The chips will be used in everything from smartphones to PCs

Feb 26, 2015 07:45 GMT  ·  By

Intel has several different central processing unit lines, but the most confusing is without a doubt the Atom line, which makes it a very good thing that the company intends to change the entire naming scheme.

That, at least, is the latest word on the net. The folks at PC World say that Chipzilla is thinking of something similar to how the Core-series is termed.

The Core central processing units are divided into Core i3, Core i5 and Core i7 models, with the i3 being the lower-power, lower-cost ones and the Core i7 being the hardcore chips.

This is not counting the Core i7 extreme edition and Xeon processors which are in a league of their own and always have been.

Basically, the Core series of Intel chips hardly causes any confusion in regard to what consumers should expect from them.

Not so for the Atom line, which has so many sub-series and different naming schemes that it is hard to say which chip is better than another.

Intel will rename the Atom collection

According to the new report, the new Atoms will be divided into Atom x3, Atom x5 and Atom x7 brands, with the performance level difference being the main thing setting them apart.

Thus, Atom x3 chips will be the low-end ones, as well as the efficient units that will be used in smartphones. Provided Intel's attempt at entering the mobile front doesn't fall flat again. ARM is making that quest very hard to complete.

The Atom x5 are the processors you can expect to find on mid-range laptops, tablets and 2-in-1 devices.

That leaves the Atom x7 units as the flagship Atom processors, though you should not expect them to be nearly as strong as the Core line. We will be surprised if the best Atom even comes close to the worst Core i3.

More likely, there will be some Atoms with specs close to Celeron chips, maybe one or two close to the Core line, but in the end, the product series have different stomping grounds and standards they hold themselves to.

Availability

The next generation of Intel Atom processors will probably be released in March at the Mobile World Congress trade show (MWC 2015). So in roughly a week's time.