Ion LE 1080p GPU

It will not support DirectX 10 and hence will be cheaper

NVIDIA has just launched the Ion LE GPU which is intended for entry-level devices such as netbooks and nettops. This is Nvidia’s secong graphics product under the Ion brand. The new Ion LE GPU is exactly similar to the previous version of the Ion GPU as it boosts netbook video performance so that it can handle 1080p high definition videos. The difference in this case is that the Ion LE will not support DirectX 10 (supports DirectX 9 only) and will hence be cheaper.

Igor Stanek, product PR manager, NVIDIA EMEA Ion/Notebook products said “ION LE is SKU of the ION GPU that is identical to ION, except it only supports DX9. This product is designed specifically for Windows XP on Netbooks and Nettops and we are going to offer LE SKU just for OEM market.”

As is clear from the above statement, the Ion LE will only be available with netbooks and nettops that run Windows XP operating system. It is believed that this chip would lower the overall costs of netbooks and nettops and will also not affect functionality. Users don’t require these devices to be DirectX 10 compatible as the netbooks serve as a secondary computer which is portable and can be carried with ease. The users use it to connect to the internet, send e-mails, chat, social networking, and document editing. Such applications don’t require DirectX 10 support so I personally believe that this is a wise move that will ultimately benefit the users who will get a choice of a cheaper netbook.

Currently adding Nvidia Ion to a netbook is said to add around $50 to its purchase price.  Nvidia has not released the pricing details for the Ion LE, nor have they revealed which will be the first manufacturers and products to use the new chipset. We will just have to wait and watch till these products become available or an announcement regarding the same is made.