Would you rather have a portable powered by Core M, or Atom? Why?

Would you rather have a portable powered by

  • Core M

  • Atom

  • Other

  • Potato


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ElFenix

Elite Member
Super Moderator
Mar 20, 2000
102,414
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i haven't used cherry trail for anything, but i'm still going core-m. big core is just better at everything except power consumption. and for anything over a couple pounds, the battery capacity is there anyway.
 

bhtooefr

Member
Jan 2, 2004
59
0
66
So, let's compare two chips at a similar price point and TDP, shall we? (I'll note that the Core M variant here appears to be a paper launch, but hey.)

At $161 tray price and 6 watt TDP, you can choose between Pentium 4405Y (1.5 GHz 2C/4T Skylake, 24 Gen9 EUs at 300-800 MHz), or Pentium N3700 (1.6-2.4 GHz 4C/4T Airmont, 16 Gen8 EUs at 400-700 MHz).

My understanding is that the 4405Y's multithreaded performance is a smidge faster, and the GPU performance is quite a lot better (duh). And, single-threaded performance allows it to really shine (although the N3700 can get deep into turbo clocks, making it less of an advantage).
 

hhhd1

Senior member
Apr 8, 2012
667
3
71
Core M, because with proper cooling it should be able to turbo and act as a real processor.
and, has a descent iGPU.
 

cbn

Lifer
Mar 27, 2009
12,968
221
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So, let's compare two chips at a similar price point and TDP, shall we? (I'll note that the Core M variant here appears to be a paper launch, but hey.)

At $161 tray price and 6 watt TDP, you can choose between Pentium 4405Y (1.5 GHz 2C/4T Skylake, 24 Gen9 EUs at 300-800 MHz), or Pentium N3700 (1.6-2.4 GHz 4C/4T Airmont, 16 Gen8 EUs at 400-700 MHz).

My understanding is that the 4405Y's multithreaded performance is a smidge faster, and the GPU performance is quite a lot better (duh). And, single-threaded performance allows it to really shine (although the N3700 can get deep into turbo clocks, making it less of an advantage).

Interesting that both 4405Y and N3700 have a 6W TDP and a $161 price.....nice catch.

P.S. 4405Y is not a Core M, but it can be configured for 4.5W with cTDPdown.
 

NTMBK

Lifer
Nov 14, 2011
10,208
4,940
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I'd rather have an x86 compatible Tegra, but that isn't going to happen. So I guess I'd settle for a Zen APU.
 

BigDaveX

Senior member
Jun 12, 2014
440
216
116
I actually wouldn't object to using an Atom portable if all I was doing was just browsing the internet and watching the occasional video... but then I do a lot of image editing while on the move, which an Atom would likely choke on, so it'd have to be a Core M.
 

SPBHM

Diamond Member
Sep 12, 2012
5,056
409
126
isn't the Atom a lot cheaper? this seems like asking if one would rather have an i7 or i3 without mentioning the price!?
 

ShintaiDK

Lifer
Apr 22, 2012
20,378
145
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isn't the Atom a lot cheaper? this seems like asking if one would rather have an i7 or i3 without mentioning the price!?

More like if you want a Core 2 Duo E6600 or a Skylake i7 6700K :p

Atom can be used in those super simple boxes. Where you just need to do a few basic online needs and communication. But outside that it goes rapid fast into the direct to recycling category.
 

Rngwn

Member
Dec 17, 2015
143
24
36
I woule rather have a Core M in a chassis that could handle it without causing throttling, although I have been daydreaming about 10-15w 4c/8t SKUs.
 

NTMBK

Lifer
Nov 14, 2011
10,208
4,940
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I woule rather have a Core M in a chassis that could handle it without causing throttling, although I have been daydreaming about 10-15w 4c/8t SKUs.

A Core M in an Nvidia Shield style chassis running SteamOS would be pretty sweet.
 

coercitiv

Diamond Member
Jan 24, 2014
6,151
11,686
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isn't the Atom a lot cheaper? this seems like asking if one would rather have an i7 or i3 without mentioning the price!?
Cheaper, a lot cheaper... it's all a matter of performance and price tiers.

That's Intel's Catch 22: they need to make Atom the compelling proposition it needs to be in order to establish itself as a mobile market player, alas they cannot afford to make it any faster and ruin the juicy margins Core M brings back home.

