I'm trying to figure out what Intel is doing with regard to the Atom line as regards small desktop computers and lightweight servers. From what I can tell, they seem to be moving totally toward SoC packages. Is that correct, or are there plans for any new desktop Atom CPU+chipset designs?
Seems very little new has come from them along these lines in the past year or two. The miniITX Atom motherboards that I see available currently have all been out for ages, and there appear to be fewer and fewer available.
I use a Atom D2500 with dual intel gigabit nics as a firewall router.
It has 8 gigs of DDR3, runs on a 120gig 2.5inch HDD... and is on Smoothwall 3.1 x64.
It completely blows any consumer brand router.... cost me about the same to setup as a ASUS Diamond series router, and is probably classed in the enterprise grade firewall routers which are priced over 1000 dollars
Best of all i can upgrade it... i can change the SSD, to a X-25E later on if i wish... i cant add more ram cuz im already max'd on the slots.. but i can add additional Nic cards if i wish as it has a PCI expansion... I can shove it in whatever case i wish, i can even throw it in a thin itx platform case, which makes it look a lot nicer then the prepackaged router.
You cant get this type of router on the consumer market... not even the enterprise market has this kind of router for sale... you would need to build it yourself even in the enterprise side.
I was thinking about virtualizing this machine on my other server, however the thing only draws like 25W at most, that i decided to leave it at be.
I have used atom setups as torrent boxes, and other light weight systems, however i feel you can virtualize just about anything which defeats the point in having a atom type system.
@ Dave..
Software is divided into two classes from my understanding.
1. You got a OS heavy Software which like windows, requires a lot of CPU activity.
As you can tell this is NOT the ideal OS to install a lightweight processor on.
2. Then you got a memory intensive software, it can care less about cpu prowess but is at mercy in the memory/IO department..
(FREEBSD is a good example... so is SQL)
In the second option... which fills the roles of firewall router / NAS / SQL server.... u can care less what processor is at the head, the only thing u will care about is HOW MUCH RAM it has at its disposal to DB....
The atom isnt a processor to replace the desktop processor...
Id think the Celeron combo with the HD4500/IVY IGP was more intended on that..
A lot of you guys always seem to forget that Atom processors are now mainly used for things like Point Of Sale systems, Kiosk computers, and video display systems. You know... the kind of low power embedded systems that you see at the mall or in a restaurant.
The installers who use those systems don't give a rats ass how they perform in 3DMark. They just want something cheap and reliable that doesn't run hot or use a lot of power.
+1
(not directed at anyone in this thread)
People need to learn what type of software the machine will run and match it accordingly... and not build overclocking gaming PC's for every niche there is... or assume that's the only build that exists, and all others are outside norm.
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