Both Intel and VIA are set to release new chips this year designed for ultraportable computers like MIDs, UMPCs and low-cost laptops like the Eee PC and HP 2133. While neither the Intel Atom nor the VIA Isaiah processor is expected to be a speed demon, both will use significantly less energy than existing chips while offering decent performance.

Eee PC News.de ran some preliminary benchmarks and fins that an Isaiah outperforms anAtom processor with the same clock speed. This wasn’t a comprehensive raft of tests, and until we see both CPUs start to show up in actual production computers it’ll be hard to make any real judgements. But it’s still fun to look at the pretty little graph, no?