Testbed Configuration

Since we had a mainboard with the new dual-core Atom D510 processor, which is a practical Pine Trail implementation, we decided to compare this platform against older systems built around dual-core Atom processors. This way we are going to have a combination of Atom D510 processor and Intel NM10 Express chipset compete against a combination of dual-core Atom 330 processor and Intel 945GC chipset, as well as Nvidia ION platform using the same dual-core Intel Atom 330 CPU. So, we managed to cover all major configurations with dual-core processors used in contemporary nettops.

Below is the list of hardware and software components used during this test session:

• Mainboards:
  • Intel D510MO (Intel Atom D510 + Intel NM10 Express);
  • Intel D945GCLF2 (Intel Atom 330 + Intel 945GC Express);
  • Zotac IONITX-A-U (Intel Atom 330 + NVIDIA ION).
• Memory: 2 x 2 GB, DDR2-800 SDRAM, 5-5-5-15 (GEIL GX24GB8500C5UDC).
• HDD: Western Digital WD3000HLFS.
• OS: Microsoft Windows 7 Ultimate x86.
• Drivers:
  • Intel Graphics Driver 15.​12.75.50.​1972;
  • Intel Chipset Driver 9.​1.​1.​1020;
  • NVIDIA ION Chipset Driver 15.51;
  • NVIDIA GeForce/ION Driver 195.62.