Building A Low-Power PC With Intel's Atom Platform

Although not a specific target for this generation of the CPU, Intel expected some spillover into the vertical market of specific handheld productivity, and a new category of portable computers called netbooks was created.

Since then, Intel has released multiple versions of the Atom, and netbooks have been one of the fastest-growing segments of computing in recent memory. Not forgetting system builders and do-it-yourself enthusiasts, the company has also produced motherboards created around the CPU, including the recent D945GCLF2.

Built with the latest Atom 330 processor and Intel's 945GC chipset, the D945GCLF2 is a Mini-ITX form factor motherboard designed with Internet-centric uses in mind. Similar to the 1.6-GHz Atom models found in most current netbooks, the Atom 330 differs primarily in that it has a 1M cache and a maximum TDP of 8 watts (vs. 512K cache and 2.5 to 4 watts).

Smaller than a penny, the CPU comes already mounted on the motherboard, complete with heatsink and fan. Also integrated are Intel's Graphics Media Accelerator 950, 5.1 channel HD audio and Gigabit LAN support. Connections include eight USB 2.0 ports (four external), two 3.0 GB/s SATA ports, one PATA IDE interface, one each of a serial and parallel port, and two PS/2 ports for keyboard and mouse.

Additionally, the board has a single PCI Conventional bus connector and a solo DDR2 memory slot supporting up to 2GB of RAM.

With the intention of building a testbed to approximate the functionality of a netbook, albeit most likely the next generation, reviewers installed the D945GCLF2 into a Mini-ITX case and added a 2GB Kingston memory module. Although not a powerhouse, nor anticipated to be, the system surpassed our expectations in performance. We installed multiple operating systems on it, and each installation went fairly quickly.

Loading Windows 7 Beta onto the system, it delivered a Geekbench score of 1153, more than 30 percent better than other netbooks we tested -- all while consuming only 46 watts running a full load and just 41 watts while idling. The bill of materials for this system, not including OS cost, runs in the $250 neighborhood at retail list pricing.

A system built around the D945GCLF2 isn't likely to win any speed contests, but when you take into consideration that you can build a relatively small, capable computer for about $250 (not including OS), it fills a niche that didn't even exist a few years ago.