ASRock ION 3D - A Next Generation ION HTPC
by Cameron Butterfield on January 14, 2011 3:30 AM EST- Posted in
- Home Theater
- ION
- ASRock
- Media Streamer
- HTPC
Conclusion: Wait and See
So where does this leave us? Although it's not perfect and is missing some bitstreaming capabilities that you would expect an HTPC to have in 2011, the ION 3D has proved itself to be an adept machine when playing the role of HTPC. It's a functional and feature packed unit; however, while I feel like this device ends up being a good product, its value is diminished from the range of devices above it and below it. Let me explain.
The ION 3D model that includes the Blu-ray optical drive can be had for roughly $480. Meanwhile, the core 100HT can be had for $540, and a typical media streamer like the WD TV Live Plus can be found for around $100. As we can see from this pricing lineup, in terms of a media streaming device, you can get 80-90 percent of the functionality of the ION 3D from a $99 device.
The major advantage in this scenario is that the ION 3D, in addition to being a media streaming device, can also be utilized as a fully featured PC and has Blu-ray capabilities. For some prospective consumers, this is definitely worth the cost; however, by spending only $60-100 more, you can go with the Core 100HT which will get you a much faster processing platform and full bit-streaming support.
This product only makes sense if you are in a scenario where you can only spend up to $500 and not a penny more, and want the smallest and most power efficient device available. In that case I could recommend the ION 3D over the likes of ASRock's other MINI PC devices. But even with that particular use case, we need to consider other options.
For close to $500 you could build your own more powerful HTPC, but if the small form factor and aesthetics are your priorities, it would be hard to build your own device at this size with the same neat integrated design and smooth aesthetics. Our bigger concern is the recent launch of Intel's Sandy Bridge and the upcoming AMD Brazos platforms. Sandy Bridge improves performance, reduces power requirements, and also boosts their integrated graphics performance by over 100%. An updated 100HT using such a CPU would be even more attractive than the current offerings. On the other end of the scale, AMD's Brazos packs a much more capable GPU with performance that should beat Atom by a fair amount—all that and it should also come priced lower than Atom + NG-ION.
Unless you're in a hurry to get something right now, we have to recommend a "wait and see" approach. There are a lot of new products coming out in the next few months that could easily eclipse the current offerings.
Pros
- Great Build Quality
- Small Form Factor
- Essentially Silent Operation
- Good media compatibility
- Quick iPhone Charging
- Has a wide range of video outputs (HDMI, DVI, VGA)
Cons
- USB 3.0 devices may not be needed by the target users of this device, and do not operated at full speed
- No Bitstreaming support may be a deal-breaker for some users
- The processing platform is "quick enough" for playback of media content, but can be slow at skipping, and navigation
- Performance / Price can be greatly enhanced by opting for a slightly higher model such as the Core 100HT
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kpresler - Friday, January 14, 2011 - link
"The included hard disk is a Hitachi 2.5" drive this time, slightly smaller than the seagate 500GB HDD used in the Core 100HT-BD, but the ION 3D's lower cost comes at the expense performance and a few different component choices" should probably be "The included hard disk is a Hitachi 2.5" drive this time, slightly smaller than the seagate 500GB HDD used in the Core 100HT-BD, but the ION 3D's lower cost comes at the expense of performance and a few different component choices"Also, on page 2, "65 AC Adapter" should probably be "65w AC Adapter"
cjs150 - Friday, January 14, 2011 - link
I will be waiting for the AMD version: simple reason the HTPC needs to be connected to high end AV receiver and I would prefer a single HDMI cable to do that.Other key issue for me is noise. I have a high end Sony Blu-ray player and at time I can here it when playing a movie. I am not seeing this issue being address correctly yet by manufacturers. DVD/Blu-ray drives should be soft mounted (or at least better mounted than current). There should be no need for a fan (maybe a very slow running one at worst for whole case) if the case is properly ventilated. One of the problems is that so many case builders persist with mounting HD and optical players above the motherboard. From a heat point of view this is daft, far better would be to mount below the motherboard and then have a sides and top mesh covered to allow better convection (Morena 3500 I think does it this way but is a much less pretty case and still has mounting issues)
tech6 - Friday, January 14, 2011 - link
Agreedhttp://www.tomshardware.com/reviews/asrock-e350m1-...
