AMD dreamed it, Intel made it: next gen Atom CPU has integrated graphics

Intel has just announced their new line of Atom processors, with integrated graphics on the same die (piece of silicon) – an idea that rival AMD has been preaching for years under the “Fusion” name. Using its 45nm manufacturing process, Intel’s new Atom chips use less power (25%-50%) and use a reduced footprint (60% to 70% because there are two chips instead of three).

Most Netbooks released at CES will use the Atom N450, while low-priced desktop machines will use the Atom D410 or the dual-core version named D510. Both processors are designed to work on the same motherboard chipset NM10 Express from Intel.

A Dell Netbook with a fan-less design

The processor generates less heat, so we are going to see fan-less designs in Netbooks with longer battery life. We’ve seen this prototype from Dell, for example (The Fujitsu computer sill has a fan). Netbooks are still the fastest-growing computer segment and it does generate incredibly good margins for Intel, if you keep in mind that this is a product for cheap computers. We will wait for independent benchmarks, but we expect performance to be superior, but not by much.

Very cute Netbook from Fujitsu