ECS shows off nettops with Intel Pineview chips

Taiwanese device maker Elitegroup Computer Systems (ECS) is showing off a pair of mini-desktop PCs, or nettops, running the latest Intel Pineview chips at the Computex electronics exhibition in Taipei.

The nettops are among the first devices shown with Pineview chips, which integrate the chipset onto an Atom microprocessor. The nettops are called the MX100.

Pineview combines the memory controller, graphics and microprocessor onto one chip, reducing the number of chips inside a device so companies can shrink them.

The change should also make the chips speedier, more battery efficient and less expensive, according to Intel.

But the change also removes the ability to add more powerful graphics such as Nvidia's Ion graphics processors, which were designed to boost overall system performance when paired with a low-power microprocessor such as Atom.

Atom was designed as a small, low-power chip for mobile devices such as netbooks.

The nettops ECS had on display were about the size of the case for a DVD home movie, only a bit thicker and not as tall.

They can hold up to 4G bytes of DDR2 (double data rate, second generation) DRAM and 2.5-inch SATAII hard disk drives.

An ECS representative said the devices will likely be out in September or October, shortly after Intel formally releases Pineview.

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