First Nvidia Ion Netbook on Sale: HP Mini 311

News
By published

Is this the Ion you've been waiting for?

Does it seem like we've been waiting a long time for the first Nvidia Ion-based netbook to come out? It has been a while, after we've faced delays.

HP chose not to wait, and is now offering its Ion LE-based Mini 311 netbook for sale starting at $399.

The base configuration at $399 will give you a black lid, Windows XP Home SP3, Atom N270, 1 GB DDR3, 160 GB HDD and Wireless-G.

The recommended configuration at $489 bumps the CPU to the Atom N280 (slightly faster CPU and FSB), Bluetooth and a 12-cell battery.

If you've always wanted a netbook with Nvidia Ion, this one is finally here. Of course, with Windows 7 being just a month away, waiting for the competition to arrive could be a smart move. Either way, you should be getting a free Windows 7 upgrade with the Mini 311.

See more Laptops News
Marcus Yam
Marcus Yam
Marcus Yam served as Tom's Hardware News Director during 2008-2014. He entered tech media in the late 90s and fondly remembers the days when an overclocked Celeron 300A and Voodoo2 SLI comprised a gaming rig with the ultimate street cred.
28 Comments Comment from the forums
  • IzzyCraft
    1gig of ram still 400 is a netbook price, and the ion platform should make it not act too much like a netbook.
    Reply
  • ubernoobie
    I'll take the recommended one cuz it has a badass 12cell battery
    Reply
  • burnley14
    I've always planned to wait til Windows 7 is out. That's when the real competition for my business will start
    Reply
  • jhansonxi
    Ubuntu Linux instead of XP + Norton and I'll buy one now (I'd consider paying more for XP without Norton - it's a pain to get rid of).
    Reply
  • falchard
    With AMD having 15.4" notebooks at the $349. It might be a bit expensive by comparison.
    Reply
  • Major7up
    Seems a little expensive for a netbook. Maybe the other modles will drive the prices down a little but if I am spending almost $500 for their recommended model I would just opt for a regular laptop.
    Reply
  • I'd find the price slightly too high for a netbook, especially the price of the N280!
    But a 12 cell battery translates in how long battery life?
    Reply
  • JMS3096
    You won't get free Windows 7- for the free upgrade, you need to have Vista Home Premium or above. XP doesn't qualify.
    Reply
  • JMS3096
    zingamBefore stating that you should check HP's/MS upgrade policy for their netbooks. For netbooks the story might be different actually. There is no Vista for netbooks but there will be Win7 for netbooks (Starter I guess).
    Before stating THAT, you shouldn't assume I didn't. I did.
    Reply
  • Tedders
    JMS3096Before stating THAT, you shouldn't assume I didn't. I did.JMS3096 is right. The free upgrade program is only for upgrades from Vista to 7. True netbooks wont get the free upgrade because they are running Windows XP. That is a Microsoft thing, not a manufacturer thing.
    Reply