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The Intel Atom Pine Trail chips that are due out in early 2010 will combine processor, graphics, and memory functions onto a single chip. This is designed to help save power while offering perhaps a slight performance boost. But Pine Trail chips aren’t supposed to be speed demons, and they won’t be that much more powerful than today’s Intel Atom Diamondville chips. But in another year or so, Intel is set to launch the next, next generation platform code-named Cedar Trail. And at that point, Fudzilla reports you can expect a performance boost.

Intel will use a 32nm process for the Cedar Trail chips, instead of the 45nm process using in the upcoming Pine Trail platform. Intel also plans to boost the graphics performance, so that Cedar Trail chips will get about twice the graphics performance of Pineview processors.

That should give the next-generation platform enough oomph to handle 1080p HD video playback. Unfortunately, it’s probably not going to help you play GPU-intensive 3D video games. Right now computers with Atom processors and integrated GMA 950 graphics score pathetically low on 3D graphics tests such as 3DMark06. Doubling a score of 100 still won’t be enough for Intel’s integrated graphics to compete with dedicated solutions such as NVIDIA ION, which provides more than 10x more powerful graphics.

via Netbook Choice