ZOTAC ION-GPU-A-E ION Graphics Processor 512MB DDR3 PCI Express x1 HDCP Ready Low Profile Ready Video Card

Pros: it works and was easy to install

Cons: It is not what i should have bought,,,I should have waited until i could afford a good ati card

Other Thoughts: it works..but i do not suggest trying to overclock this card

Pros: Upgrade over most onboard graphics, fair price, low profile/slimline option, HDMI output.

Cons: Compatibility issues (see Other Thoughts), no PhysX support, less RAM than current mainstream cards.

Other Thoughts: Bought this to upgrade a mini-ITX HTPC I made with an Intel DQ45EK motherboard. With the system running Windows XP, the card was recognized, I installed drivers, finagled with BIOS and driver settings to make the ION the primary card and enjoyed improved performance. Under Windows 7, however, nothing I did would make the system boot to a Windows desktop with the ION card installed. In the end, I had to remove the video card, go back to onboard video and install a PCIe x1 tuner card.
I have a couple of the Foxconn ultra-mini book computers with the ION chipset onboard, they run awesome with Windows 7. My case appears to be a compatibility issue with the particular motherboard.
I imagine these cards wouls be a great upgrade for first-generation PCI-Express motherboards that only have PCIe x1 slot(s).

Pros: It worked perfectly for 5 months.

Cons: As of 1/23/2012 5 months later card no longer works tried everything. nothing monitor does not recognize card is connected to it. I tried 3 other video cards(from 2005 - laying around in a bin) and no problem with monitor or motherboard system boots up and old cards all worked. removed old. Trying to get zotac to rma the card.

Other Thoughts: I hope Zotac rma this card. Only used card to watch netflix on son's HTPC.

Pros: worked perfectly. downloaded drivers from NVIDIA website. Installed and use dvi but hdmi also works perfectly connected to big screen lcd. Son plays his games with no problems. use it for streaming netflix.

Cons: i wish it was cheaper.

Pros: PCI-e x1
Good Price

Cons: I did my research before purchasing and have read several reviews about this card having issues with older Dell systems. I did not find anything about older HP's having the same problem but mine did. After installing the video card the system would blue screen with an NMI Parity error. Zotac says it is a hardware issue with the older PCI-e x1 slots not being up to spec. I can run an Intel NIC, Siig Sound card, and ATI 5450 video card in the slot without any errors. I was just looking for an upgraded video card and unfortunately this one is not the right one for me.

Other Thoughts: If you have an older Dell or HP I would strongly suggest staying away from this video card and go with an ATI video card. Based upon what I have read as far as reviews you will save your self the hassle of returning the card and being charged a restocking fee. This may be a good card if you have a newer motherboard but I can only write about what I can test.

Pros: For my HP DC 5100 slimline case was super easy to install. I did not have to change any bios settings. I simply put in powered off and unplugged of course. Dont ever try to hot swap these cards. Laughed when I read that. I have World of Warcraft Cat and have the graphics set to good ect no issues not choppy and runs fine.

Cons: I did have to guess a little on the driver, no ION driver listed Zotac guys reading this. So you know the GT210 driver works great for the ION GPU units.

Other Thoughts: Correct the driver name so you can choose the right one. I installed firestorm and physX no issues with Windows XP 32 bit sp3 and have had no locks or reboots of any type.

Pros: Card has both regular and low-profile brackets. 1xpci-e interface was compatible with my ITX board. Works out of the box with XBMC live distro.

Cons: When used with the regular size bracket, the top most post for the VGA port had difficulty clearing the opening in the case. I found that removing the post before inserting the card into the slot helped alot.

Other Thoughts: Bought for a ITX board to be used as a XBMC Media center (Zotac AM2 itx board, athlon x2 4200, rosewill itx case) fit well (as above) XBMC loves the ION chipset with out of the box support, shows in XBMC's audio config as NVIDIA HDMI. 1080p film was about 15% load per core, anime about %10-20.

Pros: Very affordable and co exists with my existing Sparkle 460 GTX 2gb card no problem. Plays flash and windows aero no problem.

Cons: Includes several face plates for a variety of installations, but the one for VGA makes no sense because the faceplate is not mechanically attached to the card. Runs hot. HDMI works, but device must be plugged in and on before computer is powered up.

Other Thoughts: I would like to see a stronger offering in the PCI E 1x market. Just because its low end doesn't mean it needs to be junk.

Pros: works fairly good for the price.

Cons: Kinda slow for gaming.

Other Thoughts: bought this for my hp slimline which only has only pci x1 slots. For the average user it works fine, great enhancement over onboard video when using 3d images. Most games work fine but at medium settings. Found most curent games to run slow at high settings and some games you wont detect the ion chipset so you neet to set those manualy. Overall this card is fine if you only stuck with a pci x1 slot.

Pros: None

Cons: It is probably not fair to rate this card on the basis that it did not work in my Dell. It may be a very good card -
Dell copmuters are not known for their ability to upgrade. I read here that some people had issues using this card on a Dell and some did not. Well, I had issues. When booting up the 3100 (right after Windows 7 starts) i get the blue screen "Memory parity error". I was able to install the card after the computer booted up (not recommended) and load the drivers. The card worked fine until I had to restart, then blue screen again. I could not find a work around for this.
So my advise is don't try this card on Dell 3100.

Other Thoughts: Don't buy a Dell if you are the type that likes to upgrade from time to time.

Manufacturer Response:

Dear customer,
I’m sorry you experienced problems with your Dell 3100 and one of our video cards. I highly recommend emailing our technical support team at support@zotacusa.com with your issue (or visiting our website for other methods of support, including forums and Live Chat), so that we may learn more about your problem and hopefully provide you with a solution. Again, I apologize for this issue.