NVIDIA's ION platform continues to gain ground, providing end-users with a choice for a low-power desktop system that is capable of delivering support for a true home theater PC experience by mixing an Intel Atom processor with NVIDIA's own GeForce motherboard GPU. One such solution is about to be launched by one of the world's leading manufacturers of computer motherboards and hardware components, ASUS, which is reportedly planning to release the AT3N7A-I ION-based motherboard. This Mini-ITX platform is designed to deliver the necessary features and performance for users looking to build themselves a new HTPC.

ASUS might not be the first company to announce an ION-based motherboard, but the company's entry in this market is something to be taken into consideration. Coming to compete with the board that Zotac released a while back, the AT3N7A-I is designed on a mini-ITX PCB, making it a noteworthy alternative for a small-sized, low-power desktop PC. Unfortunately, there aren't many specifications to go on for the time being, as the Taiwanese manufacturer is yet to officially introduce the board.

According to details that have been recently leaked on the Internet, the new board from ASUS has been designed with a dual-core Intel Atom 330 processor, combined with the much-hyped NVIDIA ION graphics processing unit, capable of DirectX 10-enabled graphics applications. The board sports two DDR2-800 memory DIMMs, has a single PCI slot, Gigabit Ethernet, 7.1 channel audio, Bluetooth, eSATA port and three SATA 3.0 Gbps ports. We still have to wait for a full list of specifications and we are assuming the board will also be featured with an HDMI connector.

Featuring the aforementioned Atom 330 processor, combined with the GeForce 9300 graphics processor, the AT3N7A-I A330 is expected to become available at retailers, later this month, with the board already being listed for about 112 Euros.