Intel's Atoms gain new (cosmetic) X-Factor

Intel's decided that its Atom processor needs to get in line with its other ranges, so has given them new names.

Like other Chipzilla products, the Atoms glory in monikers like the “C2750”, which rolls off the tongue like a brick. That Atoms come in both a C2350 and a C2530 model doesn't help matters either now that Intel's fondleslab-making partners are putting them into retail stores around the globe.

Enter the Atom x3, x5 and x7, new designations for the Atom range in a format the mirrors the Core i3, Core i5, Core i7 structure Intel uses for its desktop chips.

The idea is that fondleslab-fondlers will be better able to judge the performance of their desired gadgets under this naming scheme. Small numbers mean modest performance on the processing and power-consumption fronts while larger numbers mean … we're sure you get the idea.

But things aren't entirely cut and dried. Intel says the Core m processor remains the brand it associates with “premium” tablets or two-in-one devices. The newly-exed-up Atoms are for “mainstream and value” tablets.

It's not clear if Intel will apply the same naming to the Ark SoCs it offers with inbuilt Atoms. It wouldn't make much sense to do so: buyers of such kit are far more likely to care about clock speeds and cache sizes than their value-slab-buying brethren. ®

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