Intel has revealed its single-core Silverthorne-based Atom processors, and things are getting a bit clearer as to what we can expect to see from these new processors. The article also covers the supporting Poulsbo chipset and its features, which are quite basic, to put it nicely.

We knew that the Atom platform was going to be somewhat limited when it came to features, as Intel doesn't want it to compete with its mainstream products, and with Intel moving the Celeron up to dual core, it's not hard to see why Intel needs this new low cost range of CPU's.

The processors listed by Intel are all mobile processors and the basic model is the Atom Z500, which is clocked at a mere 800MHz, has 512kB of L2 cache and bus speed of 400MHz. To its advantage is the super low TDP of a mere 0.65W. We'd expect this to be the CPU that ends up in most of the MID devices.

Next up, we have three 2W TDP processors, the Z510, 520 and 530. The Z510 is clocked at 1.1GHz and uses a 400MHz bus, whereas the Z520 and Z530 relies on a 533MHz bus. The Z520 is clocked at 1.33GHz and it's also the first model to support Hyperthreading. The Z530 is clocked at 1.6GHz. All three models comes with 512kB of L2 cache. Finally, we have the Z540 which has a TDP of 2.4W and a clock speed of 1.86GHz. It also features Hyperthreading, a 533MHz bus and 512kB of L2 cache.

All Atom processors also support execute bit disable, SS3, SSSE3 and the Hyperthreaded models should also support virtualization technology. Intel has renamed Hyperthreading to SMT or Simultaneous Multithreading, although it's the same technology. The dual-core Diamondville-based Atom processors will be able to handle a total of four simultaneous threads due to this.

The Poulsbo chipset will be known as an SCH or System Controller Hub, and it has some rather limiting features, such as a maximum display resolution of 1,366x768 over LVDS or 1,280x1,024 and 720p/1080i on an external display. From what we know, Intel will limit the Atom platform to use VGA or TV-out, so don't expect to find DVI, HDMI and DisplayPort support in the first generation products.

The SCH also comes with support for up to eight USB 2.0 ports, 2GB or DDR2 533MHz memory, up to three SDIO interfaces, two PCIe x1 slots and an IDE interface. Oddly enough, there doesn't seem to be any SATA support, which seems very strange as the storage market is moving away from IDE.

In terms of pricing, it looks like the expected cost of sub US$29 was wrong, at least for now, as the two entry level models with 400MHz bus will cost US$45, although this is for the CPU and the SCH. The Z520 will cost $20 more at $65, with the Z530 costing $95 and the Z540 coming in at a whopping $160. All prices are in quantities of 1,000 units.

It very likely that the Z510 will be the most popular model in the low-cost notebook market, as the price difference between it and the faster models is far too high for this market segment, as every cent counts when you're looking at retailing something as cheap as the Eee PC and its upcoming competition.

You can find some additional information here (PDF)