http://hothardware.com/Articles/HP-Mini-311-IonBased-Netbook-Review/?page=1HP's Mini range of netbooks have been well respected in the industry, and while they were never as instrumental as Asus in the explosion of the netbook as a whole, they've really managed to nail their niche. From the start, the HP Mini was one of the most fashionable netbook lines out there, boasting subtle curves, a uniform keyboard, gorgeous styling cues and a larger-than-average trackpad. By and large, the Mini lineup hasn't changed too much since its introduction, but that has mainly been the case because Windows XP was pretty much the only operating system available for it (Linux alternatives notwithstanding). Couple that with the limited Atom CPU lineup and the struggle to keep costs down, and we're left with a colorful line of machines that don't actually differ much from one another, save for designs and accents.Now, there are two major reasons to pay close attention to the Mini 311. It may follow the prior Minis in terms of size and style, but it's the differences within that promise to make this a new, refreshed machine. For starters, HP has loaded Windows 7 onto this machine. We waited for what felt like forever to finally have Windows 7 available for netbooks, and we can confess that it really adds a touch of style and functionality compared to older models with XP. The second major addition is NVIDIA's Ion technology, which--according to NVIDIA--is "essentially the same chipset as our GeForce 9400M used in higher end products like the MacBook line." It's labeled Ion, but if you were wondering what GPU was actually under the hood, there's your answer. This is obviously superior to more generic integrated options like Intel's GMA500, but we were curious to see exactly how much of a difference it made. The CPU is still a lowly 1.6GHz Atom N270, so can a bolstered GPU really make an average netbook a netbook that's better-than-average? Let's find out.
