Information about the new Intel Atom C3955 processor, which contains 16 computing cores, has leaked to the Internet.

New processor Intel Atom C3955, codenamed Denverton, contains 16 cores and has a clock speed of 2.1 GHz. The processor has 16 MB of second-level cache, i.e. one megabyte per core. With relatively low heat dissipation, the new chip is intended for NAS and other servers. Apparently, this will be one of the fastest processors in the Denverton line.

In the diagnostic and information utility SiSoft Sandra 2015, information was also found on the 16-core Atom C3955 chip. The Serve the Home website compared its performance results with other chips for the same application. The source also notes that the 16-core processor will most likely be delayed for a couple of months due to frequency problems identified in the Intel Atom C2000 series of processors.

Intel updates its Atom line

February 28, 2015

To make it easier for people to understand processor performance levels and to better inform customers based on their needs, Intel has decided to rebrand its low-end processors.

Intel Atom processors will now be offered in three different product lines with performance levels of "good", "best" and "best". These chips will be called Atom x3, x5 and x7 respectively. This change will take effect with the new generation of processors.

Atom x3 processors will provide basic but sufficient performance in tablet PCs and smartphones. Intel Atom x5 will have more features and functions and will be aimed at people who need more performance. The flagship Atom models - x7, will provide highest level performance of this family.

Atom processors are designed by Intel to provide the longest battery life for mobile devices with increased performance in smartphones, tablets and other gadgets. The company introduced a new slide that explains the position of all model series processors. The slide includes basic Intel Atom, mid-range CPUs, which consists of Core M for high-end laptops and more economical Pentium and Celeron, as well as the high-performance Core i line.

14 nm Intel Braswell will be released in the third quarter

February 27, 2015

Intel's new Atom processors with Braswell microarchitecture should be available in laptops and netbooks in the third quarter of this year. These chips will be released under the Pentium and Celeron brands, and will contain 4 or 2 cores.

The built-in graphics subsystem will be based on Low Power Gen 8. With its 16 execution units and support for DirectX 12 and Open GL 4.2, the new GPU will be capable of displaying images with a resolution of up to 4Kx2K.

The platform will support DDR3L at 1600 MHz in the SODIMM form factor and will be able to address up to 8 GB of memory, which is quite enough for this device segment. The platform will also receive 4x1 PCIe 2.0, 2 SATA 3.0 ports, as well as support for eMMC 4.51 and SD Card 3.01. In total, the platform provides 5 USB ports, 4 of which are USB 3.0 and one USB 2.0. And, of course, there is a high-definition audio processor.

Up to 3 displays with a maximum resolution of 4Kx2K can be connected to a Braswell-based system. First of all, the eDP 1.4 standard will be supported with a resolution of up to 2560x1440 pixels; in addition, it will be possible to connect two more monitors via HDMI or DisplayPort.

Intel won't be able to supply 40 million CPUs for tablets

August 9, 2014

Initially, Intel planned to ship 40 million processors in 2014. tablet computers. However, most likely, these plans will never come to fruition, since processors based on the Cherry Trail core have been postponed from November of this year to the first quarter of 2015.

The release of 14 nm Cherry Trail processors was initially scheduled for the third quarter. With this step, Intel wanted to speed up sales of its own CPUs for tablets. However, the company was forced to postpone their release twice, first to November and then to the first quarter of 2015, DigiTimes reports.

To popularize the production of tablets based on x86 processors, Intel decided to subsidize their production for large brand manufacturers. Intel's largest client in the tablet market is currently Asustek Computer. At the same time, Intel did not refuse to support Chinese white-box manufacturers, and a clear confirmation of this is the budget Kingsing W8 tablet based on Bay Trail-T costing $100.

Cherry Trail processors use 14 nm Airmont architecture and support 32 and 64 bit addressing for Windows and Android OS. Thus, the source notes, devices with new chips will not hit the market before February.

As a result, some observers believe Intel will be able to ship no more than 30 million tablet CPUs this year.

Intel is preparing Cherry Trail Atom by the end of 2014

December 10, 2013

The next generation of desktop and mobile processors Atom family will be manufactured using a 14 nm process technology, is called Cherry Trail and is scheduled for release at the end of 2014. Intel is actively working to accelerate development of Atom chips, so the Broadwell and Cherry Trail laptop chips will be released in the same year, both using the 14 nm process.

