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Gadgets Dual-Core Atom N550 Netbooks Shipping Today
Brandon Hill (Blog) - August 23, 2010 1:18 PM

26 comment(s) - last by Taft12.. on Aug 24 at 3:29 PM

Acer Aspire One D255 (Source: netbooknews.com)

Intel touts new dual-core Atom processor

Intel's tiny Atom processor made a huge splash when it first started arriving in netbooks over two years ago. The Atom represented a lower-power alternative to the Celeron-M processors that had been used in the original ASUS Eee PC netbooks.

Since its introduction, Intel has sold over 70 million of the processors and sees no end in sight. Today, the company is looking to expand its Atom range even further with the availability of the dual-core N550 model.

The Atom N550 operates at 1.5GHz and supports DDR3 memory. According to Intel, netbooks using the new Atom N550 will be available from Acer, ASUS, Fujitsu, Lenovo, LG, Samsung, MSI, and Toshiba.

ZDNET reports that one of the first netbooks to use the processor will be the Acer Aspire One D255 which sports a 10.1" screen, Wi-Fi, Bluetooth, 250GB HDD and a six-cell battery. Engadget notes that the ASUS Eee PC 1015PN, although other reports suggest that the netbook will come equipped with the Aton N475.

"Acer strives to continually improve on our customers' total mobile experience, whether it is increased responsiveness or extended Internet interactivity through longer battery life," said Acer's Mobile Computing Business Unit associate VP, David Lee. "We are pleased to select dual-core Intel Atom processors for Acer netbooks, helping to empower netbook users achieve even more – both at work and at leisure."

Just last week, it was reported that ASUS was lowering its forecast for netbook shipments due to the increased popularity of Apple's iPad.

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Looks like DDR3 actually helps the atoms speed.

By DanNeely on 8/23/2010 2:44:50 PM , Rating: 2

Preliminary benchmarks show the 1,5ghz N550 outperformning the 1.66 ghz D510 (also a dual core 2nd gen atom). The only functional change is the memory controller. This isn't overly surprising since in-order CPUs are more sensitive to cache misses but being maybe 15% faster per clock is a nice bonus especially since blatancy is the atoms biggest UI problem.

http://www.liliputing.com/2010/06/dual-core-intel-...

RE: Looks like DDR3 actually helps the atoms speed.

By plewis00 on 8/23/2010 4:13:15 PM , Rating: 2

That article looks really odd to me, if you look at it closely, a Core 2 Solo SU3300 (with a huge cache and much large IPC than any Atom) comes last - behind even the Atom N450? And the Atom N550 is clocking in at over double the Core 2 Solo's benchmark score (even if chips scaled perfectly a Core 2 Duo at the same clock would score behind?) which would suggest it's an incorrect or unfair test.

Put it this way, if I had a choice of those 5 CPUs, I know which one I'd pick (the Core 2 variant, everytime).

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RE: Looks like DDR3 actually helps the atoms speed.

By Mr Perfect on 8/23/2010 5:23:33 PM , Rating: 2

The results look correct. 7zip is multi-threaded, so all three of the dual core, hyperthreaded atoms have good reason to be so much faster then the Core 2 Solo with one core and no hyperthreading. It's four threads verses one. It's also probably how the single core hyperthreaded Atom manages to match the Core 2 Solo.

Throw some single threaded programs at those same chips, on the other hand, and then the Core 2 could flex it superior features.

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RE: Looks like DDR3 actually helps the atoms speed.

By XZerg on 8/24/2010 9:12:21 AM , Rating: 1

not to mention that 7zip wouldn't have so much of false branch prediction as many other non-compression related applications.

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RE: Looks like DDR3 actually helps the atoms speed.

By omnicronx on 8/23/2010 5:45:27 PM , Rating: 2

Thats not the only functional change, they moved the gpu on die.. Of course its just a die shrink of the crappy GMA 3150 used on current atom boards..

The reality is, the performance improvements here are hardly impressive considering these improvements are over a 2+ year old chip..

The Atom is a very low margin chip, I just don't see how Intel encroaching on higher end PC sales is going to help them.. I.e This refresh really gives me the impression that Intel WANTS to slow things down.

Its definitely the most unimpressive major release of an Intel chip in a long time.

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RE: Looks like DDR3 actually helps the atoms speed.

By Taft12 on 8/24/2010 2:02:31 PM , Rating: 3

They don't just want to slow it down, they wish they never released it in the first place!

It is intentional that you can no longer find sub-$300 netbooks like you could in the first generation. The Intels, Dells and HPs of the world were a bit scared that many were realizing a system like this was all they really needed so they have increased the screen sizes and additional features (but most importantly, price) on newer netbook generations.

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It's about time.

By exploderator on 8/23/2010 5:56:06 PM , Rating: 2

This is really one of those occasions where I suspect deliberate market timing. I think they have been holding off putting in dual core atoms until the market for single core netbooks started to face real competition from low end notebooks. They know how to milk a market for upgrades.

And that bugs me, because with atoms, the CPU core only draws about 2 watts, it's everything else that draws the other 15 to 20 watts that the whole computer uses. So it's always seemed crazy to not just toss in the second core, adding merely 10% to 15% power draw. And you really only sacrifice that small extra power draw when you really wanted it anyways for better performance, because atoms power-save very well when you don't actually need them.

