Best Energy-Saving Processor: Intel Atom or Via Nano?

Currently, there are two legitimate players competing for the Low-Power Energy Saving platform: the Intel Atom (with the Intel 945G chipset) and the Via Nano (with the Via CN896 chipset).

Tom's Hardware compared the Atom and Nano, and mixed a non-production AMD Athlon 64 2000+ (with the AMD 780G chipset) as well.

"Intel's Atom has one definite advantage over the two other solutions-the power requirement stays within very controllable boundaries, which means that the delta between idle power and peak power is very small. If you know your performance requirements then you can be sure that Atom will be the lowest power solution, although not necessarily the most efficient one when more performance is required. The VIA device benefits from its integrated random number generator and hardware encryption support, which is both favorable for networking and security appliances." [Tom's Hardware | Atom, Athlon, or Nano? Energy-Savers Compared]

For best performance and best features, the VIA platform was the clear winner, but unfortunately, has a significantly higher peak power.

Tom's Hardware suggests that desktop users should look at other options, such as a mainstream chipset paired with a low-end dual-core processor. Going this route could probably give you a compromise of low-power consumption, better efficiency, and some flexibility (you can change the processor since it is NOT soldered on to the motherboard).

Technorati : 780g, 945G, CN896, amd, athlon, atom, efficient, energy, intel, nano, via

Build Your Own Nettop

With netbooks becoming popular nowadays, the desktop counterpart (known as the nettop) is also coming out of the shadows. We have pre-built nettops offered by different companies, but for the DIY crowd and/or enthusiasts, building your own is usually more rewarding.

Asus Eee Box Desktop Previewed

Asus Eee Box (starts at US$269) is a desktop equivalent of the Eee PC notebook. It will feature the 1.6GHz Intel Atom processor, and will come in one of the following configurations:

• 1GB memory + 80GB 2.5 HDD + Linux (US$269)
• 1GB memory + 80GB 2.5 HDD + Windows XP (US$299)
• 2GB memory + 160GB 2.5 HDD + Linux (US$269)

AnandTech previewed the Eee Box (Windows XP), and found it to be a nicely-priced desktop that performs well:

"Much like the Eee PC, the Eee Box is going to be very much a love it or hate it machine. Where the Eee Box differs from its sibling is that the complaints of a cramped keyboard and small screen don't apply here, not to mention the lower overall cost. If you've got a spare monitor, the Eee Box isn't a bad way of putting it to good use. It's a great entry-level PC for parents or children, or a secondary/tertiary computer for use around the house. It's cheap enough where it could easily be a good kitchen PC, but the kicker is that you'll need a display." [AnandTech | ASUS Eee Box Preview]

Additionally, AnandTech ran comparison tests on the Intel Atom processor, and found it to be at par with an 800MHz - 1.2GHz Pentium M depending on the task at hand. So who would want an Asus Eee Box? Just about anyone who needs an inexpensive desktop PC that works well with Windows XP, or Linux.

Technorati : asus, atom, box, eee, intel, pc