

Inside, unlike the Acer Aspire Revo – one of the first NVIDIA Ion toting nettops to arrive on the market, but which was criticised heavily for its lackluster non-graphics performance – ASRock have fitted Intel’s Atom 330 dual-core processor rather than their single-core 230. The slab-sided casing may not have the curves of some rival nettops, but it does mean the ION 330-BD can be positioned upright without needing an add-on stand.

There’s no shortage of them, either ASRock have squeezed in a full six USB 2.0, together with both VGA and HDMI (supporting HDCP), S/PDIF optical audio output, three connectors for HD 5.1 audio, and gigabit ethernet.

The front panel is relatively bare, save a narrow vent, slimline Blu-ray drive and power button, with all the ports around the back. First impressions are good, with the ION 330-BD a compact 195 x 70 x 186 mm box finished in high-gloss black paint.