If Atom were a novel character, he would be the promising but frustrated young man who never gets a break in his life because his established elder brother is entitled to all the chances and fortune his family has to offer. And the really sad part is he knows that, given the chance, he could win over the beautiful Miss Penny... such cruel destiny!
 

cbn

Lifer
Mar 27, 2009
12,968
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Interestingly enough die size is actually smaller on Core M than Braswell (82mm2 vs. 87mm2...though Core M needs a PCH while Braswell does not as it is a SoC).
 

ShintaiDK

Lifer
Apr 22, 2012
20,378
145
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Interestingly enough die size is actually smaller on Core M than Braswell (82mm2 vs. 87mm2...though Core M needs a PCH while Braswell does not as it is a SoC).

R&D cost, despite some people demanding "die size" as value.
 

fleshconsumed

Diamond Member
Feb 21, 2002
6,483
2,352
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I've used 5y71 CoreM and Z8300 Cherry Trail tablets, and there is no comparison between the two. The 5y71 CoreM almost feels like a desktop CPU when doing office tasks, the Cherry Trail is making you painfully aware that it's an Atom class CPU.

I had to return the z8300 tablet due to defective touchscreen and did not bother getting a replacement. I may try again with the new Dell Venue 8 Pro 5855 with the Z8500 CPU if it ever goes on dell outlet sale.
 

PliotronX

Diamond Member
Oct 17, 1999
8,883
107
106
Core-M because I can't be dealing with no Atom in a Windows environment. Atoms do make stellar routers though.
 

cbn

Lifer
Mar 27, 2009
12,968
221
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R&D cost, despite some people demanding "die size" as value.

Yes, I agree.

Maybe an example would be extra Intel CPU cores commanding more money than extra iGPU despite both adding a similar amount of additional die size.
 

ShintaiDK

Lifer
Apr 22, 2012
20,378
145
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Yes, I agree.

Maybe an example would be extra Intel CPU cores commanding more money than extra iGPU despite both adding a similar amount of additional die size.

A 64Gbit MLC NAND at 20nm is 118mm2. And that sell for 1½-2$ or so. Just as a more extreme view of die cost.
 

MrTeal

Diamond Member
Dec 7, 2003
3,554
1,658
136
Our CoreM based UX305FA is more than passable as a office work type of system, and is actually considerably more snappy to use than my old 4C/2.8GHz Dell T3500 tower with a spinning drive. People give the CoreM a lot of crap, but they fill a market niche quite capably and are miles better than the Atom chips. I just wish they would push up into lower priced tablets a little more.
 

TeknoBug

Platinum Member
Oct 2, 2013
2,084
31
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Depending on my purpose of use, if it's an HTPC or basic surfing then Atom because of how cheap it is, but Core M is a bit more expensive and seems to be rather flexible at a lot of things. A month ago i was using a Surface Pro 4 through a monitor at an office which had the M3 6Y30 and was surprised at how snappy and effective it was in MS Office, Sage 50, Quickbook and Powerpoint and didn't seem to break a sweat at anything. If there's a Core M m3 compute stick ever coming out, I'm so snagging one.
 

Eug

Lifer
Mar 11, 2000
23,583
996
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Core M because of the GPU. Even for relatively basic use, Core M offers advantages because of the GPU.
 
Aug 11, 2008
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Cheaper, a lot cheaper... it's all a matter of performance and price tiers.

That's Intel's Catch 22: they need to make Atom the compelling proposition it needs to be in order to establish itself as a mobile market player, alas they cannot afford to make it any faster and ruin the juicy margins Core M brings back home.

If Atom were a novel character, he would be the promising but frustrated young man who never gets a break in his life because his established elder brother is entitled to all the chances and fortune his family has to offer. And the really sad part is he knows that, given the chance, he could win over the beautiful Miss Penny... such cruel destiny!

Well, I dont think anybody outside of intel really knows whether they are deliberately holding Atom back. Personally, it sounds like an unnecessary conspiracy theory when the simpler answer is that they just are not doing a very good job, or at worst are just giving it low priority, which to me is not the same as deliberately holding it back.

Really though, the problem is that core M needs to be utilized more widely and in cheaper devices. With the tiny die size, it cant be that much more expensive than atom to manufacture. I really dont think atom belongs in anything larger than a seven or eight inch tablet. In fact, that is about all it is really good for, because it sucks in phones too, compared to the competition.