The Intel Atom N270 processor is designed to run at a handful of clock speeds. But it generally tops out at somewhere around 1.6GHz or 1.7GHz. And you need to have the proper hardware and software in place to overclock it. Unfortunately, HP has discouraged users from overclocking the HP Mini 2140 by locking the hardware to prevent overclocking software from working properly. But where there’s a will there’s a way, and HP Mini Guide forum member Twain apparently had plenty of will.

The details are a bit complicated, but basically he found the hardware pin that was locking the clock speed and physically moved it. Once he was done, he was able to use SetFSB to adjust the clock speed from within Windows. The end result is an HP Mini 2140 that can run at up to 1.9GHz.

Twain’s particular model also happens to have a 720p display capable of displaying 1366 x 768 pixels. I’ve found that Intel Atom powered netbooks generally don’t have enough oomph to pump out HD video on these higher resolution screens, but Twain reports that when running at 1.9GHz the netbook was able to handle 1080p video without any stuttering.

Intel could begin phasing out the Atom N280 chip and GN40 graphics chipset. Digitimes reports the move is  due to low demand. The Intel Atom N280 CPU runs at 1.66GHz, which is only moderately faster than the 1.6GHz clock speed of the older Atom N270 CPU. The N280 also has faster bus speed and the GN40 chipset is designed to offer somewhat better graphics performance. But while, Acer, Asus, and a few other companies have opted to use the newer chips in their latest mini-laptops, many other companies continue to pump out machines with the older Intel Atom N270/945GSE chipset. 

That’s not to say that Intel won’t eventually replace the Atom N270. The Atom N280 was actually an off-roadmap chip that was designed to help fill the demand for netbook processors while Intel prepared its next generation Pineview processors and Tiger Point chipsets, which are due out this fall. This new chipset will feature a faster processor and GPU while using even less power than current chips.

DigiTimes also reports that Intel has put together a netbook reference design for white-box vendors. It has an 8.9 inch display, Intel Atom N270 CPU, 945GSE chipset, 512MB of RAM, and 8GB or 16GB of flash storage. In other words, the only thing that really sets it apart from every other 8.9 inch min-laptop on the market today is the fact that it will run on Moblin Linux. This white-box netbook could go for as little as $256.

The Intel Atom N280 CPU is showing up in more and more netbooks. The Asus Eee PC 1000HE, Acer Aspire One D150, and upcoming MSI Wind U123 all use the latest generation version of the Intel Atom CPU. It’s a little bit faster than the N270 that has been on the market for about a year. The N280 runs at 1.66GHz while the N270 runs at 1.6GHz. And the newer chip has a front side bus speed of 667MHz compared with 533MHz on the older model. But what exactly does that mean?

I’ve already shown that you can easily overclock the Intel Atom N280 processor to run at 1.75GHz on Asus computers. If you use third party overclocking software you could probably go much further. But the folks at ComputerMonger decided to pit the Intel Atom N270 and N280 processors running at their stock speeds against one another. The results? Yeah, there’s not a huge difference between these chips. But there is a little difference.

To make as close to an oranges to oranges comparison as possible, ComputerMonger used an Acer aspire One D150 with an N280 CPU and Acer Aspire One A150 with an N270 chip. The D150 scored a few points higher in a series of benchmarks. But the differences were pretty slim. The long and short of it is that you shouldn’t expect miracles from the Intel Atom N280 processor, or even a noticeable performance boost over the Intel Atom N270. We’ll probably have to wait for next generation chips or the NVIDIA ION platform which bundles the Atom CPU with an NVIDIA GPU for that.

The Intel Atom N270 CPU has become pretty popular since it launched in mid-2008. Nearly every major computer manufacturer has put out a netbook powered by this 1.6GHz chip in the last half year or so. And it looks like an increase in the number of white-box computer makers in China placing orders could lead to a shortage of Atom N270 chips.

