Discussions

CES is around the corner and as I mentioned in my last post, I’m expecting to see the next-generation of Intel’s Atom processor there; codename: Moorestown. 

Both nettop and netbook flavors of Moorestown will be on display and while performance will be better than existing Atom platforms, I’m still not expecting much out of it.  In my eyes (and Intel’s), the Atom processor delivers a level of performance sufficient for a $299 or cheaper machine.
What we saw throughout much of 2009 is upward movement of Atom system prices, particularly in the netbook market.  Until recently, it seemed as if netbooks didn’t have a price ceiling.

Intel quietly fixed that with the introduction of its consumer ultra low voltage (CULV) Core 2 Duo CPUs.  These are specially binned Core 2 Duos that can run at lower than normal voltages and thus consume less power than normal.  As a result, they can be used in smaller than normal systems and/or deliver longer than normal battery life.

Both of those features sound like characteristics of Atom based netbooks.
The only difference here is most CULV processors are much faster than Intel’s Atom, particularly the single-core variant found in most Atom netbooks.

CULV notebooks start from $400 and extend beyond $800 in price, but they’re definitely an alternative to Atom if you want a better performer.
 
At AnandTech we published our holiday mobile buyer’s guide and listed a bunch of our favorite CULVs.  A bit more expensive than most, but ASUS UL80Vt is one of our favorite CULVs:

Thus far CULV uptake has been slow, but we need a good high performance, not much higher cost alternative to Atom.  If CULV is what it takes, I’m fine with that.  Expect to see more CULV based notebooks at CES next month.