Atom versus Zacate, a nettop showdown

Subject: Systems | May 4, 2011 - 06:33 PM | Jeremy Hellstrom
Tagged: htpc, atom, ion, ion 2, nettop

Pairing an Intel Atom processor with an NVIDIA Ion2 GPU has become a popular way to power an inexpensive and low powered PC, often an HTPC. That changed when AMD finally managed to get the Zacate APU into the market and manufacturers like Zotac were suddenly given a choice as to which company they used to build their nettops and HTPCs. Zotac's ZBOX AD02-Plus U is based around the E350 APU and Bjorn3D pits it against the Sapphire Edge HD Intel D510. Check out the performance comparison here.

With computer components being integrated, systems are getting smaller, yet the performance is getting better. Both Intel and AMD integrated memory controllers onto the CPU die, and the latest Intel Sandy Bridge comes with native on-die integrated graphics. The need for a large system with various chips is no longer needed--small and integrated is definitely the trend.

Intel spearheaded the Atom platform where a very small processor is powerful enough compare to a desktop processor from 3-4 years ago, yet consumes only a fraction of the power. AMD’s latest Zacate APU is their answer to the Intel Atom platform. Like the Atom processor, the Zacate APU is designed for low power consumption with decent performance. The Zotac ZBOX retails for $339.99 on Newegg."

Here are some more Systems articles from around the web:

Systems

Source: Bjorn3D

Hot pink Atom and Ion love; the new Eee PC 1215N

Subject: Mobile | April 26, 2011 - 12:30 PM | Jeremy Hellstrom
Tagged: atom, ion, asus

If you hadn't noticed the pink laptop in the carousel, it is Matt Smith's newest review for PC Perspective and is right up the alley of anyone looking for an inexpensive and light mobile PC. With a 1.8GHz Atom D525 and NVIDIA ION 2 graphics it can perform light duties but is not a heavyweight in any sense of the word. Unfortunately for the 1215N, Matt has found another model that does more work for less money, read on to see which competitor beat it.

"Should you buy the Eee PC 1215N? That depends on your priorities. There are much quicker laptops of similar size priced between $100 and $200 more, and in terms of bang-for-your-buck, they make more sense. The 11.6” Acer Timeline X with the Core i3 processor is one great example. However, the ASUS Eee PC 1215N has advantages over many such competitors."

Here are some more Mobile articles from around the web:

Gaming

Source: PC Perspective

ASUS Eee PC 1215N Review: Atom and Ion, Back Together Again

Author: Matt Smith

Date: April 25, 2011

Subject: Mobile

Manufacturer: ASUS

Tagged: netbook, ion, eee pc, atom, asus

Introduction and Design

You don’t hear much about Atom these days. It’s still there, still kicking, still being stuffed inside an endless stream of netbooks. Yet it’s also not very exciting, and hasn’t created much buzz. This isn’t a case of a journalistic blind spot; Atom just hasn't been update. The original was released in 2008, but Intel hasn’t released a major performance upgrade since. By comparison, the performance of mainstream mobile laptop processors has, in some benchmarks, doubled over the same time-span. The processor performance of Atom, measured relative to the power of an average $600 laptop with a Core i3 dual-core, is actually becoming worse over time.

Yet Atom has still dominated the laptop market because of one reason; there was no other alternative. For the first time, however, that’s changing. AMD has released its Fusion APUs, and we recently reviewed two different laptops with two different versions of that technology – the single-core E-240 in the Toshiba Satellite C655D and the dual-core E-350 in the Sony Vaio Y.

PC Perspective