Intel is playing quite a smart strategy with its Atom chipset. Everyone should know by now that 945GC is the chipset that makes the Atom CPUs work, but most of you don't know the price.

Intel is using 945GC chipset for Atom, and it is selling the Northbridge and Southbridge for $20. If you want 945GZ it is also going to cost you $20; and remember these are always wholesale prices for a thousand or more chipsets, as you cannot actually buy a chipset in retail.

If you decide to buy a desktop version of the chipset, such as 945P, you will end up paying $33, while the IGP one 945G will cost as much as $37. The top of the hill is 945GT that sells for pricey $39, double the 945GC price.

While AMD is trying to sell its performance per Watt message, Intel seems to be taking a dollar per Watt approach. As you probably know by now, the 945GC is the hottest and power hungry component of the Atom subsystem.