Atom's responsiveness

[KadazanPL]

Hi!

I was wondering how does an Intel Atom compare in terms of responsiveness to other computers I've owned. I have never used any Atom based system, but in my life I've used the following computers:

Amiga 600
Celeron 366@466 + 64MB RAM
Duron 1Ghz + 256MB RAM
Celeron 2Ghz + 640MB RAM (old Dell Inspiron 1100 laptop still working, used by my girlfriend)
AthlonXP 1700+@2100 + 1GB RAM
Core2Duo E4300@3Ghz + 4GB RAM (my current machine)

Could somebody give me a rough estimate about Atom's (N270) performance when compared to those systems?

I was thinking about buying an Intel D945GSEJT to replace that aging Dell Inspiron 1100 and was wondering whether it would be an improvement in terms of performance/responsiveness. This would be a purely web+office machine.

Thanks!

[mentawl]

The Atom on the D945GSEJT is single core...Eh, if I had to guess, it'd probably sit somewhere between the Duron 1ghz and Celeron 2ghz systems in terms of responsiveness. I have a little GSEJT system that I use for watching videos on while I'm playing games of Civ or whatever, and it's generally a little annoying to use under Win7 - even with 2GB of RAM.

With a more sensible OS like WinXP or something it'd probably be fine for basic office tasks. =) I would give consideration to even a lowly Sempron + MATX motherboard though, if responsiveness is a major concern.

[MtnHermit]

For 8-months I ran an Atom 330 w/ a single 2GB DDR2 as my primary PC. I use a mapping program where the memory goes above 1GB, had no problems. I was very impressed. Ran at 39W idle using the OEM 150W PSU. I just tried my new Dell RM112 mod PSU in it, 32W idle.

If it is available, go with Atom Pine Trail, D510, available here for $80 on a mini-ITX MB. Pine Trail will idle at 20W with a 80+ PSU.

The only problem with Atom is the graphics, but the MB's have a PCI slot so you could add a VGA card if you need more snap.

Another option is N330 w/ ION, slightly lower power and much faster graphics but double the price. Since both Ion and N270/N330 are EOL, you might find a good deal.

[funklizard]

I was wondering how does an Intel Atom compare in terms of responsiveness to other computers I've owned. I have never used any Atom based system, but in my life I've used the following computers:

Amiga 600
Celeron 366@466 + 64MB RAM
Duron 1Ghz + 256MB RAM
Celeron 2Ghz + 640MB RAM (old Dell Inspiron 1100 laptop still working, used by my girlfriend)
AthlonXP 1700+@2100 + 1GB RAM
Core2Duo E4300@3Ghz + 4GB RAM (my current machine)

Could somebody give me a rough estimate about Atom's (N270) performance when compared to those systems?

It will probably be about on par with your Celeron.

The N270 does have Hyperthreading working in its favor; so it will multitask a bit better than your Celeron or Duron.

I was thinking about buying an Intel D945GSEJT to replace that aging Dell Inspiron 1100 and was wondering whether it would be an improvement in terms of performance/responsiveness. This would be a purely web+office machine.

I have one of these. Snappy it ain't. I use it as a nameserver for my home network; and for that sort of thing, it's more than adequate. It could do the job of a light duty office machine--especially if you outfit it with 2 GB of RAM--and it could do so drawing significantly less power than your Dell's probably drinking. But I think any performance improvement over what you're using now would be pretty modest.

I'll echo the comments suggesting an ION/N330 solution. The graphics on an ION system are much better than Intel's integrated graphics. You're also getting another CPU core (which translates to two more Hyperthreads, and thus four logical CPUs) and dual-channel memory access. Such a machine can comfortably run Windows 7.

[HammerSandwich]

In my experience, an Acer 1410T (Celeron SU2300) makes an Asus 1101ha (Atom Z520) feel awful. I'm not the most patient person, but the difference is obvious.

With a $100ish budget, I'd definitely look at the E3200 (E3300's only $1 more at Newegg right now) or Athlon II 240. You can find decent motherboards to complete those systems for roughly the same price as the Atom, and you'll have a much faster PC.

[ilovejedd]

I have a Dell Inspiron 1000 which has either a Celeron 1.8 or 1.9GHz, I think, and upgraded to 512MB RAM. Compared to my brother's Acer Aspire netbook w/Intel Atom N270, 945GSE and 1GB RAM, the Inspiron feels slower even with a clean Windows XP install, however, it isn't by much.

How small a PC do you want? Because you can easily cobble a MicroATX build for around the same price or less as an Atom-based Mini-ITX PC.

[andymcca]

Hi!

I was wondering how does an Intel Atom compare in terms of responsiveness to other computers I've owned. I have never used any Atom based system, but in my life I've used the following computers:

Amiga 600 :D
Celeron 366@466 + 64MB RAM
Duron 1Ghz + 256MB RAM
Celeron 2Ghz + 640MB RAM (old Dell Inspiron 1100 laptop still working, used by my girlfriend)
AthlonXP 1700+@2100 + 1GB RAM
Core2Duo E4300@3Ghz + 4GB RAM (my current machine)

I have a D945GSEJT and I would agree with those saying it is probably similar to your celeron. Unless you really need the mini-itx form factor or the low-power fanless setup, I would look into a Sempron 140 + AM3 mobo(there is a combo for $93 on Newegg here). This is cheaper, more powerful, and better for future upgrades (and can handle more SATA drives). And cases for it are cheaper. Etc.

[KadazanPL]

Thanks everyone, your opinions were very helpful!
I think I'll skip current Atom processors and look into other solutions.