Even since netbooks like the HP Mini 311 have come out people have been trying to find a way to get the performance of an ION netbook without the cost or having to run out and get a new netbook.  It was at that point Broadcom came to the rescue with a line of mini PCI-e cards.  You can check and see if your netbook has any usable mini PCI-e slots here.

For people who already have a netbook or don’t end up buying an ION netbook there is usually no hope for watching streaming video online.  This is typically the line which separates people into deciding if they’ll spend $299 or $499 on a netbook.  You could try to overclock your processor or upgrade your memory or use different software but you’re not going to end up with an ION netbook.

The chart below shows the differences when watching video:

You’ll see that with the Broadcom card a Dell Mini 10 does a pretty job keeping pace with a HP Mini 311.  That’s not bad consider a Dell Mini 10 only goes for $299.  The downside is that you end up missing a lot such as:

- Larger screen

- HDMI output

- CUDA optimized video encoding

- Ability to play more than standard games

It’s a personal decision if these pluses are worth the extra investment.  A part of me thinks that for all of the marketing and hype behind ION, mini notebooks like the Acer Aspire 1410 may be a better overall investment since they combine decent graphics with processors much faster than Intel Atom chips.

[Source: Liliputing]

1. Price Of Broadcom HD Decoders Shoots Up

2. The Real Reason Dell Stopped Selling The Mini 9

3. 50+ Games You Can Plan On Your Netbook

4. GMA500 Based Netbooks Get A Boost

5. Intel + Broadcom = Pine Trail M HD Netbook Chip