What are Atom's performance credentials, then?
Our CPU-intensive look shows that an Atom N270 cannot compete with fully-fledged mobile CPUs, but it was never designed to. The engineering ethos behind the Atom processor eschewed transistors (and, therefore, cost) for a leaner, meaner architecture.
Performance against a decent Intel Mobile Core 2 Duo is mediocre, running at around one-quarter in the most demanding cases. Interestingly, knowing that the Atom N270 pulls around one-eighth of the P8400's power at full load, the performance-per-watt metric is actually higher.
What we can take away from this look is that Atom is well-suited to its purpose, that is, in thin-and-light netbooks and basic nettops. We don't see it as viable solution in low-priced, full-sized laptops, however, as even the slowest Mobile Core 2 Duo will run rings around it, and a 15.4in Mobile Core 2-powered laptop can be purchased for as little as £299, including VAT, today.
Thinking from a power user's point of view, dual-core Atom may well bridge the gap between ultra-mobile and low-cost laptops - effectively cannibalising the incumbent Celeron line-up.
