Another delay is coming for our readers, and this time it is Intel’s coming Atom platform Cedar Trail. The delay isn’t as bad as others we have had to report on, for example Bulldozer. Cedar Trail will be released this year, but the graphics drivers haven’t been certified for Windows 7 yet.
Sometimes it feels like the only thing we do is report delays, especially this summer with Sandy Bridge-E, Ivy Bridge and Bulldozer. The delay of Intel’s latest platform Cedar Trail is only founded in the fact that it lacks a certificate for the drivers for the GPU.
| Processor model | D2500 | D2700 | N2600 | N2800 |
| Architecture | Cedarview | Cedarview | Cedarview | Cedarview |
| Node | 32nm | 32nm | 32nm | 32nm |
| Core/Threads | 2/2 | 2/4 | 2/4 | 2/4 |
| Clock frequency |
1.86 GHz | 2.13 GHz | 1.6 GHz | 1.86 GHz |
| L2 Cache | 1024 KB | 1024 KB | 1024 KB | 1024 KB |
| RAM | DDR3 | DDR3 | DDR3 | DDR3 |
| TDP | 10 W | 10 W | 3,5 W | 6,5 W |
| GPU function | DX 10.1 | DX 10.1 | DX 10.1 | DX 10.1 |
Cedar Trail can be divided into two different solutions, Cedar Trail-M for netbooks and Cedar Trail-D for nettops or small desktops. In Cedar Trail-D we find D2500 and D2700 that will be used in nettops and very small desktops and embedded solutions. Cedar Trail-M is N2600 and N2800 that both looks like a big step up for Atom as an architecture, especially N2600 with only 3.5W TDP.
Intel’s vision of the netbook of the future
Cedar Trail is specifically designed for offering longer battery times than before, in thinner designs that doesn’t require a fan for cooling. Intel has also added dedicated logic for playing 1080p video. The graphics is supplied by PowerVR with SGX545 that is one of the most powerful alternatives on the smartphone market, but how it handles in a Windows environment is a different question.
Besides offering better performance, lower energy consumption and hopefully a GPU that can handle movies flawlessly, while costing less than Pine Trail. N2600 and N2800 will have recommended prices at 42 and 47 dollar, while companies are expected to put out 64 to 86 dollar for Atom N4xx and N5xx. Cedar Trail will also be paired with the tested southbridge NM10 also found in Pine Trail.
The delay of Cedar Trail has nothing to do with the base architecture but the drivers. Intel still hasn’t got its graphics drivers through the certification process for Windows 7 and therefore the launch that was slated for September, has been moved into November.
