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While we shouldn't really expect great computing speed from netbooks equipped with the Intel Atom CPU, we can at least try to find out who among the current netbook manufacturers makes the fastest netbook to date. Today's netbook standard for the CPU is the Intel Atom N280 1.66GHz, which is an upgraded version of the Intel Atom N270 1.6GHz. While that additional .06 does not make those netbooks equipped with the N280 the fastest netbooks, it still gives minor speed improvement.
If we are to look into other specs of a netbook's CPU, we should also pay attention to the clock frequency of its Front-Side Bus or FSB. Not all Intel Atom N280 CPUs are clocked similarly. Some are clocked lower than the others. Using this as a basis of our netbook speed criteria, let's take a look at the FSB specs of today's top netbook picks.
- Acer Aspire One D150 - Intel Atom N280 1.66GHz, 667 MHz FSB
- HP Mini 2140 - Intel Atom N270 1.6GHz, 533 MHz FSB
- MSI Wind U120 - 533 MHz Intel Atom N270 1.60 GHz, 533 FSB
- Lenovo IdeaPad S10 - Intel Atom N270 1.60 GHz, 533 MHz FSB
- Dell Mini 10 - Intel Atom Z520 1.33GHz, 533MHz FSB
- Samsung NC20 - 1.30GHz VIA Nano ULV U2250, 800MHz FSB
- G X120 - Intel Atom Processor N270, 1.6GHz, 533MHz FSB
- Eee PC 1000HE - Intel Atom N280 1.66GHz, 667MHz
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By looking at these netbook CPU specs including their FSB clock frequency, it's obvious that two of these netbooks stand-out, the
Eee PC 1000HE and
Acer Aspire One D150. And if we are to accept this as a standard for knowing what makes the fastest netbook computer, it is clear that both
Acer and Asus make the fastest netbook, to date. I can not really say anything about the Acer Aspire One D150, but I could personally attest to the fact that the Eee PC 1000HE is a fast netbook when compared to its sibling, the Eee PC 1000H. But, of course, clock speed is not the end all of netbook standards.
