Efficiency Analysis: Atom D510 Vs. Atom D525/ION2

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Intel's Atom D525 offers a faster clock rate than its predecessor at the same 13 W TDP. Obviously, the new dual-core chip is going to be faster. But after we determined that the Core i3 is more efficient, can Atom D525 usurp the desktop contender?

Round 3: Audio And Video Benchmarks

Audio Benchmarks

Audio benchmarks have become less important due to the abundant processing power available today for this type of workload today. However, since audio remains an important part of people's everyday computing, we thought it important to include here.

Benchmarks and Settings:

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Benchmark Details
iTunesVersion: 9.0.3.15, Audio CD ("Terminator II" SE), 53 min., Convert to AAC audio format
Lame MP3Version 3.98.3, Audio CD "Terminator II SE", 53 min., Convert WAV to MP3 audio format, Command: -b 160 --nores (160 Kb/s)

As expected, the Atom D525 wins this round thanks to its higer 1.8 GHz clock speed.

Video Benchmarks

Video transcoding is one of the most demanding workloads for home and multimedia systems, and while few users will transcode high definition video on an Atom machine, these workloads are very suitable for performance testing.

Benchmarks and Settings:

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Benchmark Details
HandBrake CLIVersion: 0.94, Video: Big Buck Bunny (720x480, 23.972 frames) 5 min., Audio: Dolby Digital, 48000 Hz, 6-Channel, English to Video: AVC1 Audio1: AC3 Audio2: AAC (High Profile)
MainConcept Reference v2Version: 2.0.0.1555, MPEG-2 to H.264, MainConcept H.264/AVC Codec, 28 sec. HDTV 1920x1080 (MPEG-2), Audio: MPEG-2 (44.1 kHz, 2-Channel, 16-Bit, 224 Kb/s), Codec: H.264 Pro, Mode: PAL 50i (25 FPS), Profile: H.264 BD HDMV

Again, we find similar results. The Atom D525 is clearly faster than the Atom D510, but it doesn't provide major benefits here.

Now it's time to look at power consumption. Does the faster Atom's additional performance come at the expense of efficiency?

Igor Wallossek
35 Comments Comment from the forums
  • darthvidor
    very nice, thank you. been wondering how fast and energy efficient the new atom is. might replace the intel d945gclf2 connected to my tv.
    Reply
  • Scanlia
    Thanks... now I know that a D525 is better than the D510... I thought a higher number means that it's slower... .
    Reply
  • Simple11
    Sweet! I am always looking at atoms+ion combos for my Carputer build!
    Reply
  • Gin Fushicho
    I just skipped to the power consumption after I saw the application benches.

    I'd rather keep the D510 over a D525. Longer battery life for my simple purpose of web browsing.
    Reply
  • super_tycoon
    i don't think you guys even tried using the d525/ion2 system for anything beyond the benchmarks. you greatly underestimate how usable it is. my asus 1215n chugs along just fine in almost any game. obviously you wouldn't want to throw something like civ5 at it, but in reality the combo plays games better than (for the most part) any iX notebook with integrated graphics. it plays company of heroes and starcraft 2 just fine at lowered settings. i'd bet you'd be surprised how viable it is as a light gaming platform for something that uses as much power as your monitor.
    Reply
  • jeremypv
    >>This could not be done without Nvidia's graphics unit, as even 720p video was impossible to watch on the Atom D510.

    I'm using xbmc with a D510, and it plays 720p video just fine, with coreavc, it can even play a few 1080p videos
    Reply
  • ta152h
    Was this supposed to be about the Ion, or the D525? Why would you write an article with the intent to compare two processors, and put them on very different platforms?

    I didn't even read this worthless article after I saw that. It would have been interesting had the reviewers used some common sense.
    Reply
  • JonnyDough
    Except for power savings...why would anyone buy one of these when you can get recycled PCs for almost free? In six months they will have something a lot better anyway.
    Reply
  • sudeshc
    nice article, but i feel there is still need for alot of improvements
    Reply
  • SteelCity1981
    I don't get why intel still hasn't made the transition to 32nm for the Atoms yet. You would think these chips would have been the first to get 32nm.
    Reply