1 - An Atomic Introduction
Intel Atom 330 Dual Core on ECS P945GC
You know, sometimes the smallest stuff is just so much fun. Sure we are Guru3D.com' we test the most high-end hardware gear persistently. But you know what, that by itself also a good reason to look at the other end of the scope every once in a while to get back to reality. And one of these realities is obviously that not everybody plays games. Not everybody needs massive compute performance. No Sir, there are a lot of you out there who would just like a modest Net PC on which they can browse the web, fill out a spreadsheet type in a Word document, listen to some MP3s. Average basic stuff and nothing more, and why should you pay top dollar for that ?
Well, ECS now offers a complete mainboard based on the new revised dual-core Atom 330 processor.
Intel Atom is the brand name for a line of x86 and x86-64 CPUs from Intel, formerly known under the code-names Silverthorne and Diamondville. These processors were initially designed for ultra-mobile PCs, smart phones, and other portable low-power applications. These little processors; however, became so popular that they actually moved into the desktop PC arena.
Take this mainboard from ECS for example. It comes with an integrated Dual Core Atom 330 processor. It has integrated sound, 10/100 Ethernet and integrated graphics. Really all you need to do is insert a slice of DDR2 533 memory and connect a HD, and you are on the web ... browsing at fairly normal speeds, listening to songs, or watching a DVD ... heck it all works fine on that Intel Atom 330 for sure. Next to that, the power consumption is obviously amazing. The platform completely maxed out merely utilizes 55 Watts, and half of that your PSU will account for all by itself.
Interesting for sure, as really these mainboards, including the processor, only cost somewhere inbetween 75 maybe 99 USD. So don't expect a high performance review today, we're downtown and will merely show some technology that we find fascinating.
Next page please.