A series of SoC Cherry View will be prepared for laptops, which is based on the new Airmont core. In turn, Cherry Trail will become processors aimed at tablet PCs. At the end of next year, most likely in September, a Moorefield architecture system-on-chip designed for smartphones will also be released.

Compared to Bay Trail TDP new platform should fall, thanks to the lower electrical losses of the 14 nm process technology, which means that developers will be able to offer more solutions on Atom base with passive cooling. In addition, the 14 nm process will mean another trump card for Intel in the fight against ARM, since next year the leaders of this market, including Qualcomm, Samsung and MediaTek, will only begin to use 20 nm nodes in their chips. However, Intel has yet to integrate its SoCs with LTE modems, which has traditionally been a difficult task. In fact, now only Qualcomm has a processor with a built-in LTE modem. So even the transition to 14 nm production will not make it much easier for Intel to compete in the smartphone market, and only in the future will we be able to find out whether device manufacturers will be interested in new Intel chips. There's still a whole year left to wait.

Intel May Kill Atom Desktop Brand

July 19, 2013

Intel has high hopes for its quad-core Bay Trail D platform in terms of sales for the desktop PC market. But it seems that the new SoC may lose the Atom brand name, since according to rumors on the Internet, Intel will use the Celeron brand for all soldered-in BGA processors.

The list of processors includes the Celeron J1750, which will replace the Atom D2550 E, as well as the Celeron J1850, which will replace the 847 and 807 processors based on Sandy Bridge. Pentium-branded J2850 chip will be faster than Celeron 1007U architecture Ivy Bridge, and both of these Bay Trail D processors in the BGA socket will appear in the fourth quarter of this year. At the same time, there should also appear mobile versions these processors.

This decision by the largest chip manufacturer seems quite justified, since Atom processors have long been associated with terribly slow mobile gadgets, such as netbooks of the past, as well as with embedded solutions. Now Intel is counting on the success of its new generation of Atom, and although we will no longer see this name, at least on desktop PCs, the developers have significantly improved the chip, making it quad-core and introducing graphics core with support for DirectX 11.

AMD Opteron X targets Atom

June 3, 2013

AMD doesn't look like it's successfully holding its own against Intel in terms of power consumption central processing units, so the firm decided to bring the new Opteron X-series CPUs to market to compete in performance.

Most recently, AMD announced two new 64-bit Opteron processors, the X1150 and X2150 models, designed for microservers. Both models are part of the family codenamed Jaguar architecture, widely known for its presence in the new generation of gaming consoles from Microsoft and Sony.

Intel has a strong presence in the microserver market thanks to sales of the 6-watt Atom S1200 processor, and although AMD's new solutions consume 9 and 11 watts respectively, they have a number of advantages. The company positions its APUs as the best solutions overall, thanks to the presence of four computing cores (compared to two for Atom), integrated graphics AMD Radeon HD 8000 in X2150 model, support up to 32 GB random access memory and built-in SATA ports. AMD processors were more expensive, $64 for the X1150 and $99 for the X2150, compared to Intel, which sells the Atom S1200 for $54. And although AMD’s proposal looks very interesting so far, its only competitor is already preparing to release 64-bit Atom SoCs with even lower power consumption, likely once again leaving AMD behind the scenes.

Intel ports Jelly Bean to Atom smartphones

September 26, 2012

Intel has long promised to port Jelly Bean on smartphones with Atom processors.

We had absolutely no idea when this might happen, but Mobile Devices Group General Manager Mike Bell recently broke the news to PCWorld that Android 4.1 for Medfield is ready and running on Intel workers' devices. And although this interpretation of the OS is almost ready, its release date is still unknown.

Bell noted that phone manufacturers and suppliers will still have to go through a long process of adaptation and updating. Existing users will undoubtedly be upset to be both so close and so far from the new OS, but it is noted that manufacturers go through the same long journey when releasing ARM-based phones.

