Asrock ION 330HT-BD is an achievement of the collaboration between ASRock and NVIDIA to build a Blu-ray nettop with an impressive performance level. The blu-ray and 1080p HD playback capability is a clear advantage of this nettop compared to other competitors such as Asus Eee Box or Acer Aspire Revo.
This Asrock Ion 330 review will summarize all the relevant information about this product as seen by the users in the user forums and user reviews.
Asrock Ion 330-BD Features
- Intel Dual Core Atom 330 processor
- ASRock OC Tuner and ASRock Instant Boot
- NVIDIA ION graphics processor
- Small, stylish and silent
- Energy Star 5.0 level (Low power consumption)
- Blu-ray drive
Intel Dual Core Atom 330 processor
Atom 330 processor, which is clocked at 1.6 GHz, represents the next generation processor technology in nettops and is equivalent to Intel’s Core Duo processor. With this processor, Ion 330 is able to produce a stunning performance for a nettop, exceeding for example an Asus Eee Box by a mile.
ASRock OC Tuner and ASRock Instant Boot
ASRock is being targetted to more tech savvy users, so they made it easy to tweak the system performance. ASRock OC Tuner is a Windows application which makes overclocking the CPU very easy. For example, you can overclock the Atom 330 processor from 1.6 GHz to 2.0 GHz while keeping the system still stable.
The bootup time is quite good with the ASRock Instant Boot technology. The instant boot software makes the boot time considerably faster, but it is applicable only to single user that does not secure user ID and password in Windows. According to Asrock, the boot time is only 4 seconds in the fast mode and 22 seconds in the regular mode.
NVIDIA ION graphics processor
Asrock ION 330 utilizes a GeForce 9400m GPU, which is the same one used in Apple’s 2008 Macbook Pro range and 2009 version of the Mac Mini. So the graphics performance definitely does not disappoint. In fact, Ion 330 plays all 1080p HD video formats perfectly and even allows to play low-demand 3D games. Asrock Ion 330 is a refreshing change to the marketing pitches where the promises of the HD video playback capability actually are true.
Small, stylish and silent
The Ion 330 is has a glossy black case measuring 195 x 70 x 186 mm that is 2.5 l in volume. The front looks very simple with only the power button and Blu-ray drive visible. The Ion 330 produces very little noise, that is according to the manufacturer around 29dB. This means that it is almost impossible to tell from the 10-foot distance whether the HTPC is on or not.
Some users are complaining that there are no USB ports at the front, but there are certainly enough ports (6 USB ports) at the back. You can connect the Ion 330-BD to the HDTV with HDMI so it is really easy to connect this HTPC to TV.
Energy Star 5.0 level (Low power consumption)
Similar to the new Mac Mini 2010, the Ion 330 has the energy star 5.0 rating, which means that it has very low power consumption. This is an important feature as HTPCs are generally left on over a long time period. Obviously low power consumption means both silent operation and lower energy bill.
Blu-ray drive
As stated earlier in the review, the ASRock ION 330-BD has no issues at playing back 1080p HD videos. If you are looking a HTPC to play Blu-ray videos, Ion 330-BD is one of the best HTPCs available to play Blu-ray movies. To my knowledge only Dell Zino HD comes with the Blu-ray drive within this price range.
Conclusion
| Pros | Cons |
| - Blu-ray drive - Excellent 1080p HD video playback - Very good CPU and GPU performance - Very silent operation - Small and stylish case | - No USB ports at the front - Does not come with an operating system |
If you are looking for a small HTPC with a good performance level and Blu-ray drive, Asrock ION 330HT-BD is an excellent choice. In fact, Ion 330 has become the de facto platform for many HTPC enthusiastic.
When searching for a HTPC solution in the expert forums, it is common that you will get pointed back to this Ion 330 system. Asrock Ion 330 HTPC has a quite similar performance to the Mac Mini in practice and you will get a Blu-ray drive as an additional bonus.
Please note that there is a newer model available, read more about the Asrock Vision 3D here.
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