Intel lets slip first dual-core Atom
SCC adopters wish they'd waited
IDF Intel has quietly introduced its first dual-core Atom processor, the 330, and a new motherboard to go with it.
The 45nm 330's a low-power part and - as the lack of an 'N' prefix shows - it's a desktop chip. Intel didn't say what clock speed the chip is set to - higher than the 230's 1.6GHz, we'd say, but it's not certain. The part does sit on a 533MHz frontside bus.
Current 'Diamondville' Atoms, the 230 and N270, use HyperThreading to appear to the host OS as a pair of processors. Presumably, the 330 will use the same technique to appear as four cores.
Much depends on how it's implemented. If Intel stays true to form, the 330 will comprise two 230s in a single package. That would make for a largish chip, which could explain why there's no mention of a mobile version.
The 330 will come soldered onto Intel's new D945GCLF2 mobo, a mini-ITX board based on the 945GC chipset and GMA 950 integrated graphics. The board can take up to 2GB of 533MHz or 667MHz DDR 2 memory in a single slot.
It'll also boast Gigabit Ethernet, support for a pair of parallel ATA drives, two 3Gb/s SATA ports, six-channel HD audio, s-video out, and the ability to eight USB 2.0 ports, four of which are on the back panel.
The D945GCLF2 is due to ship in September, so it's a good bet the Atom 330 will too. And, quite possibly, a mobile version.
At IDF later today, Intel mobility chief Anand Chandrasekher will address the company's plans for ultra-mobile computing. Is a dual-core Atom for Small, Cheap Computers in the offing? Watch this space...
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COMMENTS
Desktop Use, Mobile XP O/S?
Is this another inexpensive way to continue selling Windows XP? Seems so, Could Be Snappy XP or maybe its just inexpensive.
Signed:PHYSICIAN THOMAS STEWART VON DRASHEK M.D.
Atoms, Chipsets etc.
If you want something low power then you'd be better off waiting for Atom boards with the US15W chipset eg Kontron's KTUS15/mITX ( http://tinyurl.com/6j6loa ) in 1.1GHz or 1.6GHz flavours. It looks like it'll be using the Z series Atoms so you can expect a TDP of about 5W for the Atom + chipset so no fans required.
@Anton : you can still get PCI slot Rocket Raid cards - RAID 0,1,10,5,JBOD - with 4 SATA II ports for your media server upgrade, 6TB raw file space - sound interesting ?
re: Not very compelling in the slightest
If AMD made a 1GHz x2 at 16W, I would go for that, but AMDs biggest problem has been they don't know what to do with what they have. So Atom's looking pretty good to me. Will there be a board with DVI?
@"May in fact be a complete fabrication"
But every working CPU is a complete fabrication -- the incomplete ones don't work!
Sounded good, until they mentioned the motherboard
The Atom processor is a perfect decent CPU for web browsing, email, showing friend's my holiday snaps, etc. It doesn't need any more performance. It is also cheap with the motherboard and CPU being sold together. But what it needs is a fanless motherboard to go with the fanless CPU to cut the noise down.
