Efficiency: Core 2 Nukes Atom On The Desktop

Test Setup and Benchmarks

Please note that we only used a single DDR2 DIMM that ran at DDR2-533 speed with the Atom system and at DDR2-800 for the G31 motherboard. This was the only measure we took to bring the Core 2 Duo’s power consumption from 31 W to only 29 W, which was hence closer to the Atom system’s 28 W. This step makes little sense if you take a performance approach, as the memory bandwidth decreases. But it makes sense considering that many desktop Atom systems don’t even have a second DIMM socket to install more than one memory module.

Further power requirement reductions for our Core 2 Duo E7200 and G31 combo can probably be achieved by optimizing CPU voltage, which would involve “under-voltaging” the processor on suitable motherboards.

Benchmarks and Settings