enzo matrix :
Unfortunately, there is no way you could play those games on any ion platform. COD4 is just playable on my laptop with a radeon HD3200 and AMD Athlon 64x2 1.9GHz (QL-60). And this is on lowest settings.
If you want to use it as a general purpose computer and to play occasional games like that, A "Netbook" is not for you. You're looking at minimum in the range of a laptop between $700-800 if you want to keep costs low and don't mind low settings.
You didn't mention portability at all so my best recommendation would be a low-cost desktop. Radeon 4670, AMD dual core, 2-4 GB of ram.
I must disagree with you. I bought my 1201N about 2 weeks ago; and, after a little tweaking, it is a very capable little system. I am able to play games at native res on medium settings and get a steady 35 FPS, certainly not enough to make anyone want to give up their gaming rig, but it is enough to game on the go. I compared this to my dad's desktop (Athlon 3200+ / Radeon HD3200) and the 1201N easily gets twice the FPS.
The two setting changes that made the biggest impact were:
- AsRock OC Tuner - Without adjusting any voltages or memory timings, I was able to obtain a stable 1.88GHz OC. This went a long way to helping alleviate the CPU bottleneck present in all Atom systems.
- Threaded Optimization - Found in the nVidia Control Panel under Manage 3D Settings, I changed this from "Auto" to "On" and noticed a significant performance boost in games. Prior to changing this, most games were only making use of one thread on the CPU; but, setting this forces the system to spread out the workload whenever possible, as opposed to only when it thinks it needs to, and really allows the Atom 330 to shine.
As compared to the HP Mini 311, the 1201N seems to get similar max FPS; but, there are fewer, and less noticeable, drops in FPS. As far as web browsing, word processing, email, and other normal daily used apps, I have not noticed much difference in speed from my desktop, while I have read several complaints from 311 users on forums. Even with the tweaks, I still get over 4 hours of normal use out of a full charge or about 2.5 hours of gaming. That is the one area that the 311 really out shines the 1201N, the 311 gets about 6 hours normal use and 4 hours gaming.
The Atom/ION combination might not be the strongest option out there right now, some CULV's are combining a GeForce G210M with a low power CPU and are showing some impressive numbers; but, these systems are a few hundred dollars more than the 1201N. For under $500, I certainly can't complain. The 311 with N270 can be purchased cheaper, but can't compete with the 1201N; and, the 311 with N280 costs more with the only true claim to glory being extra battery life over the 1201N. In my opinion, Asus has produced another winner, the 1201N has an excellent balance between performance, battery life, and cost.