(Credit: Intel)
Intel's low-powered Atom processor is heading for the dual-core era with the Atom 330 chip. Running at 1.6GHz, the new power-efficient model has started shipping and will appear in low-cost desktops — known as nettops — in the near future.
The Atom processor is the chipmaker's solution for users who do not need the full power of a Core 2 Duo chip. With its low heat signature and power consumption, it allows a desktop chassis to reach smaller form factors compared with previous offerings. Moreover, Atom silicon is significantly cheaper than its Core 2 Duo counterpart.
Despite the fact that the Atom 330's clock speed is the same as the Core 2 Duo processor used in the MacBook Air and ThinkPad X300, do not expect similar performances. For one, the Atom 330 has only 1MB L2 cache, while the Core 2 Duo SL9300 used in laptops comes with 6MB. As the L2 cache is the first and fastest data resource used by the CPU, the bigger the cache the faster the machine can complete a task. Moreover, the Atom 330 can support only a front-side bus speed of 667MHz, while its Core 2 Duo equivalent goes up to 1,066MHz.
Don't expect to see the dual-core Atom 330 processor appearing in netbooks anytime soon. According to an Intel representative, these new chips are not slated for netbooks at this time. Though there is nothing to stop PC makers from slotting these chips into their low-cost notebooks, one important factor might hinder its usage. At 8W, it draws four times more power than the single-core 1.6GHz Atom chip currently in use by netbooks. Considering that few of these systems are able to break the five-hour mark, a dual-core Atom netbook will either have abysmal battery life or require a huge battery.
No vendor has been able to provide an availability date for the first dual-core Atom nettop at this time, but it will no doubt make an appearance in models such as Dell's Studio Hybrid soon.
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