Details about Intel’s Atom / Centrino Atom, Released

IntelDuring the Intel Developer Forum being held this week, Intel has released more details about the Intel Atom and Centrino Atom lineup – a CPU line geared towards small laptops, ultramobile PCs (UMPCs), and other such devices (subnotebooks, etc.).

While they may not have second cores (similar to the full-size Intel Core 2 Duo lines), some will have hyperthreading which will be a boost over normal single-CPU systems. They appear to have two main lines of CPUs, both a “standard” (our words) and ultra low-power (ultra low voltage).

“Standard” CPUs:
– 533MHz Front Side Bus
– Hyperthreading
– Consume 2W or 2.4W during peak energy use
– Could ship in budget laptops and desktops (such as Asus Eee PC)
– CPU speeds: 1.33GHz ($65), 1.6GHz ($95), 1.86GHz ($160) in batches of 1000
– Other speeds maybe made available

Ultra Low-Power CPUs:
– 400MHz Frontside/System Bus
– No hyperthreading
– Consume as low as 0.65W
– CPU Speeds: 800MHz, 1.1GHz
– Each CPU would cost $45
– Geared towards very small form-factors (such as Fujitsu U810)

The Centrino Atom platform will have decent 3D processing in the graphics area, and will be able to handle HD Video (including 720p) and surround sound.

These could end up being extensively both in the very small notebook/UMPC market, as well as home theater market.

They will be running full Windows operating systems (and perhaps, eventually, Apple’s Mac OS X).

Articles:
CNET News.com
Reuters
PC World