In the 80s, when the first laptops appeared, they differed little from personal computers- it was a large box with a built-in keyboard, motherboard, screen and carrying handle, even the battery was not always there. And this was understandable - there was no point in developing special processors for laptops, since the solutions existing on the market did not even require 1 watt. By the end of the 90s, processors already required at least radiators for cooling, but by the beginning of the 2000s, Intel realized that they needed to produce separate processors for laptops with reduced energy consumption - this is how it appeared Intel line Pentium M: such processors had a thermal package of 20-25 watts, which was quite suitable for installation in laptops. Essentially, these processors are heavily redesigned Intel Pentium III with lower frequencies:


However, a couple of years later, when Microsoft introduced Windows XP Tablet Edition, the question arose about even further reducing heat dissipation - and thus the Intel Celeron ULV line was born (the great-great-grandfather of all modern Intel Core i ULV): these processors represented even more stripped-down Pentium M - if the latter operated at frequencies of 1.5-2 GHz, then the Celeron frequencies were often less than a gigahertz! In principle, this was enough to run XP (it required a processor with a frequency of at least 233 MHz), but the system worked quite thoughtfully.

In 2007, Intel introduced the “father” of Intel Atom - the A100 and A110 processors, which were stripped-down single-core 90 nm Pentium M with frequencies of about 600-800 MHz. Perhaps their only advantage was that their heat dissipation did not exceed 3 W, that is, they could be cooled passively. However, the performance was also passive - even worse than that of the Celeron M, so such processors did not find popularity on the market. Intel realized that, firstly, it was time to transfer processors to a new technological process, and secondly, make solutions with passive system cooling is still oh so early - and in 2008 they introduced the Intel Atom.

Intel Atom Bonnel

The first generation of Intel Atom was a Pentium M core on a 45 nm process technology with integrated graphics from PowerVR, L2 cache up to 1 MB and a DDR2 memory controller. Perhaps the most popular processor found in most netbooks of that time was the Atom N450. It was a single-core, dual-threaded processor with a frequency of about 1.5 GHz, an integrated video card called Intel GMA 3150, and it came with 1-2 GB of RAM. Its heat dissipation did not exceed 6.5 W, so a small cooler was required for cooling.

The performance of such a processor was, of course, low - in 3Dmark 06 the processor scored only 500 points, and the video card 150. For example, the processor in the original Macbook Air 2008, Intel Core 2 Duo T7500, scored 1900 points, and its video card, GMA X3100, 430 points. As a result, on a netbook with such a processor, you could open documents, surf the Internet, but nothing more - even 720p from YouTube was slow, and you could forget about games altogether. But nevertheless, netbooks with such processors were extremely popular - firstly, they were very compact and light (10-11", 1-1.2 kg), secondly, cheap - generally no more than 200-300 dollars, and - third, long-lived - 6 hours under mixed load was easily achieved, which was rare in 2010. As a result, such devices were bought up en masse by students and schoolchildren, because it was an ideal typewriter with the ability to connect to the Internet.

Intel Atom Saltwell

Time passed, processors based on the 32 nm process technology began to appear, and Intel, of course, decided to update the Atom line. The main problem was not so much in the weak video card, where the DX 9 support was screwed on hastily, but in the processor, which categorically refused to run the new Windows 8 normally, and the lack of the ability to view at least 720p in 2012 already looked ridiculous.


Therefore, Intel stepped up and released the Atom Z2xxx line - most often the Z2760 was installed in Windows tablets and netbooks, so we’ll look at it. This is a dual-core, four-thread processor with a frequency of about 1.8 GHz, built using a 32 nm process technology, with the same graphics from PowerVR (though slightly modified), 1 MB L2 and support for up to 2 GB LPDDR2 memory. In terms of processor performance, this was already a completely different level - in 3Dmark 06 it already scored 1000 points, and the video card - about 350. At the same time, the thermal package was reduced to only 2 watts, that is, the processor was perfectly cooled passively. Its performance was already enough for the system to operate fairly quickly, and the slightly improved graphics (they now had 6 computing units instead of 2 in the first generation Atom) already made it possible, at the very least, but even to do simple processing photos in Photoshop. Well, of course, there were no problems with playing 720p and even some 1080p formats. However, in two years, from 2010 to 2012, user requests grew significantly, and the Z2760, which could only handle 768p resolution, faded somewhat in comparison with the iPad 4, which was capable of 2048x1536, so Intel had room to grow.

