ASRock Core 100HT NetTop
Last summer we reviewed the ASRock NetTop ION 330, which was the first Atom-powered NetTop computer that had come out of this vendor known for their affordable motherboards. The NetTop ION 330 combined an Intel Atom 330 CPU with NVIDIA's ION platform to provide a low-power PC while offering modest computing and graphics capabilities. Earlier this year we then reviewed the ION 330HT-BD, which was ASRock's revised nettop with more features and was topped off with a Blu-ray drive for greater media capabilities. Today we are now reviewing the ASRock Core 100HT, which is their newest nettop and it boasts an Intel Core i3-330M processor with 4GB of DDR3 system memory, a 500GB hard drive, and is completed with USB 3.0 and 802.11n wireless network connectivity.
The ASRock Core 100HT NetTop has an ASRock HM55-HT motherboard that is compatible with Intel Core i3 / i5 / i7 mobile processors. The Core 100HT review sample we received courtesy of ASRock was equipped with an Intel Core i3-330M, which is a 2.13GHz dual-core processor that has Hyper Threading support to provide four processing threads. There is a 3MB Intel Smart Cache, SSE4.1/SSE4.2 support, supports up to 8GB of DDR3-1066/800MHz memory, possesses Intel Arrandale integrated graphics, is built on a 32nm process, and has a maximum TDP of just 35 Watts. The ASRock Core 100HT leverages the integrated Intel HD graphics and the motherboard provides VGA and HDMI connectivity. This Core i3 nettop shipped with 4GB of DDR3 system memory and a 2.5-inch 500GB Seagate ST9500325AS SATA HDD, though a second 2.5-inch HDD/SSD can also be installed. The ASRock model we were reviewing did not have a Blu-ray disc drive but rather just a DVD Super-Multi drive.
The ASRock Core 100HT shipped with a similar set of accessories to the ASRock NetTop ION 330 series and that included a Serial ATA cable/adapter, an HDMI to DVI adapter, a +19V 90 Watt external power supply, a MCE remote control, an anti-slip pad for the nettop, and an ASRock Core 100HT user's manual.