jabber - Friday, January 14, 2011 - link
I pushed out around 20+ of the previous version for small office upgrades.Nothing but 100% positive feedback. They love them.
vol7ron - Friday, January 14, 2011 - link
I, myself, don't have an HTPC yet. I'm looking to build one with the Ceton InitiTV4, which I've been hounding AT to do a review on (doesn't look like it's going to happen).That being said, if I don't use a tuner card, this looks like something I'd be interested in too - your office must have a nice setup :)
inaphasia - Friday, January 14, 2011 - link
I've got the Asus 1215n netbook (same proc & GPU with the ASRock) but Windows experience is showing 3.2 for Graphics. It's probably just ignoring the ION, question is: should I care? ( I mean I "get" the whole Optimus business of the ION kickin' in when needed...)But more importantly, should I manually update the ION drivers? Keep in mind that Asus don't have newer one's ATM, and nVidia won't recognize the netbook (just keeps scanning).
Thanx!
Calin - Friday, January 14, 2011 - link
Ion is not such a powerful graphic engine, I think Windows Experience is showing correctly a 3.2 (the max I've heard about was something around 6.8).I remember that ION is not using integrated graphics at all, it's not an Optimus platform (but I might be wrong, so take this with a grain of salt)
inaphasia - Friday, January 14, 2011 - link
No and no... sorry:)It IS an Optimus platform and the ASRock's ION Graphics here are showing 5.2!
kilkennycat - Friday, January 14, 2011 - link
I have a 1215N-PU17 and have manually updated the nV driver (from the nV website, ION-Notebook-Win7 32bit) to 260.99, the latest available for ION notebooks. No obvious adverse effects, roughly 2 months since I updated. Like you, the nV scanner did not work and Asus Update remains firmly silent. Iirc, I forced the update because the original Asus shipped driver was unable to play Blurays on the notebook screen; did fine via HDMI. The 260.99 driver has no such problem with notebook screen and Blurays. ( Cyberlink 9 with External usb2.0 portable Bluray reader/DVD-burner).Also the Win7-32 ION laptop driver version of 260.99 comes with an embedded tool that graphically indicates whether Optimus is enabled or not. You can enable it by selecting "Display GPU Activity Icon in the Notification Area" from the "View" drop-down on the nVidia Control Panel screen. This generates an new icon in the Notification Area. If you click on this icon, it will tell you whether ION is running on an app.... The 260.99 View drop-down also has the selection: "Add 'Run with Graphics Processor' to Context Menu". If that is enabled, it adds a new line to the (Right-click)context menu for any of your on-screen icons that says "Run with graphics processor:- " and you can either choose which graphics processor (integrated or ION) to temporarily to run with that app, or permanently set the default graphics processor for that app (brings up the nVidia Control Panel, pointing to that app). fyi: There is a bug here. If the nVidia Control Panel is already open, it may stop working after the Context Menu selection and Win7 complains appropriately. Just close the nV Control Panel app. and repeat the selection from the Context Menu; the nV Control Panel should now open normally.
Disclaimer... "your mileage may vary", update at your own risk!!. As I recall, the Asus version 1217N shipped driver is not listed at all (nether beta nor WHQL) on the nV website. Probably because Asus had to pack something in the machine and their on-disk system backup image as early as possible to comply with manufacturing release. Certainly 260.99 was not available at that time. Very strange that Asus Update still does not offer a 260.99 update. However, if you need to back down for any reason, the shipped driver is in the Asus 1215N downloads on the Asus website. Would recommend a "Create System Restore" before attempting to install the 260.99 driver; With the 260 variety drivers, the nV install mechanism has changed... I suggest selecting ticking the "clean Install" box on the driver Install screen to be sure the old driver is completely purged..
inaphasia - Saturday, January 15, 2011 - link
That's exactly the kind of answer I was hoping for. Can't thank you enough! Deeply appreciated!