Three Slim Atom/Ion 2-Based Nettop PCs Compared

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We put Giada’s Slim-N20, Jetway’s Mini-TOP, and Zotac’s ZBOX to the test. Does Intel's Atom D500-series offer smooth performance in these nettops when it's paired with Nvidia’s ION 2 graphics, or does the platform fall short of entertainment excellence?

Test Systems And Benchmarks

The Giada, Jetway, and Zotac nettops perform similarly because they’re all built on the same Ion 2 platform and have Intel Atom D500-series CPUs. To make things more interesting, we are adding ASRock’s Core 100HT-BD to the mix, a nettop that employs Intel’s Core i3-330M CPU and offers desktop-class performance. A key differentiator is that the Core 100HT-BD offers Intel-based HD Graphics, and we’re looking forward to seeing how it stands up against Nvidia’s Ion 2. The Core 100HT-BD can be purchased for $749.99 on Newegg, as tested, without an operating system.

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Header Cell - Column 0 ASRock Core100HT-BDGiada Slim-N20Jetway Mini-TOPZotac ZBOX HD-ID34
CPUIntel Core i3-330M (Arrandale), 2.13 GHz, QPI-2400 MHz, 3 MB L3 CacheIntel Atom D5101.6 GHz, 667 MHz FSB, 1 MB L3 CacheIntel Atom D5251.8 GHz, 800 MHz FSB, 1 MB L3 CacheIntel Atom D5251.8 GHz, 800 MHz FSB, 1 MB L3 Cache
NetworkingRealtek RTL8111E Gigabit Network Adapter (LAN)Atheros AR9287-BL1A wireless card (WiFi)Realtek RTL8111C Gigabit Network Adapter (LAN)Atheros AR9285(WiFi)Atheros AR3011 (Bluetooth)Realtek RTL8111DL Gigabit Network Adapter (LAN)Atheros 802.11 b/g/n PCIe card (WiFi)Realtek RTL8111DL Gigabit Network Adapter (LAN)Atheros AR9285 (WiFi)
MemoryNanya PC3-10700, 2 x 2048 MB, 533 MHz, CL 7-7-7-20-1T(dual-channel)Samsung PC2-64001 x 2048 MB, 332 MHz, CL 5-5-5-15-1T(single-channel)Hyundai PC2-64001 x 2048 MB, 332 MHz, CL 5-5-5-15-1T (single-channel)Samsung PC2-64001 x 2048 MB, 332 MHz, CL 5-5-5-15-1T (single-channel)
GraphicsIntel HD Graphics (Integrated)Nvidia Ion 2 (Integrated)Nvidia Ion 2 (Integrated)Nvidia Ion 2 (Integrated)
SoundVia VT2020 8-channel HD audio codec with THX TruStudio ProAnalog & Optical:Realtek ALC662 HDMI:Nvidia LPCM digital audioAnalog:C-Media CM108AH HDMI:Nvidia LPCM digital audioAnalog & Optical:Realtek ALC888 HDMI:Nvidia LPCM digital audio
Hard Drive500 GB Seagate Momentus 5400.6500 GB, 5400 RPM, 8 MB cache, SATA 3Gb/s320 GB Seagate Momentus 7200320 GB, 7200 RPM, 16 MB cache, SATA 3Gb/s250 GB SamsungSpinpoint 5400 250 GB, 5400 RPM, 8 MB cache, SATA 3Gb/s250 GB Samsung Spinpoint 5400 250 GB, 5400 RPM, 8 MB cache, SATA 3Gb/s
PowerDelta Electronics ADP-90CD DB90 W, 19 V, External AC adapterGreat WallADP65S-190342019 V, 3.42 A, External AC adapterChannel Well Tech KPA-060F 12 V, 5 A, External AC adapterDelta Electronics ADP-90CD 19 V, 4.74 A, External AC adapter
Software and Drivers
Operating SystemMicrosoft Windows 7 Ultimate 64-bit
DirectX versionDirectX 11
Graphics DriversIntel Win7Vista_64_15177, Nvidia 260.99
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Benchmark Configuration
PCMark Vantage x64Version: Professional 64-bit edition 1.0.1.0, Total System Score, Memories, TV And Movies, Gaming, Music, Communications, Productivity, Hard Disk
SiSoft Sandra 2010Version: 2010.1.16.11, Network Bandwidth benchmark, Network Latency benchmark
HD HQV BenchmarkBlu-ray, Version 1.0
Don Woligroski
26 Comments Comment from the forums
  • reprotected
    Nettops fail.
    Reply
  • DjEaZy
    ... it may be a good mac mini hackentosch...
    Reply
  • hmp_goose
    Retest the N20's playback with a RAM drive for the temp files; I suspect the drive system is the issue . . .
    Reply
  • dEAne
    Overall it is good. The benchmark is fair enough - And it is presentable too.
    Reply
  • cushgod
    SHould test results with a SSD complared to a "mechanical" HDD to see how much that can help an Atom move along :)
    Reply
  • fullcircle_bflo
    So if I wanted a computer simply to stream internet videos to a television via HDMI(such as Hulu or CBS website), would any of these be a good candidate?
    Reply
  • kriminal
    ^^ guess so.. fullcircle
    Reply
  • mchuf
    For $150 - $200, you can buy a used Pentium D or C2D pc off of craigslist. Add a $50 HD5450 gpu and a $40 wireless KB/M combo and your all set. That would be a more capable box than one of these things and at a lower price (even if you upgrade to Win 7 HP). Hell, even a used Mac Mini (old model) might be a more cost effective solution. Unless you're extremely tight for space, I don't see the appeal for an overpriced "net" device.
    Reply
  • nonameworks
    ^^ Only if you ignore the cost of electricity
    Reply
  • tipoo
    Zino HD review, please! At close to the cost of many of these nettops, it blows them away in performance and is almost as small and consumes almost as little power.
    Reply