AMD has showcased a tweaked Ontario APU with a power consumption rating of just 5W.

The limited edition processor appears to be based on the 1GHz C-50 core and it lacks a few features compared to the original 9W part.

Still, this is a very impressive figure. Some Intel Atom SKUs delivered similar consumption levels and even the SU 3500 CULV part was rated at 5.5W. However, the Ontario is a dual-core with integrated graphics, so it is clearly in a league of its own.

The new processor is aimed at the emerging tablet market. Most current tablets are based on even more efficient ARM cores, but some vendors still carry somewhat chunkier Atom tablets, or even bigger convertible tablets based on a wide range of processors, mostly x86-based.

Acer is the first vendor to embrace AMD's new part for its convertible Acer 5745G and you can check it out here. We're really not sure whether x86 processors have a bright future in this market segment, but until Microsoft starts shipping Windows 8, x86 parts will be the only choice for users who need a proper desktop OS on their tablet.