(Click here for a larger view of Acer's AspireRevo)The 1.6GHz
Atom 230, announced last June for the low-cost PCs Intel refers to as "nettops," is typically combined with the chipmaker's 82945GC northbridge and 82801GB (ICH7) southbridge, which weren't designed with HD video playback in mind. To get around this, at least one manufacturer -- Habey, with its
BIS-6550HD -- has added a supplemental HD decoder chip to an Atom-based PC.
Nvidia, for its part, announced its
Ion platform last December, which uses an Atom 230 or
N270 CPU, but jettisons the rest of Intel's chipset in favor of a single northbridge/southbridge companion chip (right) that includes a GeForce 9400 GPU.
Nvidia says Ion-based products can have DDR3 memory interfaces with frontside bus speeds of up to 1066MHz. Graphically, they support DirectX 10, offer resolutions up to 2560 x 1600 pixels, provide 1080p HD video playback, and deliver HDMI, VGA, DisplayPort, and dual-link DVI video outputs, the company says.
Acer's AspireRevo
(Click either image to enlarge)As far as we've been able to determine, Nvidia hasn't said how much power its companion chip requires, but on its own, the Atom 230 has a four Watt maximum TDP, according to Intel. Acer's new AspireRevo (above), touted only as "energy efficient" in yesterday's announcement, may well run fanlessly. Described as "no larger than a typical hardcover book," the system measures just 7.1 x 7.1 x 1.2 inches.
Though full specifications weren't released, the AspireRevo reportedly offers up to 4GB of RAM, up to 250GB of hard disk storage, a Mini PCI Express expansion slot, and a four-in-one card reader. The device also includes both VGA and HDMI outputs, six USB 2.0 ports, audio I/O, 802.11b/g/n wireless networking, and gigabit Ethernet, according to the company.
Gianpiero Morbello, corporate vice president of marketing for Acer, said, "The AspireRevo is small and quiet enough to go anywhere, yet big enough to handle all the needs of your digital lifestyle. It's perfectly suited for the living room, because Nvidia Ion provides a brilliant graphics experience with digital photos, watching video, and playing family-friendly games."
Features and specifications listed by Acer for the AspireRevo include the following:
- Processor -- Intel Atom 230 clocked at 1.6GHz, with Nvidia Ion companion chip
- Memory -- Up to 4GB of DDR2 RAM
- Storage -- SATA hard disk drive up to 250GB, or SSD (solid state drive)
- Camera -- Optional webcam, resolution not specified
- Networking -- Gigabit Ethernet and 802.11b/g (b/g/n on "some models") wireless
- Other I/O:
- 1 x VGA
- 1 x HDMI
- 6 x USB 2.0
- Audio I/O
- Expansion:
- Four-in-1 card reader
- Mini PCI Express expansion slot
- Dimensions -- 7.1 x 7.1 x 1.2 inches
According to Acer, the AspireRevo runs the Windows Vista Home Premium operating system. Pricing and availability information were not provided.
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