The upcoming Atom CPU will create a new boon for tablets

[greggh]

http://www.news.com/2300-1041_3-6236624 ... ne.gall.pg

A big splash at the Intel Developer Forum in Shanghai was the unveiling of Intel's Atom chips and prototypes of devices that will use it. The chips are geared for Netbooks and MIDs, or Mobile Internet Devices, that are smaller than a notebook but bigger than a handheld.

The chips are expected to use between 0.65 watts and 2.4 watts compared with notebook chips that typically draw between 20 watts and 35 watts.

"This is as important to Intel as the launch of the Pentium in the mid-1990s", Intel Chief Executive Paul Otellini said in a video played during an IDF keynote speech.

Check out these tablet/UMPC form factor future devices...





















It looks like the Nokia N810 is about to get some stiff competition.

[Patrick]

Those look awesome. Hopefully most of them run Linux. I'm going to try get Dirk Hohndel from Intel on to discuss the impact of the new Atom CPUs.

[greggh]

I'm going to try get Dirk Hohndel from Intel on to discuss the impact of the new Atom CPUs.

Excellent. I would love to hear the detailed plans of Intel for the Atom. This new CPU may mark an exciting turning point for ultra portable computing.

[greggh]

There will be two basic types of the Atom CPU. The Z5xx series (for Tablets) and the N270 series (for Netbooks)...

http://www.news.com/8301-10784_3-991300 ... 7-1_3-0-20

The Atom N270 is quite different in this respect: It has a ready-made market. The N270 will go into an existing market segment--Netbooks--and will replace the popular Celeron in many cases, making this Atom potentially a high-volume chip. For example, currently, the Eee PC and Intel Classmate (technically Netbooks) use the Celeron. Versions of both these compact notebooks are slated to use the Atom. Based on Intel's description of the market, this category of Netbooks will use the N270 (see graphic).

Though the die (the actual processor inside the chip package) is the same for both the Atom Z5XX series and N270, the packaging and chipsets are different (see graphic). The N270 will use the 945GSE and 82801 (ICH7M) core logic. A version of this chipset (with 950 integrated graphics) is used in low-cost notebooks and desktops today. The Celeron has traditionally used the lower-end 915 chipset.

So, the way it shakes out is: the Atom Z5XX series for MIDs; the N270 (and upcoming processors) for Netbooks; the Celeron for low-cost notebooks. Note: the Atom Z5XX series includes a single-chip with integrated graphics called the Intel System Controller Hub.

I wonder how much of a performance hit a "Netbook" like the eee will take using an Atom instead of the more powerful Celeron. Is it worth getting an extra hour of battery life for slower performance?