New Intel Atom combines graphics and processing on one chip

Posted on 21 Dec 2009 at 15:26

Intel has announced a new Atom chip for netbooks that does away with the need for a separate graphics chipset. Until now, the vast majority of netbooks have come with a low-power processor such as an Atom, plus a separate graphics chipset integrated into the motherboard that shares memory with the processor. Intel has taken this a step further by putting the graphics and processing cores on the same chip, reducing costs and power consumption and improving performance.

The new single-core N450 runs at 1.66GHz, has 512Kb of cache memory and a 667MHz front-side bus. This is the same speed as the existing Atom N280 processor. However the new chip also includes a graphics core running at 400MHz and an integrated memory controller, which cuts down dramatically on the number of chips needed on the motherboard. The fact that everything is close together on one chip also means that it takes less time for data to get around the system, speeding things up.

Manufacturers have been quick to incorporate the new Atom into existing designs. MSI announced two new models in its Wind netbook series, the U130 and U135, which both feature the new N450. Both also have 10in, 1,024x600 LED screens, Draft-N wireless networking and Windows 7 Starter Edition. The U130 has a 160GB hard disk and costs £229, and the U135 has 250GB of hard disk space and costs £279.

Asus has also announced that its Eee PC Seashell range will be upgraded with the N450. Previous models used either the N270 or the slightly faster N280 along with Intel's GMA 950 graphics chipset. The Eee PC 1005HA Seashell managed to last for nine hours 21 minutes in our light usage tests, but Asus claims the new models last for over 14 hours.

Author: Barry de la Rosa

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