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December 19th, 2023 20:15
What's an "Atom Core"?
The BIOS for my XPS 8960 has a setting for the number of "Atom Cores", but what is an Atom core?
I know about Intel Atom processors, but my 8960 ain't got one.
This 2022 article from Ars Technica says "Dell's XPS 15 BIOS refers to E-cores as Atom Cores ..." but why would Dell do that?
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MastiffX
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242 Posts
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December 20th, 2023 04:41
After further research, it appears that Ars Technica was indeed correct!
The E-cores in Intel processors (E for efficiency) were derived from technology used in Atom processors. These are ultra-low-voltage processors designed to reduce electric consumption and power dissipation, similar to how E-cores are used.
It appears that only Dell refers to E-cores as "Atom cores". At least, I haven't seen this terminology used anywhere else. Why Dell does this is a mystery.