Intel Atom Z2000 vs Intel Atom Z2480

Intel Atom Z2000

The Intel Atom Z2000 is a SoC (System on a Chip) with the Codename Penwell and part of the Medfield platform. The Z2000 is a low end part and integrates a single core Atom processor (Saltwell) clocked at 1.0 GHz (no Hyper Threading, no turbo).

The Saltwell CPU core is still very similar to the first Intel Atom. Therefore, the performance per clock should be very similar (only very small enhancements). However, the CPU now features additional 256 KB low-power-cache (on a separate voltage plane) to allow the CPU and L2 cache to enter a lower power state. Furthermore, the CPU core can be downclocked to 100 MHz (in 100 MHz steps) to save power.

The processor performance should be on a level with a previous generation Atom processor clocked at 1.0 GHz (e.g., the Atom Z510 clocked at 1.1 GHz). Compared to other smartphone SoCs, the Z2000 is a low end solution.

The integrated graphics card is based on a PowerVR SGX 540 design and clocked at 320 MHz. The video decoder (MPEG4.2, H.264, VC1, WMV) and encoder (MPEG4.2, H.264) also stem from Imagination Technologies (VDX385 and VDE285) and should allow 1080p30 de- and encoding of videos.

Furthermore, a dual channel LPDDR2 memory controller (2x 32 Bit) for a maximum of 1GB RAM is integrated.

The whole SoC was optimized for power efficiency and low power consumption. It is produced with a 32nm LP (low power) process. At 100 MHz the SoC should consume about 50 mW and at 1.0 GHz about 300 - 400 mW. Therefore, the Z2000 is even suited for smartphones.

Sources: Anandtech

Intel Atom Z2480

The Intel Atom Z2480 is a SoC (System on a Chip) with the Codename Penwell and part of the Medfield platform. The Z2480 is a one chip SoC and integrates a single core Atom processor (Saltwell) clocked at up to 2.0 GHz. Due to Hyper-Threading two threads can be executed on the single core (for improved efficiency).

The Saltwell CPU core is still very similar to the first Intel Atom. Therefore, the performance per clock should be very similar (only very small enhancements). However, the CPU now features additional 256 KB low-power-cache (on a separate voltage plane) to allow the CPU and L2 cache to enter a lower power state. Furthermore, the Atom now supports some sort of Turbo Boost and can reach up to 2.0 GHz shortly (1.3 GHz base frequency). Furthermore, the CPU core can be downclocked to 100 MHz (in 100 MHz steps) to save power.

The processor performance should be on a level with a previous generation Atom processor clocked at 2.0 GHz (e.g., the Z550). Due to the X86 architecture, native ARM code on Android has to be translated on the fly and therefore the performance may degrade on certain applications.

The integrated graphics card is based on a PowerVR SGX 540 design and clocked at 400 MHz. The video decoder (MPEG4.2, H.264, VC1, WMV) and encoder (MPEG4.2, H.264) also stem from Imagination Technologies (VDX385 and VDE285) and should allow 1080p30 de- and encoding of videos.

Furthermore, a dual channel LPDDR2 memory controller (2x 32 Bit) for a maximum of 1GB RAM is integrated.

The whole SoC was optimized for power efficiency and low power consumption. It is produced with a 32nm LP (low power) process.