14 DAY TRIAL // Last week NVIDIA announced the debut of its ION platform, which essentially drove the chip maker into the world of small-sized, low-power computer systems, also known as netbooks and nettops, a market that, up until now, has been the playground for Intel's highly successful Atom processor. However, the two Santa Clara, California neighbors have finally decided to put aside their differences and provide a platform that would provide system builders and users alike with several features that would fit the form factor. Still, the situation between the two chip makers isn't all milk and honey, as a recent article on cnet news appears to suggest.
If NVIDIA manages to convince PC makers that its newest chipset and graphics core, the now famous GeForce 9400M, is the best choice for building an Atom-powered netbook, Intel will basically have to split its market share with the graphics chip manufacturer. That's basically because the current combo of an Intel Graphics Media Accelerator 9 and an Intel Atom isn't capable enough to provide a decent multimedia experience for devices that are generally believed to be Internet-oriented. Also, with netbooks heading to a larger form factor (10-inch and even 12-inch), the Atom will need the graphics power that NVIDIA's chip is capable of providing.
However, when Intel talks about the form factor of the netbook, the chip maker has some very strict parameters, as it doesn't want the system cannibalizing into the market of fully-fledged notebooks. The main reason for that is the Atom's lack of performance potential, which is required by a notebook system. This is were NVIDIA, on the other hand, sees the opportunity and thinks that the Atom is a fairly capable CPU but lacks a decent GPU to help it deal with more demanding applications such as gaming or multimedia.
Basically, the war between the two manufacturers has been taken to the chipset segment, where NVIDIA has already won a considerable battle, by providing Apple with the chipset for its latest MacBook systems. The company could also steal a good market share from Intel if PC makers are going to adopt the GeForce 9400M as a solution for their upcoming netbook systems. It should be an interesting year for the future of personal computers.