Dual-core Atom to launch late September

Intel's long-rumored dual-core Atom processor now has a fixed launch date and price, according to a late leak. The Atom 330 is now purportedly due on September 21st and will be one of Intel's most economical dual-core chips, costing $43 for a 1.6GHz chip with both the extra core as well as a larger 1MB of Level 2 cache and the same Hyperthreading support as single-core chips, effectively simulating four cores with optimized apps.

The chip is believed to consume just 8W of power and should thus work in netbooks and larger ultra-mobile PCs without significantly reducing battery life. No customers have been named to receive the new device, although the new Atom is widely expected to reach the ASUS Eee PC and similar computers shortly after its introduction.

Apple is still thought to be introducing at least one Atom-based device before the end of 2008 after a leak last year, when the processor was still under Intel's Silverthorne codename.

Filed under: computers
Other story tags: Intel, ASUS, Atom, Eee PC