Intel's Atom N435 CPU to Lower Netbook Prices

Posted 06/01/2011 at 6:40am | by Paul Lilly

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Intel today announced the launch of its Atom N435 processor, a new low cost CPU that will allow its partners to reduce the cost of netbooks. The target price point Intel is hoping its partners hit is $199 or less, both for the benefit of emerging markets and to help revive interest in a category that's been somewhat cannibalized by the red hot (and still emerging) tablet market, even though the average slate costs much more.

The N435 is part of Intel's 45nm Pineview family and runs at 1.33GHz with 512KB L2 cache and a sub-5W TDP. That makes it the slowest of all the second-generation N-series Atom processors, with the next fastest chips (N450 and N455) clocked at 1.66GHz. In an email to PCWorld, Intel spokeswoman Suzy Ramirez said new netbooks using the N435 will provide "new levels of affordability for emerging markets."

Consumers will ultimately decide if the performance impact of a slower, single-core Atom processor is worth the price savings, a verdict that will likely come sooner than later. Asus has already slapped the N435 into its Eee PC X101 and X101H netbooks, and according to PCWorld, several other partners have lined up machines using the new chip paired with Intel's MeeGo OS and AppUp application store, including Acer's Aspire One Happy 2, Samsung's N100, and Lenovo's IdeaPad S100.

Image Credit: Intel