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CNET Editors' Take
October 4, 2010 5:18 AM PDT
The Aspire One AOD255 adds a dual-core Atom into a 10.1-inch Netbook.
Dual-core: The Acer Aspire One AOD255.
(Credit: Acer)Netbooks don't change very much in terms of specs, at least compared with other laptops, but there has been one new wrinkle as of late: dual-core Atom CPUs.
Acer's 10.1-inch Acer Aspire AOD255 Netbook includes a new dual-core Atom N550 CPU for a very reasonable $329, along with 1GB of DDR3 RAM, a 250GB hard drive, and Windows 7 Starter. A single-core AOD255 will still be sold as well, starting at $269. It comes in four colors--red, black, brown, and aquamarine--and will go on sale later this month.
Acer has a line of "premium" Netbooks featuring 11.6-inch screens and AMD Athlon II Neo processors, so what does a dual-core Atom offer? Based on price, it doesn't cost quite so much to upgrade, though its performance as compared with a Neo CPU may not be nearly as eye-opening.
Is a dual-core Atom worth it? We'll be taking an up-close look at dual-core versus single-core Atom performance in Netbooks later this week, so stay tuned.
