We were wondering why the 1.6GHz Atom is the most popular one and as we learned at Cebit, it was the price that was simply too high for OEMs and ODMs to embrace the slightly faster 1.86GHz Atom.

Currently the Z530, a 1.6GHz Atom with 512KB cache, FSB 533 and 45nm development process sells for $65, and the N270, a CPU with the same spec, is selling for $44 and is very popular among netbook manufacturers.

Z540, a 1.86GHz Atom with 512KB cache and FSB 533 is selling for a whopping $135 and the price is the main reason why this CPU is not widely accepted. We don’t understand why would Intel like to keep this SKU at such a high price, but probably yields at 1.86GHz are not as good as with 1.6GHz.

You can see for yourself, at Intel’s official pricelist, here (PDF).