Intel Atom Silvermont

In 2013, Intel finally completely figured out the 22 nm process technology, releasing the still relevant Haswell, and finally turned its attention to Atom: the Z2760 worked, of course, tolerably, but nothing more, and it needed a replacement. And Intel released the third generation of Atom on the 22 nm process technology, Bay Trail.

I must say, Intel made simply excellent processors: firstly, they were able to “stuff” 4 cores into a thermal package of 2-3 W, secondly, the processors learned to work with DDR3, and thirdly, they are now equipped with full-fledged Intel HD Graphics of the Ivy Bridge generation , so now there is support for DX11, SSE 4 and other modern instructions, which allowed, in theory, to run almost any modern game on such a graphics. The final processor performance in 3Dmark 06 was as much as 1800 points - the level of the 2nd generation Intel Core i ULV, which was simply an excellent result - Windows started and ran quickly, and with 4 GB of RAM there were no problems with multitasking. Tablets with such hardware easily processed not only 1080p, but also 1440p video. The result of the video card was no worse - 1900 points: yes, a full-fledged HD 4000 scores about 4000 points in 3Dmark 06, but there are 16 computing units with a frequency of about 1000 MHz, and here there are only 4, with a frequency of about 600 MHz. Nevertheless, Civilization 5 performed tolerably well on such a schedule - in comparison with the cut-down mobile Civilization, it was a breakthrough. The same applies to other games - there are still no analogs of the same Dirt 3 for mobile OS, but it ran briskly on these Atoms at minimum settings.

Intel Atom Cherry Trail

After the release of the third Intel generation We relaxed, and this is understandable - Bay Trail coped well with tablet tasks, there was a reserve for the future. The only thing that was not very good was the graphics - the processor could have pulled out a more powerful solution. And in the end, they concentrated only on Intel graphics, releasing processors of the Z8xxx line in 2015 (it would be logical to call them Z4xxx, but Intel has its own logic).

Let's take perhaps the most popular representative of the new line - the Z8300. This processor is built on a 14 nm process technology, has the same 4 cores with frequencies of about 2 GHz, but best video card- now, firstly, it is based on the integrated graphics of the new generation Broadwell at that time, and secondly, it has either 12 (as in this processor) or 16 (as in the Z8700) computing units with a frequency of about 500 MHz. It would seem that the graphics increase should be 3-4 times, but in reality everything came down to the thermal package: while Bay Trail 2-3 W was sufficient in principle, then for full graphics operation it required at least 2-3 times more. Therefore, in the end, the video card became only 30-50% more powerful, while the processor generally remained at the same level. So there is no particular point in changing tablets from Z3740 to Z8300 - the system will work the same, programs will start at the same time. The only increase is observed in games, but in general, if the game did not run on Bay Trail, then it will most likely be unplayable on Cherry.

Further development of the Intel Atom line

On this moment the Intel Atom line, like Core i, is fully debugged, and Intel will update it in the style of “+5-10% per generation” - and, in principle, nothing more is required: no one considers tablets with Atom as high-performance devices, and they cope well with their direct responsibilities. For those who need to not only surf the Internet and watch movies, there is the Core M line, which is one and a half times more powerful in processor and 3-4 times more powerful in graphics. Well, for those who need a portable hi-end, it makes sense to look at the line of Core i ULV processors, the capabilities of which are sufficient for most user tasks.

Any modern device, capable of performing various calculations, is equipped with a processor. Their range on the market is so large that it is very easy for an untrained user to get lost among the multitude of performance characteristics, sockets and additional instructions. How can you choose a reliable processor from among them that could quickly cope with the assigned tasks and at the same time guarantee long and stable operation? This article is about the Intel Atom CPU N450.

Processors

In the English IT segment there is a definition of CPU, which means central processing unit. It is responsible for executing machine instructions and is the most important part of a personal computer. The power of the system as a whole depends on the performance of the processor.

The main characteristics of the processors include:

• clock frequency;
• performance;
• Energy consumption;
• type of technical process;
• architecture.

