GN40
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Intel admits that GN40 chipset is no match for Blu-ray
We know, we're just being greedy at this point, but hey -- did you honestly expect anything less? We knew Intel's new Atom N280 processor, when paired with the equally fresh GN40 chipset, could deliver silky smooth 720p video playback. What we didn't know, however, was how well it could handle 1080p material. According to Fudzilla, an Intel product manager has stated that the GN40 is "designed to do 1080p HD playback for typical broadband internet content," but that it wasn't engineered to "enable full Blu-ray capability where the bitrates and demands of multi-layer content are significantly higher than that of internet HD content." The optimist within us is hoping that the GN40's successor will take the next logical step and handle BD films, but we wouldn't dare suggest you get your own hopes up that high if you're not good with handling disappointment.[Image courtesy of TechArena]
Intel slide shows Atom N280 with 945GSE and GN40 chipsets
It may be hard for you monogamists to understand, but in the world of CPUs, it's perfectly acceptable to play friends with multiple chipsets. To that end, the leaked Intel slide above sure explains a lot about what's going on with the newfangled 1.66GHz Atom N280. First spotted in the ASUS Eee PC 1000HE with Intel's older 945GSE chipset, many wondered why the supposed match-made-in-heaven GN40 chipset (and its 720p hardware-based video decoder) was left out. Apparently, it's all part of the plan. Both the N280 + 945GSE and N280 + GN40 are considered "off-roadmap" solutions meant to give companies a subtle differentiating factor until the "real" N270 successor hits the scene. So yeah, that 1000HE you've got on the brain isn't actually a hodgepodge of components, but a real, certifiably okay combination of CPU and chipset -- though it'd be so much more bodacious with that GN40. Confused yet?[Via Fudzilla]
Intel ships Atom N280 for 720p netbooks -- NVIDIA's Ion points, laughs
With ASUS' Eee PC 1000HE up for pre-order, it's clear that netbooks are ready to make the jump from Intel's lowly 1.6GHz Atom N270 to the suped-up 1.66GHz N280. In fact, Intel just confirmed shipments of its new Atom processor to PC makers. Now don't let us hear you bellyaching about that being a meager 0.06GHz jump -- the magic isn't in the clock but in the faster 667MHz (up from 533MHz) front-side bus and new GN40 chipset with hardware-based 720p video decoder. That easily bests the Atom N270 pairing with the customary 945GSE chipset without any increase in power consumption. Think about that when trying to make a 10-inch netbook choice between ASUS' Eee PC 1000HE (with new N280 proc and GN40 chipset) and Acer's new N270-based Aspire One. Then again, maybe you're waiting for the first netbook to ship with NVIDIA's Atom-based Ion platform with full 1080p playback? Might as well, who knows, maybe you'll land a production version of Windows 7, a swiveling touchscreen, and a finger-optimized UI in reward for your patience.Update: Looks like the Eee 1000HE doesn't have all the new bits -- Laptop did some digging and found that it's still got the same old 945GSE to go with that new proc, although it is still capable of doing 720p video playback. Boring, we'll wait for the real GN40 machines to show up soon.
Details on Intel Atom N280 begin to surface, are short on excitement
Sure, the Atom N270 has done great things for humanity during its brief tenure powering pretty much every netbook that comes down the pipes, but it's time for a change, and it looks like the N280 from Intel -- already slated for a couple Eee PCs -- could provide just the sort of marginal boost we're looking for. The single core chip bests the N270's 1.6GHz clock with blazing 1.66GHz speeds, and a 667MHz bus over the original's 533MHz. What could perhaps be much more interesting is the promised Intel GN40 chipset that accompanies the N280, which there's currently very little info on, but hopefully does a little bit towards competing with NVIDIA's ION -- or at least pepping up that game of solitaire we've been working on.[Thanks, Jagslive]Read - N280 shows up on some new Eee PC modelsRead - N280 netbooks to hit the market between 2Q09 and 3Q09