According to DigiTimes, Intel is looking at raising the price of the Atom N270 processor to help stave off a shortage (or to make a few extra bucks of the high demand for the processor). By pricing the CPU at the same level as the newer Intel Atom N280 processor, Intel could possibly get some customers to choose the N280 instead, which would help the company keep up with demand for both chips.

Intel is also reportedly pushing back the launch of its new Z550 and Z515 processors until mid-April. The Z550 will be the first low power Atom processor with a clock speed of up to 2GHz.

via SlashGear

People have been loading OS X on netbooks without Apple’s consent for a while now, and it turns out the operating system runs surprisingly well on many Intel Atom-powered mini-laptops. Sure, an MSI Wind U100 isn’t going to be able to outperform a MacBook Pro with a dual core CPU, but it turns out the Intel Atom N270 handles most tasks about as well as the PowerPC G4 processor in a 4 year old iBook. Or at least, that’s what AppleDifferent decided after running a series of benchmarks.

Basically, the test involved pitting an iBook G4 and a MacBook Air against an Advent 4211, which is a rebranded MSi Wind U100. In several benchmarking tests, the Advent 4211 outperformed the iBook G4, although it didn’t come close to touching the MacBook Air. In real world tests, the results were more mixed. The netbook booted OS X more quickly than the iBook, and launched programs faster. But when it came to CPU intensive tasks like unzipping files or applying complex image filters in GIMP, the iBook took the lead.

So what have we learned today? The Intel Atom N270 chip may have only come out half a year ago, but it’s about as powerful as a 4 year old processor. Which is no surprise, since that’s pretty much what Intel was going for. That’s why the Intel Atom line of processors is a lot cheaper than a Core 2 Duo CPU or other modern high performance chips.

via Blogeee

The Intel Atom N270 CPU is pretty easy to overclock and underclock. So while the chip is described as a 1.6GHz CPU, it’s pretty simple to get it to run at speeds between 800MHz and 1.9GHz. In fact, Asus, MSI, and other netbook makers even include handy software utilities that will let you increase or decrease the clock speed with the click of a button.

But what if 1.9GHz just ain’t good enough for you? The folks at Team Asutralia decided to take apart an MSI Wind U100 netbook and push its processor to the limit. In order to keep the CPU from overheating, they hooked up a little liquid nitrogen cooling action. It may look silly, but it allowed the team to boost the CPU speed to a whopping 2315.7MHz.

On the other hand, they did have to make a few sacrifices when it comes to portability. I think it’s safe to file this hack firmly under the category of “because I can.” Because there’s really absolutely no other reason to do this.

via Engadget

The other day a Microsoft employee giving a presentation at WinHEC accidentally suggested that the Asus Eee PC S101 has a dual core Intel Atom processor. But the truth of the matter is that while Intel has developed a dual core version of the Atom chip, it’s meant for desktops or larger laptops. Not netbooks. The dual core Atom 330 CPU generates too much heat and it’s larger than the Intel Atom N270 CPU used in many netbooks today.

Apparently at least one computer retailer didn’t get the memo. Because Philippine computer shop PC Corner is offering dual core CPU upgrades for the Asus Eee PC 1000H and the MSI Wind U100. The company says it will upgrade the computers by replacing the Atom N270 processor with an Atom 330 CPU. In order to accomodate the new processor, the company has to replace the computer chassis, which will cost extra. It’s not clear exactly how the new chassis will differ from the existing model. Is it bigger? Better ventilated?

The web page is a little confusing, since it also mentions the possibility that computer manufacturers might release their own upgraded models with the Atom 330 CPU. Last I heard, that wasn’t going to happen. Intel may eventually come out with a dual core CPU for netbooks, but the Atom 330 isn’t it. I wrote to PC Corner to ask if they’re actually upgrading the the CPU and chassis, and this is the reply I got:

the UPGRADE is “a FULL SWAP”

meaning Chassis + Atom 330

old chassis + 8K = new chassis + new cpu