Intel Atom N280 processor coming in Q2/Q3

A faster and more expensive Intel Atom processor will be arriving in Q2/Q3 this year, to be available in 10-inch netbooks from Asustek, Acer, and Gigabyte. The Atom N280 has a 1.66GHz clockspeed and 667MHz FSB, and will make use of Intel's GN40 chipset. The N280 will go for $60-65 in thousand-unit quantities; the current N270 and 945GSE chipset goes for $46.
Posted by Pinky........ at 7:50 AM 0 comments
Intel's new Atom N280 expected in second half of 2009
Netbooks using the forthcoming Intel Atom N280 are expected to tip up between the second and third quarters of 2009. The N280 is the follow-up to the Netbook class leading N270 Atom CPU that finds its home in practically every netbook on the market today.

The Atom N270, used in netbooks like the MSI Wind U100, uses the 945GSE chipset and has a core frequency of 1.6GHz. The unit price for the older N270 is $46 in lots of 30,000. The new Intel Atom N280 uses the GN40 chipset and offers a core frequency of 1.66GHz with a front side bus running at 667MHz. The CPU is expected in the first half of 2009 at $60 to $65 per tray of 30,000 units.

The front side bus speed of the old N270 is 533MHz, making the N280's front side bus much faster despite the mere 60MHz difference in clock speed. The netbook world can certainly use more performance, but dual-core Atoms (or higher-frequency parts) are much more likely to deliver it than FSB jumps. We're also hoping to see the NVIDIA Ion platform hit the market this year.