Intel's Atom not just for Netbooks anymore
Intel's mainstay Netbook chip is finding a home in desktops, underscored by recent announcements from Hewlett-Packard and Acer.
HP MediaSmart LX195 uses a 1.6GHz Atom processor
(Credit: Hewlett-Packard)On Wednesday, details emerged of HP's MediaSmart Server LX195, a home server packing a 1.6GHz Atom 230 processor that's priced at $400 with 1GB of memory and a 640GB hard disk drive. To date, HP has been using Intel Celeron and Advanced Micro Devices' Sempron processors. (Note: update adds Intel Celeron.)
Earlier this month, Acer rolled out the Acer AspireRevo, a small, slick box that augments the Atom with an Nvidia Ion chipset to boost graphics performance. This is expected to be priced well under $300 for some models.
Asus was one of the first to bring out a head-swiveling Atom-based desktop--the Eee Box, which has been updated recently with ATI graphics.
By design, Atom is a more power-frugal and, as a result, a slower processor than Intel's mainstream Core 2 chip architecture. HP, for example, markets its MediaSmart server as a storage hub, which typically doesn't require much processing punch. And Atom is cheap--the Atom 230 is $29, whereas comparative Celeron chips are about $34 but draw much more power. And mainstream Core 2 Duo desktop processors start at about $110.
Intel has long maintained that Atom has a place in so-called Nettops and, last year, brought out the dual-core Atom 330 specifically for this market.
This strategy was validated this week in Taipei, where motherboard maker ASRock was showing a desktop with a dual-core Atom 330 processor and an Nvidia Ion chipset. Asus is also expected to update the Eee Box line with a dual-core Atom processor.
Brooke Crothers has served as an editor at large at CNET News, an editor at Dow Jones' Asian Wall Street Journal Weekly, and a senior editor at InfoWorld. His CNET blog covers chip technology and computer systems, and how they define the computing experience. He also contributes to The New York Times' Bits and Technology sections. He is a member of the CNET Blog Network and is not an employee of CNET. Disclosure. Follow Brooke on Twitter @mbrookec. 
"To date, HP has been using a Sempron processor from Advanced Micro Devices."
The current MediaSmart Servers, EX485 & EX487 use an Intel chip...
Im all for Atom and netbooks though!
The only reason you'd want an Atom is to save power- exactly what you need in a netbook. To use one on a media server isn't a good ideas, especially if you want to play HD stuff. Still, I suppose you pay for what you get
Its not either I can't believe you guys don't get it.
Its to provide a cheaper desktop for people who don't need much power.
@ 3tire
How old are you? 12? because you seem to attacked peoples intelligence a number of times when you were unable to give an answer to a question?
No one who buys something with the netbook class chips should go in expecting some sort of a beast machine desktop/workstation. I don't think anyone who goes to Walgreens to buy a disposal camera is going to be upset because it doesn't function like a SLR... so people buying these cheap nearly disposable PCs probably get what they expect.
Using less power also means it will generate less heat, and allow cheaper and slower fans that are much quieter, if it needs fan at all. Yes, there are quiet fans that are powerful, but they are more expensive. People buying these computers probably want the cheapest they can get, or aren't too interested in popping the case to swap out fans.
System76 Meerkat : http://system76.com/product_info.php?cPath=27&products_id=91
That Meerkat is a neat little box, but the reason I want the AspireRevo is for the HDMI. If the Meerkat had HDMI out, then it would be a great contender. I love how it's got Ubuntu 9.04 as the first option :) It is a sharp little box.
I'm still using my nine-year-old Coppermine Pentium III at home. (Overclocked to ~900MHz - LOL!) It only has 768 MB of RAM and still runs XP Pro and Ubuntu well enough for my needs. I actually can watch "Fringe" on FOD in HD on this box with only the tiniest of lag which usually only occurs after returning from the brief commercial -- which I've learned how to correct anyway. The only other time the "lack of power" is prominent is during certain Flash games where Machine Guns tend to fire at a rate more attributable to .38 Police Specials. But, the box really is good enough for my needs except for the fact that its three fans are noisy as hell! (CPU, GPU, P/S)
The point of this is that if I can replace my old system with an inexpensive Netbook (using Ubuntu Remix), or even a Nettop, either with Atom or Atom dual-core; if the performance is slightly better than what I have now, then it is a good deal. Since these systems are low-power, I won't have to deal with noisy fans. The emphasis here is on *inexpensive*.
Of course, my old box has a Radeon 9600 Pro installed. By no means was it ever top-of-the-line -- but it goes a long way in giving me the performance I *do* get. So, that is something to consider as well. One has to presume that Intel's new chipsets can, at the very least, match the performance of an old Radeon 9600 Pro. But, that is only a presumption.
If anyone *truly* knows how the Atom/Atom Dual-Core compares to older generation CPUs. I'd love to know.
the Atom chips still have a real problem with flash video.
If whatever you're doing is optimized for the GPU, you're going to be happy with this sort of machine.
try 2-Bs and a bottle ........
the hook up is a killer app only for OGLs
salil.
- by freelancer_30 July 2, 2009 4:46 AM PDT
- Ummm....
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