• Clock frequency characterizes the number of operations that a processor can perform in one clock cycle. This parameter is used most often when describing this type of computing device.
• The performance parameter is quite controversial and can sometimes reflect the totality of all product capabilities, and sometimes show a specific value expressed in flops/sec.
• Energy consumption is one of the key parameters. It is he who influences work autonomy like no other. How smaller laptop or the netbook will consume energy, the longer it can work. And this directly depends on the performance of the processor.
• Technical process. Doesn't directly affect performance. However, it reflects how the processor is manufactured. Based on this alone, one can judge how long ago it was made. In fact, it shows that more electronic components can be placed in a smaller area.
• Processor architecture. For personal computers, two types are mainly used - 32 and 64-bit. You should not expect a large increase when moving from a lower value to a larger one. You can really notice something only when working with databases or modeling tools.

Atom processor line

Intel's Atom family of processors is designed to be energy efficient. These models are aimed at portable devices for which energy costs are very critical. A striking example is newfangled netbooks. They are easy to carry, have a small screen size and an optimized energy efficiency system. They can be used to produce simple work, such as typing or surfing the Internet.

Since 2012, Intel began producing “Atoms” using a single-chip system. That is, now memory controllers and graphics adapters are located on the same chip. This has significantly reduced installation costs for individual components. As a result, the final product became cheaper.

Atom N450 Processor: Brief Review

This CPU was a continuation of the N450 series and was released in 2010. A DDR2 controller and a built-in GMA 3150 video card are located on one chip. Its power is quite enough to conduct optimal computing activities on nettops and netbooks. The existing GPU copes well with watching videos in regular format, surfing the web and office work. But with HD, editing graphics and running several programs at the same time, difficulties may arise. One of the significant advantages of the N450 device is its very low power consumption.

Characteristics of Atom N450

The internal code name of the processor is PineView. Its technology involves the use of a single core with a frequency of 1.66 GHz. But this happens with the distribution of tasks into two threads. Atom N450 has a second level cache of 512 KB. And the estimated power consumption does not exceed 5.5 W.

The processor cannot boast of having Turbo technology Boost, although it is not so necessary on portable devices. There is also no ability to work with virtualization like VT-x. Hyper-Threading technology, as mentioned above, implements support for the kernel to operate with two threads. This will be relevant in applications optimized for multithreading, the number of which is growing every year. It is possible to support memory volumes greater than 4 GB due to the implementation of a 64-bit architecture. The technological process used in production is 45 Nm.

Tests and comparison with the closest analogues

The closest in relationship and characteristics can be considered its predecessor - Atom N270. At the same frequency, the Atom N450 shows itself to be more profitable, but at the same time it is more expensive and consumes twice as much energy. But, as tests say, this device has a much higher watt-to-performance ratio.

Interestingly, a comparison of performance with the N2600, which uses two cores, showed a significant loss for the Atom N450. The N2600 is manufactured using 32 Nm technology, which means that many more transistors can be placed on the chip. Moreover, it has a total of 4 threads, and the second level cache is twice as large as the Atom CPU N450. But tests are tests, and they reflect the actual state of affairs, in isolation from the stated characteristics.

Comparison with products from AMD

AMD and Intel are constantly waging an invisible war for user loyalty. This is expressed in competition for the production of productive products. The closest in spirit are processors from AMD C60, C50 and A4 1200.

AMD C60

The C60 has two cores, unlike the N450 processor. Its memory controller is capable of operating at a frequency of 1066 and is of DDR3 type. The L2 cache level is twice as high. At the same time, the frequency is slightly lower - from 1000 to 1333 MHz in Turbo mode. At the same time, the Atom N450 has 1.66.

As a result, the potential frequency obtained when overclocking the Atom N450 is higher than that of the C60 and can be 1.9 GHz. In terms of data reading speed, Atom is inferior to its AMD counterpart - 38550 versus 25700 MB/s. The N450 is also unable to support virtualization, while its competitor does a great job with it. The C60 technological process is 5 NM smaller and more advanced. As a result, the Atom N450 shows the worst results in most tests.

