Netbook gaming arrives: HP's Mini 311 with Nvidia Ion graphics

As longtime Netbook fans, we've been well aware of the platform's limitations, from choppy video playback to a total lack of gaming ability. These sticking points have kept many people from making the Netbook jump, or forced them to also keep a full-size laptop for these tasks.

With Nivida's Ion GPU coming to several Netbooks, but seen first in the HP Mini 311, we're one step closer to a low-power, low-cost system that really can be a laptop replacement for many. In our recent review, we said:

We've seen hi-def Netbooks from Sony and others, usually with prices closer to $599, so we're excited to see HP's new Mini 311 packing in an 11.6-inch, 1,366x768 screen, as well as Nvidia's Ion graphics chip, all starting at $399.

The real payoff is in the Nvidia Ion, which, while not a true discrete GPU, offers enough power to play HD video files smoothly (a sticking point for Netbooks), as well as do some basic gaming.

We got Unreal Tournament running fairly smoothly at 800x600, and Call of Duty 4 was also playable at the same resolution (and not terrible at higher resolutions, either) -- although we did run into some stuttering on that game during more frenetic sequences (see the video above), no matter how far down we dialed down the settings .

While a new, and possibly more expensive, version of the Ion GPU is reportedly on the way, one likely workaround to squeeze more performance out of the HP Mini 311 is to add a second GB of RAM -- something that won't be possible until the Windows 7 version ships sometime after Win 7's October 22 launch. We pointed out the folly of being an early adopter in this case when we said:

As much as the Mini 311 may be our new go-to Netbook, we'd be hard-pressed to suggest buying one of these right now, when Windows 7 comes out at the end of October. With Netbooks exempt from Microsoft's free upgrade offer, it makes more sense to wait a few weeks and get the new OS out of the box (which should also make it possible to get past the artificial 1GB of RAM limit on XP-powered Netbooks).

Also, note that taking advantage of the Ion for flash-based Web video, such as Hulu, will require you to wait for the next Flash platform update, which Nvidia tells us is due by the end of November.

Read the full review of the HP Mini 311.

Gallery: HP's Mini 311 with Nvidia Ion graphics

[Tedders85]

Hey, great review. I can personally attest that my Mini 311 with Windows 7 on it is pretty darn amazing. Hulu does studder when fullscreen, but as soon as flash 10.1 comes out, that should be fixed like you said. 720p .wmv and .mov are pretty nice, but going up to 1080p is pushing it, at least for me it is. Watching netflix streaming however plays great fullscreen, as silverlight is easier on the system (i guess...). Overall, I LOVE this thing. Once flash 10.1 comes out and maybe some more GPU friendly applications, this thing will be perfect.

[cellphonedude]

Whats that, 2GB of RAM should be possible after W7 is out? That sucks, I've had 2GB of RAM on my Asus 1008HA EeePC for 6 months!?!

[thydavidcome]

He means that you can order it WITH 2gb built in. My HP mini 1000 has 2 gb ram aswell.

[GeoSaint4]

I'm wondering if someone can help... I got the Mini 311 1025NR and even upped it to 3 gigs of RAM, but it won't play HD video from iTunes. It jerks and stops and hangs for five seconds at a time. Basically, it's unwatchable. Anyone else had any issues like that? Could it be a Windows 7 thing? And yes... I have the latest drivers from Nvidia.