Nettop; there's a word to add to your Intel dictionary for the remainder of 2008.
For those unaware, a nettop is to the desktop what a netbook is to the notebook. That's quite the mouthful, so in other words, a netbook is an ultra-small low-cost computer that features an Intel Atom processor and lives to serve basic desktop needs such as web browsing.
But hold on, weren't those super-small and super-cheap Atom chips all about portable devices? Well, seeing as the Atom range is just a touch confusing - even after it lost its Centrino moniker - we're going to try and explain things with a good ol' table.
| Model | Frequency | Cores | Hyper-Threading | TDP | FSB | L2 cache |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Intel Atom Z5 series (Silverthorne for MIDs and UMPCs) | ||||||
| Atom Z500 | 800Mhz | 1 | No | 0.65W | 400MHz | 512K |
| Atom Z510 | 1.1GHz | 1 | No | 2.0W | 400MHz | 512K |
| Atom Z520 | 1.33GHz | 1 | Yes | 2.0W | 533MHz | 512K |
| Atom Z530 | 1.6GHz | 1 | Yes | 2.0W | 533MHz | 512K |
| Atom Z540 | 1.86GHz | 1 | Yes | 2.4W | 533MHz | 512K |
| Intel Atom N series (Diamondville for netbooks) | ||||||
| Atom N270 | 1.6GHz | 1 | Yes | 2.5W | 533MHz | 512K |
| Intel Atom # series (Diamondville for nettops) | ||||||
| Atom 230 | 1.6GHz | 1 | Yes | 4.0W | 533MHz | 512K |
| Atom 330* | 1.6GHz | 2 | Yes | 8.0W | 533MHz | 1MB |
*rumoured specification |
||||||
Still with us? Great, so, starting at the top is Intel's Atom Z5 series - a range of super-small low-power chips launched back in April '08. These are aimed at the ultra-mobile device, namely MIDs (mobile-internet devices) and UMPCs (ultra-mobile personal computers).
Up next is the Intel Atom N series, consisting of just the Atom N270 - a 1.6GHz part that launched back in June. The N series is specifically designed for netbooks and you'll find the N270 in millions of devices around the globe - such as the ASUS Eee and the MSI Wind.
Last but not least, is the Atom 230 - a chip we've heard precious little about. This 1.6GHz part is often mistaken as being the same as the widespread N270 - but that isn't the case. The Atom 230 adds support for Intel 64, allowing for 64-bit memory extensions to the IA-32 architecture, and is usually found packaged with Intel's D945GCLF motherboard.
Later this month, we're expecting to see its dual-core successor, the Atom 330, packaged with an updated D945GCLF2 board. The chip will be the first Atom processor to offer two hyper-threading-enabled cores, providing a total of four virtual cores. Though an official specification is yet to be announced by Intel, the chip is believed to offer a 533MHz FSB and 1MB of L2 cache.
Reports have suggested that the dual-core Atom will make an appearance later this month, and those predictions appear to be correct as one UK-based manufacturer has already announced two dual-core Atom systems.
Tranquil PC, based in Manchester, states that its T7 Home Server and a special-edition Media Centre system will feature Intel's Atom 330 and will be available later this month in limited quantities. We'd assume, therefore, that the Atom 330 is ready to hit retail and consumers can soon expect it to begin raining nettops, just as it rained netbooks earlier this year.
We've yet to see any benchmarks or performance figures, but if the Atom 330 can cope with 1080p video, we might be looking at some rather tasty and inexpensive HTPC solutions.
