Zotac ION N330 WiFi ITX Motherboard
Introduction
Published: 22nd July 2009 | Source: Zotac | Price: £177 |
Introduction & Specifications
With the rising popularity of the Intel Atom in cheap laptops, a number of brands have cottoned on to this and have begun to offer Net-Top Computers. Low power desktop computers that satisfy the large market of users that require systems for web browsing, word processing, organisational needs and general media playback. Examples of these include the Asus EEE Box, which have flown off the shelves with their paltry £200 pricetags. As time moved on3, a number of motherboards began to trickle into the DIY retail market with Intel Atom CPU's embedded into them. So here's our question for the day. Do embedded Mini ITX solutions have the guts to satisfy todays average PC user? Today we'll be putting one of today's Atom ITX options to the test. The Zotac ION 330 ITX Motherboard.Zotac is very much the new kid on the block compared to most other manufacturers such as Asus and Gigabyte. Initially, just an Add In Board (AIB) partner of nVidia based graphics cards, they have diversified and begun to add motherboards to their portfolio. Zotac's motherboard range mainly consists of entry level and media centre based solutions but they offer a wide range for both Intel and AMD users in Mini ITX and Micro ATX form factor. Certain motherboards in particular such as the GeForce 9300-ITX motherboard, a Mini ITX LGA775 motherboard featuring a full size PCI-Express 16x slot was very well received by reviewers and end users alike so it'd be interesting to see what we make of this comparably elaborate looking product.
Though some of you might be wondering why we're reviewing something that's in essence an entry level solution? There must be something special about it surely? Well yes, there is. This is the first Intel Atom Mini ITX motherboard to hit the market with the much more capable nForce 7 MCP, featuring Direct X 10 GeForce 9400M graphics. It doesn't end there as Zotac have managed to fit 3 x SATA ports, integrated WiFi by Mini PCI-E, full size 240pin DDR2 DIMMs, 6 x USB ports, e-SATA, three different video inputs (DVI, HDMI and D-Sub) and even an embedded power supply solution with a passive 90W transformer brick. What's more is that the motherboard is shipped with the dual core version of the Intel Atom 1.60GHz CPU.
Intel Atom Embedded Dual Core CPU @ 1.60GHz
Hyperthreading Technology
2 x DDR2-667/800 DIMMs
1 x Mini PCI-E (Occupied)
MCP7A Chipset
GeForce 9400M Based “ION” Graphics (DX10, 256mb Shared, 1.10GHz Shader, 16 Stream Processors)
10/100/1000 Gigabit LAN
3 x SATA 3.0GB/s
1 x eSata 3.0GB/s
6 x USB 2.0 External
4 x USB 2.0 Internal
1 x HDMI (HDCP w/ 7.1 Digital Audio)
1 x DVI
1 x Analog VGA
802.11n Wireless
90W Power Supply Unit
Aluminium Heatsink and 80mm Fan.
Hyperthreading Technology
2 x DDR2-667/800 DIMMs
1 x Mini PCI-E (Occupied)
MCP7A Chipset
GeForce 9400M Based “ION” Graphics (DX10, 256mb Shared, 1.10GHz Shader, 16 Stream Processors)
10/100/1000 Gigabit LAN
3 x SATA 3.0GB/s
1 x eSata 3.0GB/s
6 x USB 2.0 External
4 x USB 2.0 Internal
1 x HDMI (HDCP w/ 7.1 Digital Audio)
1 x DVI
1 x Analog VGA
802.11n Wireless
90W Power Supply Unit
Aluminium Heatsink and 80mm Fan.
It all sounds rather impressive so let's move on to the next page where we unleash the mini beast....
Most Recent Comments
I would still want Atom, just with a decent sound card.
Is it possible to upgrade it to atom 2.0 ??
I'm wondering how tall the cooler is on that thing because I quite fancy gutting my Sony DVD Player and fitting it out with a complete HTPC setup if physically possible.
I'm wondering how tall the cooler is on that thing because I quite fancy gutting my Sony DVD Player and fitting it out with a complete HTPC setup if physically possible.
Doesn't look much taller than the IO backplate, so around 35mm?
i will make a shot for all as soon as i can,
kisses to all! :**********
kisses to all! :**********
This mobo wouldnt suit me, but a great informative review.
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Ha, was just reading that review last night, bit odd for the thread to just appear again!
But yea, one thing Im thinking is whats the difference between this, the A series one, and the D series one? The A is still around £170 but the D can be found for about £140, and looking over the spec I cant see any difference at all... so Im curious lol
EDIT: After just studying photos of the boards straight after posting these, the A doesnt come with an 24pin ATX socket as it uses the powersupply it comes with which plugs into the back. The D series does have the socket though, so guessing its cheaper as you dont get a power supply with it?
But yea, one thing Im thinking is whats the difference between this, the A series one, and the D series one? The A is still around £170 but the D can be found for about £140, and looking over the spec I cant see any difference at all... so Im curious lol
EDIT: After just studying photos of the boards straight after posting these, the A doesnt come with an 24pin ATX socket as it uses the powersupply it comes with which plugs into the back. The D series does have the socket though, so guessing its cheaper as you dont get a power supply with it?
Looks like it, Ducky. Out of convenience, I feel that the A version is worth the extra cash.
But the case Im looking at come with a 120W power supply anyway, so would prefer to save the money. Also the one that comes with the mobo is only 90W (I think!)... not that I'll need much more in a mini ITX rig but still :p
project log is on the go: http://forum.overclock3d.net/showthread.php?t=30641
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