Intel Planning Launch of Pineview Atom N450 CPU in October

Intel is expected to further expand its support for the fast-growing market of netbooks and nettops, with the introduction of its much anticipated Pine Trail platform. This new solution will enable system builders to design more energy-efficient computer systems that will add to the existing line of Atom N270-based netbooks. According to recent details, said platform should be made available later this year, in time for the launch of Microsoft's Windows 7 operating system, due out in October.

 

Digitimes, in a recent news-article, reports that, according to industry sources, Intel is going to announce the successor to its Atom N270 CPU in October, at the earliest. The new CPU will be branded as Atom N450 and will be rolling out as a single-core solution that incorporates the GPU and the memory controller on the CPU die. The new design is said to allow system builders the freedom to create smaller and more energy-efficient solutions that also take advantage of Intel's new Tiger Point southbridge chip.

 

Intel is expected to issue a last-order notice for the Atom N270 in the first quarter of 2010, with the low-power CPU due for a phase-out by the end of the first half of the year. This will be the end of a processor that has been one of Intel's most successful products in 2008, being featured in almost all netbook and nettop products released so far. However, the next-generation model is expected to bring about some innovative features, like the integrated GPU and memory controller.

 

As far as performance goes, we shall have an interesting battle between Intel's next-generation Atom N450 processor and its integrated graphics and NVIDIA's Ion 2 platform, also reported to be scheduled for a release before the end of the year. One other thing that will make the netbook market more interesting is the release of Microsoft's much anticipated Windows 7 operating system.