Ion-based Linux Nettop Soars in Review

Berkeley, Calif.-based system integrator ZaReason is selling what appears to be the first Linux-based nettop equipped with both an Intel Atom 230 and Nvidia’s Ion companion chip. The HD-capable Ion Breeze 3770 significantly outperforms a system running Intel’s 82945GC graphics chipset, according to a Phoronix review.

Starting at $400, the 10.4 x 9.0 x 4.4-inch Ion Breeze 3770 is equipped with Zotac’s “Ionitx” Mini-ITX motherboard, which we covered last month. The board provides an Atom 230 CPU, but matches it with the new Nvidia Ion GeForce 9400M GPU instead of the Intel chipset that’s typically employed…