AMD C50

The C50 is also a dual-core processor that has the same memory controller as its brother. Its frequency is 0.6 GHz lower than the N450. At the same time, the overall performance is per watt higher. The C50 has 2 MB of L2 cache, while the 450 has only 512 KB. This greatly speeds up access to frequently used data. By the way, the 450 also loses in their transfer speed - 32500 instead of 25700 MB/s. Virtualization is again available on this model. In general, the Atom N450 loses a little here too.

AMD A4 1200

This processor is not of particular interest for overclocking, since its nominal frequency of 1 GHz will remain so. The Atom N450 has potential for this. However, this is where the advantages of the 450 over the A4 end.

It’s worth starting with the fact that the A4 1200 has two cores. Each is capable of operating in dual-thread mode. The size of the second level cache memory is higher and is 1 MB. The maximum power consumption is 4 W, while the 450 has 5.5. The memory controller is DDR3 type, which means that this model more technologically advanced and capable of operating at a frequency of 1066 MHz. Also manufacturing process 1200 has 1.5 times less. In this AMD comparison The A4 1200 is a clear favorite, as confirmed by tests on popular calculations.

July 31, 2012 at 12:41 pm

When is Atom faster than Core?

• Intel Blog

Stuck in a traffic jam behind the wheel of a car theoretically capable of reaching speeds of more than 200 km/h, and watching cyclists on tricycles overtake me, I thought... no, not about how to get everyone on bicycles, and not about solving transport problems of humanity through teleportation, and... about Intel Core and Intel Atom processors. Namely - Atom compared to Core is, in fact, a scooter compared to a car. It consumes less fuel and costs significantly less. But on the other hand, the speed of a scooter is just as noticeably inferior to a car (despite even the ways to “accelerate” the scooter above the factory settings). But, nevertheless, in traffic jams or on narrow streets the scooter is faster. No wonder the scooter got its name from the English “ to scoot" - to run away, as it was successfully used by English teenagers to escape from the police.
Now let's get back to the CPU. Replace “fuel” with “electricity” and “speed” with “performance”, and we get complete analogy behavior of Inel Atom and Intel Core. But then it is reasonable to assume that there are “traffic jams” and “nooks and crannies” in which Atom will overtake Core. Let's look for them.

So, according to all generally accepted performance measurements, Intel Core is significantly ahead of Atom. In the "Performance" section of the Wikipedia article about Intel Atom, a harsh verdict is read: " about half the performance Pentium processor M of the same frequency"
If we compare Atom specifically with Core, then according to tomshardware tests, the Intel Core i3-530 defeats the Intel Atom D510 with a crushing score:


At the same time, it should be noted that tomshardware is clearly biased towards Atom. So, for example, if the running time of some task on Core-i3 is 1:38, then this is exactly how it is reported - “one minute, 38 seconds.” And if Atom performs something in 7:26, then, according to the authors, this is “about eight minutes.” But the main thing is to compare processors with different clock frequencies (2.93 GHz Core i3 and 1.66 GHz Atom) and not make allowances for wind. That is, the Core result must be divided by 2.93/1.66~1.76, which gives the final result of Atom losing from 2.15 to 2.6 times.

Why is Atom slower?

Quick answer: because it is cheaper and more energy efficient, which is incompatible with high performance.
Correct answer: Firstly, because Atom retains the FSB bus, while Core i3 has a memory controller integrated into the CPU, which speeds up data access. In addition, Atom has four times smaller size cache memory, and if the data does not fit in the cache, then slower memory access affects performance in full.
And secondly, the Atom microarchitecture is not Core2, used in Core i3, but Bonnell. In short, Bonnell is a continuation of the Pentium ideas, it has only 2 integer ALUs (versus three in the Core), and most importantly, there is no instruction reordering, register renaming, or speculative execution inherent in Core ).
How is it clear that in order to help Atom overtake Core, you need to:

1. Take a nanoset, a small set of data, so that it fits in the cache.
2. Try using float data to load the FPU rather than the ALU
3. If possible, deprive Core of the benefits of out-of-order execution.

