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@ 2009/05/12Intel's Atom processor has become wildly popular in little more than a year. Once aimed at so-called mobile internet devices, the Atom took a bit of a detour, fueling the explosion of netbooks before creeping into small-form-factor desktops and even network-attached storage solutions. All the while, it's been tied to an antiquated 945G-series chipset and thoroughly underpowered GMA 950 graphics.
Certainly, you've heard this story before. The Atom possesses just enough horsepower to offer "fast enough" performance with basic 2D desktop tasks. However, it can't handle HD video playback on its own, and the perhaps inappropriately named Graphics Media Accelerator 950 offers little assistance in that department. The GMA 950 is also woefully ill-equipped to handle games, with basic compatibility a potentially more glaring issue than the GPU's anemic performance.
Certainly, you've heard this story before. The Atom possesses just enough horsepower to offer "fast enough" performance with basic 2D desktop tasks. However, it can't handle HD video playback on its own, and the perhaps inappropriately named Graphics Media Accelerator 950 offers little assistance in that department. The GMA 950 is also woefully ill-equipped to handle games, with basic compatibility a potentially more glaring issue than the GPU's anemic performance.
