Intel AtomIntel Atom [PC Pro]
COMPANY: Intel PRICE: N/A
RATING: ISSUE: 166 DATE: Jun 08
LATEST PRICES: £184.99 (5 Retailers)
With so many processors already on the market, you'd be forgiven for wondering why there's such a fuss about this one.
The answer is that the Intel Atom (formerly known by the codename "Silverthorne") is a whole new type of processor - a tiny, ultra-low-power embedded package that delivers the full capabilities of an x86 desktop CPU.
Read the full review of the first Atom-based PC here
Click here for a first look at Acer's Atom-based Aspire One
That means it can run Windows, multi-task with HyperThreading and even make a decent fist of multimedia applications with SSE3 support. It'll work with a 945G chipset, DDR2 RAM and all the components we take for granted.
Yet it does all this with a thermal design power of around 2W - incredibly, less than three per cent that of an everyday Core 2 Duo. Average power consumption is promised to be in the milliwatt range, with idle draw as low as 30mW.
This groundbreaking marriage of performance and efficiency means that Atom-powered phones and PDAs could run the same applications as desktop machines, while maintaining the battery life consumers demand. And Atom-powered PCs can take on less demanding desktop and server roles and slash power requirements.
Atomised
As you'd expect, the Atom is a more basic chip than a Core 2. It's only a single-core processor - though the forthcoming "Diamondville" Atoms will effectively combine two chips into a dual-core package. L2 cache is modest too, though not overly mean, at 512KB.
But this simplicity, combined with Intel's small-scale 45nm manufacturing process, means the chips are physically very small. Indeed, Intel boasts that, at 25mm, the Atom is the world's smallest processor. That in turn brings down the cost of silicon, so Atoms are affordable too.
It comes in two families. For mobile internet devices, the low-end Z500 and Z510 models run at 800MHz and 1.1GHz respectively, on a 400MHz front side bus, and sell for just $45. The 1.33GHz Z520 pushes the FSB up to 533MHz and sees the price rise to $65, while the 1.6GHz Z530 comes in at $95.
Alas, clearly anticipating that the greatest demand will be for the most powerful processor, Intel has stuck a hefty price premium on the top-end 1.86GHz Z540, launching it at $160 despite its small increase in clock speed over the Z530 and identical FSB.
But there's also a 200-series family for desktops and laptops. The N270 and 230 both run at 1.6GHz, with 512KB of L2 cache and a 533MHz front side bus in a 22mm2 package.
The difference is that the N270 is
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Dengan sedemikian banyaknya prosesor yang ada di pasaran, mengapa Atom begitu banyak dibicarakan? Jawabannya adalah: Intel Atom (dulunya berkode nama 'Silverthorne') adalah sebuah prosesor dengan tipe yang sama sekali baru - super kecil, paket ultra low power yang dapat memberikan kapabilitas CPU desktop x86 secara penuh.
Hal ini berarti Atom mampu mengoperasikan Windows, multi-task dengan menggunakan HyperThreading dan bahkan mengoperasikan aplikasi multimedia dengan dukungan SSE3. Dari segi perangkat keras, Atom kompatibel dengan chipset 945G, DDR2 dan semua komponen PC biasa, dan semua ini tercapai hanya dengan TDP thermal design power) di sekitar 2W atau kurang dari 3% Core 2 Duo biasa.
Kombinasi kinerja dan efisiensi yang revolusioner ini berarti ponsel-ponsel pintar yang diperkuat Atom dapat mengoperasikan aplikasi-aplikasi yang sama dengan desktop dan pada saat yang sama, cukup efisien untuk mempertahankan baterai. PC yang diperkuat dengan Atom juga akan dapat beroperasi dengan jauh lebih hemat energi.
sumber :
http://udaramaya.com/berita/3226/0/Review_Pertama_Intel_Atom dan
http://www.pcpro.co.uk/reviews/202845/intel-atom.html
