The N2600 processor is aimed at the segment of mobile computer solutions with a low level of performance, high energy efficiency and affordable cost , which will be discussed in detail later, and which belonged to the ATOM chip line. Intel refers this entire line to the most budget solutions. Until recently, it was possible to meet such CPUs only in netbooks (including the N2600 ), but the rapid development of the niche of smartphones and tablets led to the fact that this processor family was partially redesigned. Now they can be found in the previously mentioned mobile gadgets.
Socket
The final cost of the computing system in mobile personal computers based on the chips of the ATOM line comes to the fore. Intel , as a result, recommends such CPUs not to be installed in the usual processor socket, which is called "SOKET", but to unsolder them directly on the motherboard. This, on the one hand, reduces the cost of the latter and simplifies the process of producing a netbook. On the other hand, the maintainability of such a PC is deteriorating, and if it breaks down, it will be very, very difficult to repair it . Well, the processor socket in this case is designated as FCBGA559. That is, the number of contacts in this case is 559 pieces, and the abbreviation FCBGA means that the processor is soldered by the contacts to the system board.
Technological process. CPU frequency. Temperature mode. Power consumption
According to the technology for the production of silicon crystals with tolerance standards of 32 nm, Intel ATOM N2600 was manufactured. Of course, now there are more advanced tolerance standards that correspond to 28 nm, 22 nm, 16 nm and even 14 nm, but at the time of the release of this chip it was the most advanced technology. The technical specifications of the N2600 do not indicate support for TurboBoost technology and, as a result, this chip cannot dynamically adjust its clock frequency, the value of which is fixed at 1.6 GHz. At a mark of 100 0 C, the maximum temperature value for this model of the processor unit of the ATOM family is set . Intel guarantees that, in combination with an active cooling system, this chip will operate with temperatures from 50 to 65 0 C. The value of the heat packet for this processor is set to 3.5 watts. Theoretically, it can work in conjunction with passive system cooling, but taking into account everything previously stated, it will optimally use an active heat sink based on a cooler with this semiconductor crystal.
Cache. RAM
The Intel ATOM N2600 has only 2 cache levels, and this is one of those features that significantly reduces its performance. The first level of this semiconductor fast memory solution has a total volume of 112 KB, which, in turn, are divided in half between the CPU cores. The size of each of these parts is 56 Kb. These 56 KB are divided into 2 parts of 24 KB and 32 KB, respectively, for instructions and data. Simpler cache organization at level 2. Its total size is 1 MB, which is divided into 2 parts of 512 KB. Physically, each of these parts can only interact with a specific computing unit. The N2600 is equipped with a single-channel memory controller. The maximum size of the latter is set at around 2.44 GB, and its type is DDR3.
Architectural features
The generation codenamed Cedarview belonged to this processor from the Intel ATOM family. The characteristics of this CPU indicated that it included only 2 computing units. But support for HT technology allows, at the program level, to increase the number of real code processing threads to 4. Among other features of the processor, it can be noted that its computing modules support 64-bit computing. Also, this chip was equipped with an integrated graphics subsystem. The accelerator model is Intel GMA. This accelerator, like the processor device, operated at a fixed frequency, but its value in this case was only 400 MHz. As a result, it was not necessary to expect impressive performance from it, but to solve the most simple tasks this was quite enough.
Cost. Expediency of purchase. Reviews
At $ 42, the N2600 chip was priced by the manufacturer . But netbooks based on it could be purchased for 200-250 dollars. For this money, the user received a full-fledged “workhorse” with initial speed, which was quite enough to solve all the problems of the initial level. As an example, we can cite a very successful model of the Eee PC X101CH netbook from ASUS. Intel ATOM N2600 models could also be the basis of transformer notebooks. Its technical specifications and energy efficiency level made it possible to create mobile devices that combine the advantages of both a tablet and a laptop without any problems . Again, the list of tasks solved by such a transformer laptop is limited to the simplest ones: web surfing, office applications, watching videos, the most simple games and listening to audio recordings. But such resource-intensive applications, such as Photoshop, and the most recent three-dimensional games on such hardware will certainly not start. For such software, you must buy a mobile computing system based on a processor device of the Intel Core line . ATOM, on the other hand , is a line of processors originally designed to solve the simplest typical tasks with low cost and minimal performance.
Summary
Entry-level mobile laptops and netbooks are the main field of application for this ATOM processor model. Intel also uses the N2600 in embedded systems and ultra-compact desktop PCs. All this indicates that in the absence of special requirements for computer performance, the hero of this review can successfully act as its computing base.