NVIDIA ION Linux Performance

With the initial results out of the way, here are our straight-up results comparing the ZaReason ION system to our custom Intel nettop with Intel 945 graphics. We ran a number of different graphics tests through the Phoronix Test Suite to look at both the 2D and 3D performance.

With the ioquake3-powered Urban Terror, the ION was more than three and a half times faster. However, with a frame-rate of just 25 FPS when running at 1920 x 1200, this game is barely playable at a higher resolution. If turning down the resolution to the netbook standard 1024 x 600 or similar, the game is certainly playable. The Intel 945 with the Atom and its current open-source driver stack would barely be playable even at lower resolutions.

The GeForce 9400M with the Intel Atom is certainly playable with OpenArena even at high resolutions. The ION with its proprietary Linux driver was more than six times faster than the Intel graphics with its Mesa stack.

World of Padman was definitely playable on the ION side, but not with the Intel IGP.