Since everything is clear with the first two points, you can run the first tests.
They were carried out on my existing Intel Core i5 2.53 GHz and the already mentioned Atom D510, and were a set of mathematical function calls for float data with a built-in performance assessment “number of functions per second”, i.e. the bigger, the better.
Tests included calculation trigonometric functions both directly (C runtime, “x87” test) and by series expansion; using the Cephes library code; as well as vector implementation through SSE intrinsic functions (tests ending in _ps). At the same time, taking into account the difference in clock frequencies, the results were scaled by 2.53/1.66~1.524
The tests were compiled by Microsoft Visual Studio 2008 with release optimization by default.


The data obtained fully confirms the first place of Intel Atom from the end. That is, the goal has not been achieved, let's move on to the next point - we will complicate the work of the Out-of-order CPU.

Making the task more difficult

Let's create an artificial test that will contain unpredictable branches containing computationally heavy functions, so that the result of Core's speculative calculations is constantly discarded, i.e. turned out to be unnecessary work.
Like that:
int rnd= rand()/(RAND_MAX + 1.) * 3; if (rnd%3==0) fn0(); if (rnd%3==1) fn1(); if (rnd%3==2) fn2();

Moreover, the functions will consist of chained calculations, so that Core cannot, by reordering instructions and renaming registers, calculate any of such expressions in advance, “out of turn.” Here simplest example similar code
for (i=0; i< N; ++i) { y+=((x[i]*x[i]+ A)/B[i]*x[i]+C[i])*D[i]; }
By the way, similar functions are used in the above tests cephes_logf and cephes_expf, where the advantage of Core is minimal.
But, despite all the obstacles, Core still turned out to be faster. The minimum gap between Core and Atom that I managed to get using various combinations of calculations and randomness is as much as two times! That is, Atom is still lagging behind.

But if I had stopped there, you simply would not have known about it - the post would not have taken place.
The next step was to compile the tests using Intel Compiler. The version used was Composer XE 2011 update 9 (12.1) with default Release optimization settings - similar to the Microsoft compiler.

The graph below shows the results of the above tests, including the rand I added, compiled by both VS2008 and Intel Compiler.

Look carefully. This is not an optical illusion. For four tests, the green line points showing the Atom result for tests compiled by Intel Compiler are higher than the burgundy line points showing the i5 result for tests compiled by VS2008. That is, Atom actually turns out to be more than twice as fast on the same code as Core i5.

Do you think this is an advertisement for an Intel compiler?
Absolutely not. I don't work in the advertising department or in the compilation group.
This is simply a statement that your optimized code can run much faster on Atom than unoptimized code on Core. Or - unoptimized on Core will be slower than optimized on Atom.
These are exactly the same bumps and crannies that prevent the car from accelerating.
You can draw your own conclusions.

With the development of the Atom processor family, Intel is expanding its presence in the rapidly developing market of components for portable computers and mobile internet tablets(eng. MID - Mobile Internet Devices). What types of Atom processors are there? How do they differ from each other and what are their competitors? In fact, this is what we will talk about now.

Selected processor models Atom designed for use in ultra-economical budget laptops and desktop computers. Such computers, having very low power consumption and reduced size with optimal cost, can be used to watch videos and photos, communicate on the Internet, work with by email, browsing websites and in the learning process. To distinguish such devices from traditional desktop PCs and laptops, they are called nettops.

Atom processor architecture

The Intel Atom processor family is based on the x86 architecture used in all processors for IBM PC compatible computers. However, the new Intel processors are not a further development of the existing series. Atom processors are designed based on technology RISC(English: Reduced Instruction Set Command), which involves the use of a reduced set executable commands(instructions), unlike traditional CISC processors(English Complex Instruction Set Command), working with a full set of commands.

Improvements in manufacturing technologies and optimization of the internal structure of processors within the existing x86 architecture have made it possible to achieve impressive levels of performance even for budget-level systems. One of the directions for improving processors is to complicate the internal structure, to make it possible to perform complex actions within a single command. However, decoding such commands requires significant hardware resources, the number of clock cycles required to process them increases, and energy consumption increases.

On the other hand, such commands in executable code are not found often and not in every program. The idea of ​​RISC technology is based on the use of a limited set of instructions with a short execution cycle (ideally in one clock cycle). The hardware implementation of such an architecture makes it possible to perform program code with minimal time expenditure, ideally one command per synchronization cycle. The end result is reduced power consumption, and it becomes possible to reduce operating frequencies and reduce the size of processors.

