ASUS EeeBox EB1501 Nettop With NVIDIA Ion And DVD Debuts

ASUS have stepped up their nettop game with the arrival of the ASUS EeeBox EB1501.  The first of the company's range to include an integrated optical drive, the EB1501 also includes Intel's Atom 330 dual-core CPU and NVIDIA's 1080p-capable Ion graphics chipset, turning the neatly-balanced nettop into a pretty impressive media center PC.

There's also up to 4GB of RAM supported, a 250GB 2.5-inch hard-drive, gigabit ethernet and WiFi b/g/n, while the drive is a slot-loading DVD burner and OS is Windows 7 Home Premium.  Connectivity includes six USB 2.0 ports, eSATA, HDMI, D-Sub, a multiformat card reader, audio in/out, S/PDIF and a WiFi antenna.

ASUS will also sell you a remote control or an optional keyboard/mouse set, and there's a VESA mount in case you'd prefer to hide the EB1501 behind your flatscreen.  It's expected to start from €399 ($581) with 2GB of RAM, but beyond waiting for Windows 7's launch on October 22nd we're not sure when exactly it will go on sale.

[via eeepc.it]