The next big development in PC system architecture will happen when the GPU makes the jump onto the CPU die; AMD will make that leap in 2011, with its Llano processors, but Intel will jump first in early 2010 with a version of Atom that includes an on-die GPU. I've detailed this next-gen Atom in previous coverage, so refer to that for more information. What Intel revealed on Friday were the specifics of the Pine Trail launch lineup.

The table below gives the vital statistics for the three processors that will be launching at CES, all of which have on-die Intel GMA graphics:

The N450 is aimed at netbooks, while the D510 and D410 are aimed at "entry-level desktops." This latter category consists of what Intel used to call "nettops," but the moniker failed to catch on so it has been ditched. It's hard to imagine why anyone in their right mind would buy an Atom-based desktop system, given the chip's slow-as-molasses performance (especially under Windows 7). The only reason I could think of for a vendor to use one is if it's targeting an aggressive, novel form-factor that needs a 10W to 13W TDP and can sacrifice performance.

Either way, Atom sounds the death knell for NVIDIA's Ion platform in netbooks; what's the point of buying an Atom CPU + NVIDIA GPU combo if the Atom CPU already comes with an integrated GPU? Ion will still spank Pine Trail at things like HD video playback, but it's clear that its future (if any) is mainly in the home theater PC (HTPC) market, and that market is not that big yet.

Intel claims that by reducing the number of chips for the platform (see the diagram below), Pine Trail gives a 20 percent average power reduction and a 60 percent package size reduction for netbooks vs. the existing Atom platform, and a 50 percent lower TDP and a 70 percent packaging reduction for nettops.

"Pine Trail" Atom platform. Source: Intel

32nm in volume production, GMA is now "HD graphics"

Intel also announced on Friday that the company's 32nm processors are in volume production, and the chipmaker will be launching 17 of them across the Core i5, i7, and Pentium brands on January 7, the first day of CES. With Westmere being the 32nm die shrink of Nehalem, the launch will bring Intel's new microarchitecture to every corner of the company's mainstream CPU lineup.

As part of the Westmere briefing, Intel spent some time talking about and demoing "Turbo Boost," which is essentially the same on-demand power/performance scaling that has been around since the Nehalem launch. In a nutshell, Intel can boost the clock frequency of a core that's under heavy load, in order to provide a performance speed-up. The effect is invisible to the user, so Intel has created a little applet that OEMs can include to bring it to their attention.

The reason that Intel is makes such a fuss over what should be an otherwise invisible feature that boosts performance while keeping power under control, is that the company plans to charge for it. The Core i3 won't have Turbo Boost—only Core i5 and i7 are so blessed. In a small way, doing product segmentation by either including or excluding Turbo Boost is a return to a bygone era when Intel's entire line was price/performance segmented on the basis of clockspeed alone.

Intel is also renaming the integrated graphic processors (IGPs) that will ship with its 32nm parts, from "GMA" to "HD graphics." Intel's IGPs have definitely improved since the original launch of the GMA branding, so a break with a past in which GMA is a synonym for "trash" is definitely appropriate.

Ultimately, 32nm is a great node for Intel and for x86 in general—not only will it see CPU/GPU combos come into their own, but it will also mark the debut of x86 SoCs in markets that range from embedded products to servers. So, while I'm not quite as sanguine about the 2010 economic outlook as is Intel and the analysts they cite, there's no denying that the company is extremely well-positioned for the coming year, despite recent setbacks on the discrete graphics and antitrust fronts.