Atom was designed to be a low-cost, low-power solution, but its value in the desktop space is debatable if you consider performance. We pit the cheapest Core i3 against Intel's Atom on a performance-per-dollar and a per-watt basis to see which is better.
Intel® Virtualization Technology for Directed I/O (VT-d)
No
No
No
Intel® Trusted Execution Technology
No
No
No
AES New Instructions
No
No
Row 56 - Cell 3
Intel® 64
Yes
Yes
Yes
Idle States
Yes
No
No
Enhanced Intel® Speedstep Technology
Yes
No
No
Intel® Demand Based Switching
No
No
No
Thermal Monitoring Technologies
No
No
No
Execute Disable Bit
Yes
Yes
Yes
Source: Intel ark (ark.intel.com)
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