They really could have done this two or three years ago, they've had the technology the whole time.

RE: It's about time.

By omnicronx on 8/23/2010 6:09:10 PM , Rating: 2

quote:
They really could have done this two or three years ago, they've had the technology the whole time.

Definately agree man, I'm hardly impressed. Especially when you compare the benchmarks with a 330.(which could have been in netbooks all along if Intel allowed OEM's to do it)

It makes sense on some ends, moving the gpu/mem controller on die helps remove the northbridge dependency you mention which will drop the total power usage, but I hardly feel as though this could not have been accomplished with more than a 5-10% performance improvement over previous chips.

Sure when you compare it to a single core 270/N* series Atom's it looks good, but Intel is pulling a fast one here, the 550 is hardly the successor to either of these chips.

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Notebooks or Netbooks

By AlanMusnikow on 8/23/2010 2:05:09 PM , Rating: 2

Is there a typo in "ASUS Eee PC notebooks"?
Should it have said, "ASUS Eee PC netbooks"?

slow

By Alphafox78 on 8/23/10, Rating: -1

RE: slow

By Sottilde on 8/23/2010 1:52:17 PM , Rating: 4

quote:
Slow Adam + slow Adam = ??

= Awful spelling.

Honestly this is a major step forward for the platform. A ~1.5Ghz Atom is enough for basic tasks but I always miss the smoothness of dual-core. A single-core machine seems to get "locked up" often when it chugs away at a CPU-heavy process. I'm sure Atom dual-core notebooks will be a significant step up.

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RE: slow

By Alphafox78 on 8/23/2010 2:02:40 PM , Rating: 2

rofl, im retarded. got the name confused with the adam PC... lol. about the same speed ;P

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Adam_Computer

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RE: slow

By omnicronx on 8/23/2010 6:02:53 PM , Rating: 2

Step up from what exactly =P.. The only reason you don't already have a dual core netbook variant is because Intel flat would not allow many OEM's to use it.

Intel already sells a dual core Atom variant, its called the 330 and is available for many nettops already (and has been since 2008). If you look at the benchmarks ex here: (http://cdn.slashgear.com/wp-content/uploads/2010/0... you will see that the 550 hardly performs better than its 2 year old 330 predeccessor.

I'm sorry but this is basically a 330 with an die shink, with an on die memory controller and gpu slapped on, at lower frequencies to boot. As a result I hardly see this as a 'Major' step forward. In fact, I'm kind of disappointed..

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RE: slow

By Taft12 on 8/24/2010 3:29:20 PM , Rating: 2

Don't forget the Nvidia lockout! That is a very important feature for Intel!

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RE: slow

By theplaidfad on 8/23/2010 2:05:55 PM , Rating: 2

quote:
Slow Adam + slow Adam = ??

= a busy day for Fast Steve.

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RE: slow

By Gul Westfale on 8/23/2010 2:55:22 PM , Rating: 1

well, until steve overheats, anyway. :)

i have been using a netbook (HP mini) for a year now, and i use to write books and to browse the web. i'm perfectly happy with the performance, as word processing/firefox don't really require much in the way of processing muscle, but i do find the small screen a bit confining when editing my work.
would i upgrade to a duallie? only if it meant better battery life, and only if the price remained the same. any more expensive, and i could have bought a dual-core athlon laptop from walmart... not a powerhouse either, but with a 14" screen.
so i hope intel prices these things accordingly; a new HP mini with 5 hours of battery life for $350 would be nice.

and if someone, by the grace of whichever entity they believe in, wants to download free samples of my books, they can do so here:
http://www.smashwords.com/books/view/21794

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RE: slow

By Smartless on 8/23/2010 2:59:30 PM , Rating: 2

That's the truth. I use my netbook for the same reason and battery life was the biggest seller. A 10 hour flight and I could watch a 8 hours of movies. I was impressed. Though I think I should have waited for the Win7 version.

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RE: slow

By Gul Westfale on 8/23/2010 3:04:38 PM , Rating: 2

i put vista on mine, upgraded the RAM to 2GB, and it runs perfectly fine.

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RE: slow

By Gul Westfale on 8/23/2010 3:06:08 PM , Rating: 1

oh, forgot to mention that it originally came with W7... but it was the ultra-shitty starter edition, which won't even let you change the wallpaper.

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RE: slow

By DanNeely on 8/23/2010 3:54:57 PM , Rating: 3

Anyone reading this site should be able to follow the registry hack to change the wall paper without issue. Even if you can't you should be able to download one of the many free apps that makes the change for you.

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RE: slow

By Gul Westfale on 8/23/2010 5:12:15 PM , Rating: 2

yeah but i had a copy of vista lying around...

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RE: slow

By Gul Westfale on 8/23/2010 5:13:12 PM , Rating: 3

also, this site isn't anandtech, it's dailytech, which thanks to mick is quickly turning into the national enquirer of tech pseudo news.

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RE: slow

By vortex222 on 8/23/2010 2:19:45 PM , Rating: 2

a slightly less slow adam?

However if you try to do this equtions using human subjects the outcome may be different. One thing i can attest to, is if you take a bunch of smart collage students and put them in the same room on a saturday night, it is not there intelegence that gets multiplied.

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