Hardware Reference
In-Depth Information
Embedded ($60 to $150, including motherboard)
Although tiny motherboards with embedded processors have been avail-
able for years, they didn't really become mainstream items until Intel in-
troduced its Atom series of low-power processors. Although the Atom is
certainly no speed demon, it is fast enough for appliance systems, and
even as the foundation for small, quiet, low-power general-purpose sys-
tems, such as a bedroom, kitchen, or kids' room PC. Atom processors
aren't available separately at retail vendors. Intel sells them in bulk to
OEMs and systems integrators, who build motherboards or complete sys-
tems around them.
Purchasing an Intel Atom processor means also buying the motherboard
it's soldered onto. Most such motherboards include “integrated every-
thing,” including video, audio, LAN, and often WiFi. Such motherboards
sell for $60 to $150 or more, depending on their features, their quality,
and the Atom model they include. A very small minority of those mother-
boards are μATX, and there are even one or two full ATX models available,
but the vast majority are Mini-ITX boards, designed to fit the smallest
cases.
The Atom is available in single- and dual-core models at various clock
speeds. The slowest single-core models are appropriate for an appliance
system such as a network-attached storage (NAS) box or a Linux router.
The faster dual-core Atom processors are fast enough that most people
consider them suitable for light general use, such as checking email or
browsing the Web. (Robert's den system is a passively cooled and near-
ly silent dual-core Atom Mini-ITX box running Linux, which he uses for
checking web mail and looking up details on IMDb while we're watching
videos.)
Entry level (under $100)
Our praise of the Intel Atom aside, these are the least expensive proces-
sors that are really suitable for a general-purpose PC. At the bottom of
this range—sub-$60 processors—are the least expensive socketed AMD
Sempron and Intel Celeron models. These processors are low-power in
both senses, providing limited CPU performance while consuming 65W
or less. They are single-core or very low-end dual-core, and are suitable if
you need more performance than the fastest Atom processors can pro-
vide but don't need the performance of a more expensive processor.
The $60 to $100 price range is the realm of low-end dual- and triple-core
processors and a few of the least expensive quad-core units. AMD owns
this market segment with its Athlon II and Phenom II series of two-, three-,
and four-core processors. In this price range, AMD processors offer more
cores, more threads, and more general bang for the buck than similarly
priced Intel processors. Any of these processors is an excellent choice for
an entry-level general-purpose system.
