Intel debuts mobile dual core Atom processor

Intel has rolled out its first dual core Atom processor developed specifically for a netbook (the Atom D330 was a desktop/nettop variant used in netbooks) after making a mark over the years with its single core chips. Well, the day has arrived where the 1.5GHz N550 processor is finally available to face the general public, featuring a similar number of physical cores as the Core i3s, the Core i5s, and Core i7s. Despite that, said figure won’t amount to much as it isn’t an apple and apple comparison, which translates to a performance rating that is better than single core Atoms, but will fall short against Core i3, Core i5 and Core i7 processors. It will offer double the amount of L2 cache (2 x 512KB), offering a similar graphic chipset as the single core Atom N455, an updated memory controller that can handle DDR3 memory, and will see action in netbooks that arrive from next month onwards.