At the same time, compatibility with programs for CISC processors is maintained. Commands missing from the processor set are executed after preliminary software recoding of them into RISC-supported commands. Which is quite justified given the insignificant presence of complex commands in the executable program code.

Atom Features

So, the basis of the Atom development ideology is the use of a reduced set of instructions, which made it possible, by abandoning the placement of a number of registers and other nodes on the chip, to significantly reduce the total number of transistors used and significantly reduce power consumption. The Atom processor is currently the most compact and economical processor Intel, produced on the basis of 45-nanometer technology for BGA and FCBGA sockets. And next year, according to company executives, the Intel Atom processor will become the first chip produced using the 32-nanometer process technology.

Currently Intel time produces two series of Atom processors. The first one based on the kernel Silverthorne, called Z (Z500-Z540 processors) and is intended for use in mobile devices with the ability to connect to the Internet (MID). For sharing Chipsets have been developed with these processors: UL11L, US15L, US15W.

Second series on the core Diamondville includes models: Atom N270, Atom 230 and Atom 330, used for the development of economical desktop systems (the so-called Nettop) and ultra-economical budget laptops (Netbook). Most of the processors (with the exception of the Atom 330 model) are still single-core.

The table shows the main characteristics of Intel Atom processors; all Atoms have a 56 KB L1 cache, of which 32 KB is allocated for instruction cache, and 24 KB for data. All Atom processors run 32-bit code and support additional instruction sets MMX, SSE, SSE2, SSE3 and SSSE3, as well as Hyper-Threading technology, which allows execution of two parallel instruction streams.

Model number	Frequency, MHz	FSB, MHz	L2 cache, MB	TDP, W
Atom 230	1600	533	512	4
Atom 330	1600	533	1 000	8
Atom N270	1600	533	512	2,5
Atom Z500	800	400	512	0,65
Atom Z510	1100	400	512	2
Atom Z520	1333	533	512	2
Atom Z530	1600	533	512	2
Atom Z540	1866	533	512	2,4

Core processors Diamondville, being 64-bit, support both 32-bit and 64-bit code. The most productive Atom 330 today operates at a frequency of 1.6 GHz (with an FSB frequency of 533 MHz), each core has 512 KB of L2 cache. In order to reduce power consumption and increase battery life, the processors use Enhanced Deeper Sleep and Enhanced Intel SpeedStep technologies. When there is no processor activity, Enhanced Deeper Sleep allows you to move data from cache memory to system memory.

Advanced Technology Enhanced Intel SpeedStep uses several variable values ​​of the clock frequency and supply voltage of the processor core. This gives you the flexibility to optimize power consumption and performance. Atom processors are so energy efficient that most of a computer's overall power consumption comes from the chipset and other peripherals. Therefore, optimizing the power consumption of these components is an upcoming task for Intel developers.

Intel, which was the first to propose a platform approach involving the development complete set components for laptops, adheres to this principle for Atom processors. A series of laptop processors is promoted within the brand Centrino. And the current set of components for developing MIDs and other portable devices is combined in the Menlow platform.

Atom competitors

Currently, chips from three manufacturers at once can be quite successful competitors for Atom processors. In the segment of budget and energy-efficient laptops, the processor looks like a worthy competitor Isaya from a Korean company VIA. In June 2008, the famous manufacturer GPUs the company presented its processor for mobile systems entitled Tegra. The processor is intended for use as part of a PDA, mobile phones, gaming and GPS systems, declared energy consumption Tegra lower than Atom.

Intel's main competitor - the company is successfully developing its processor-based mobile platform Geode, optimized for use in economical budget laptops, ultramobile laptop computers(UPMC).

Prospects for Atom

At the beginning of the next year, a line of Atom processors with improved performance will appear. Intel's position in competition with competitors should be further strengthened by a new mobile platform called Moorestown, within which the next generation of processors with a number of serious improvements will appear next year. The processor will have an integrated graphics core and a single-channel DDR2 memory controller. Based on such chips it will be possible to create a single-chip computer system SOC(eng. system-on-chip).

Combining the functions of several microcircuits in one will further reduce power consumption, which will be an order of magnitude less than the same parameter for Intel platforms Atom.