Intel’s Next Atom — a Defensive Play Offering More Netbook Run-Time
That magical, mystical moment is here — if you think that Intel’s next-generation Atom details are magical and mystical, that is. After months of waiting, Intel today released all the juicy details of it’s PineTrail platform that will power netbooks and nettops come Jan. 4. We’ve already seen much of this story before: The current three-chip Atom melds into two — CPU with graphics and input/output controller — making for a reduction in heat, power and footprint. The netbook-targeted N450 at 1.66 GHz, for example will max out at 7 Watts from a TDP basis. If you recall, the current Atom CPUs only hit 2-2.5 Watts TDP, but you have to compare apples to apples — or atoms to atoms, as it were. The new N450 at 7 Watts is for both the CPU and the chipset, while the older N270/N280 paired with the CPU and a separate graphics chipset and I/O controller which ranges in the 10-14 Watt area. Clearly, there’s a sizable reduction in power savings over the first-generation Intel Atom platform. But at what sacrifice?
I’ve read two reviews of the new Intel Atom in an ASUS Eee PC 1005PE netbook — one from LAPTOP Magazine and one from Engadget — and while both experiences show off the added run-time, both also show no real improvement in performance or graphics. Intel hasn’t officially stated which integrated graphics solution will partner with the N450, but various reports indicate it’s the Intel GMA 3150 — confirming a Fudzilla report from October — which doesn’t offer much more graphical prowess over current netbook graphics. LAPTOP found that the new chipset doesn’t offer smooth Hulu video streaming at full-screen, most likely due to the lack of hardware video decoding in the graphics solution. While you’d think that leaves the door open for NVIDIA with its ION graphics solution, it’s difficult to envision many hardware makers adding a separate graphics solution to the integrated one that Intel offers.
While most won’t be sold on the graphics, it’s that increased power efficiency of this single core Atom that truly helps out the netbook market. Both reviews I read saw real world run-times in the 10-10.5 hour range on a 5800mAh, six-cell battery. That could mean a low-end netbook with a three- or four-cell battery will see a good five or more hours of life on one charge, which is a vast improvement. Overall, I think Intel has done “just enough” to advance the Atom (and keep third-party graphic chipmakers at bay) — anything more and it would offer too much competition to its lower-end netbook chips.
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“While you’d think that leaves the door open for NVIDIA with their ION graphics solution, it’s difficult to envision many hardware makers adding a separate graphics solution to the integrated one that Intel offers.”
can the internal GFX card be shut off to allow for 3rd party solutions like the ION?
what would be really nice is to switch between the 2 when you need the extra power or not.
I can’t see why the integrated graphics could be “switched off” if there was a discreet GPU added to a system. Could be nice to see selectable graphics — integrated Intel for basic use and good battery life but Ion as needed for Flash HD video.
Finally, I see a Pinetrail netbook in my 2010 shopping list!
I’m not too concerned at the moment about the GPU part of the equation. The VIA chrome solution on my old HP 2133 played back 720p WMV just fine, and the current HP 110 actually comes with a separate hardware HD video accelerator – something HP might also implement in a future Pinetrail netbook.
While 3D gaming is still out of the question, I’m not too worried about problems playing back HD video. When I begin to see some new netbook models emerge, and I’ve had a chance to play around with some, I’ll then be getting a lot more critical.