Original equipment manufacturers have committed to having systems on the new Intel Atom processors and a new companion chipset available within the next few weeks, according to Mooly Eden, Intel corporate vice president and general manager of Intel's PC Client Group. Apple, however, isn't one of them.
The newest Intel Atom platform for netbooks consists of a new Intel Atom processor, the N450, and a new low-power Intel NM10 Express Chipset. For entry level desktopss, it consists of either the Intel Atom processor D410 or the dual core D510, also paired with the Intel® NM10 Express Chipset.
The Atom processor was designed from the ground up for small devices and low power, and remains Intel’s smallest chip, built on the company’s 45nm high-k metal gate manufacturing process. The overall package, including chipset, just got smaller due to the increasing integration and 45nm manufacturing, which means smaller, more compact system designs, lower costs for OEMs and improved performance, says Eden.
