What is owner opinion on Atom based Win8 tablets?

esspee

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So I really want to get a Windows 8 tablet but just cannot choose. It seems like everything is a compromise until Intel drops new 7w silicon and OEMs find a sweet spot.

I would like a 10.1" Windows 8 tablet that is roughly the size and weight of the iPad. Right now this only seems doable with an Atom version. I will not deny I want the i5 power of the W700 or Surface Pro but at this point it just adds too much weight, size, noise and heat for my taste.

There are a few nice looking contenders in the Atom tablet space as far as build and size goes. I know that means I sacrifice a lot when it comes to cpu/gpu performance but exactly how much? I read a review that said the Acer W510 struggled with games like Cut the Rope and Solitaire? If it cannot handle something that runs smooth on my phone I cannot image how slow the Atom must run Excel or a HD movie.

My other concern is that all of the Atom based tablets Ive seen are using MMC for their storage. This interface would seem pretty abysmal for activities like booting up, writing files and launching x86 apps. I know the Surface Pro runs sata ssd and gets pretty rave reviews in those areas, so just how noticeable is the difference?

I guess I would just like opinions from the atom base tablet owners who can maybe draw some comparisons to what they have experienced.
 

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I have a Gigabyte S1080 tablet (Atom N570), 2GB RAM, Samsung 830 SSD 128GB that runs Windows 7 (I did have Windows 8 on it, which ran fine, but went back to 7) and on it I have replicated my desktop with full Office, Adobe Creative Suite and a lot of other programs. The tablet runs all of these without drama and, in my view quite fast, for what it is.
 

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Re-edit ......: ()

Yes, I hate to be bearer of bad news,,, and basing this off the 17W 3rd Gen i5's I just picked one cause I don't know exactly which one is going into Surface.
I also picked the Atom that is in the HP Envy2 ... (which I just thought of and went with as an example on the fly.)

ARK | Intel® Atom

From the Acer Iconia W700
http://ark.intel.com/products/65707/Intel-Core-i5-3317U-Processor-(3M-Cache-up-to-2_60-GHz)

So, clearly, yes, you will be able to do more with an i5 than an Atom. (I still stand by this statement)

Also keep in mind that the i5 has the Virtualization capabilities, the Atom does not.
So if you ever wanted to play around with Virtual Machines on the tablet. The Atom will either not do it, or will struggle.

Also of note, the i5 is 64bit, the Atom that comes in the HP Envy2 is only 32bit
(However, there are other Atoms that can run 64bit.)

(I picked the first Tablet that I could find quickly and went with that Processor.

But let's be really honest here.
Can you do stuff with the Atom? Yes
Does it Work? Yep.
Will it fit your needs? Depends on what you want to really do, what are your plans for using it, now and in the future.
Is the i5 better? Yes, it is.

Would I follow Rays advice or the guy in the Video and my own knowledge? The guy in the Video and my own knowledge.

I never said the Atom is not usable, I stated that you can do more with the i5. And the specs clearly show it. And if you can't believe specs, then what can you believe or go off of?)

One final note: You get what you pay for.
 
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    Win 8.1 Pro
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    CORSAIR 8GB 2X4 D3 1866
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    EVGA GTX680 4GB
    Monitor(s) Displays
    ASUS 24" LED VG248QE
    Hard Drives
    SAMSUNG E 256GB SSD 840 PRO -
    SAMSUNG E 120GB SSD840 -
    SEAGATE 1TB PIPELINE
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    CORSAIR GS800
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    CORSAIR 600T
    Cooling
    CORSAIR HYDRO H100I LIQUID COOLER
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    THERMALTA CHALLENGER ULT GAME-KYBRD
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    RAZER DEATHADDER GAME MS BLK-ED
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    LGELECOEM LG 14X SATA BD BURNER -
    CORSAIR SP120 Fans x 3 -
    NZXT 5.25 USB3 BAY CARD READER -
    HAUPPAUGE COLOSSUS
Yes, I hate to be bearer of bad new,,, and basing this off the 17W 3rd Gen i5's I just picked one cause I don't know exactly which one is going into Surface.
I also picked the Atom that is in the HP Envy2

ARK | Intel® Atom

ARK | Intel® Core

So, clearly, yes, you will be able to do more with an i5 than an Atom.

Also keep in mind that the i5 has the Virtualization capabilities, the Atom does not.
So if you ever wanted to play around with Virtual Machines on the tablet. The Atom will either not do it, or will struggle.

Also of note, the i5 is 64bit, the Atom is only 32bit

My Gigabyte tablet runs:

- full Office Professional Plus 2010
- Adobe Design Premium CS4
- Lightroom 3.6
- Garmin Basecamp/nRoute etc
- Macromedia Studio MX
- Microsoft ICE, LifeCam, Skype, Media Centre, Movie Maker,
- OziExplorer, Memory Map and GB of maps
- and more

Exactly what can an i5 run that the Atom can't?

Want to run VM: https://www.virtualbox.org/wiki/Virtualization

Want to install a x64 OS: ARK | Intel® Atom.

For a supposedly expert IT professional, you don't seem to know a lot about your field of work.
 

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Re-edit...:

Please read my post again....

As for Virtualbox, yeah, it works, but it's not the best solution, for which I did post about VM's

Also can you point to a tablet that runs the Atom you posted......
 
Last edited:

My Computer

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    Self Built
    CPU
    I7-3770K
    Motherboard
    ASUS SABERTOOTH Z77
    Memory
    CORSAIR 8GB 2X4 D3 1866
    Graphics Card(s)
    EVGA GTX680 4GB
    Monitor(s) Displays
    ASUS 24" LED VG248QE
    Hard Drives
    SAMSUNG E 256GB SSD 840 PRO -
    SAMSUNG E 120GB SSD840 -
    SEAGATE 1TB PIPELINE
    PSU
    CORSAIR GS800
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    CORSAIR 600T
    Cooling
    CORSAIR HYDRO H100I LIQUID COOLER
    Keyboard
    THERMALTA CHALLENGER ULT GAME-KYBRD
    Mouse
    RAZER DEATHADDER GAME MS BLK-ED
    Antivirus
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    LGELECOEM LG 14X SATA BD BURNER -
    CORSAIR SP120 Fans x 3 -
    NZXT 5.25 USB3 BAY CARD READER -
    HAUPPAUGE COLOSSUS
Re-edit...:

Please read my post again....

Don't selectively pick products that support your argument.

As for Virtualbox, yeah, it works, but it's not the best solution, for which I did post about VM's

We're not talking about the best solution, we're talking about solutions that work. That is not what you said.

Also can you point to a tablet that runs the Atom you posted......

Read post #2

I also forgot to mention. The OP asked what is an owner's opinion of the Atom processor in a tablet. Not the opinion of a boofhead on YouTube or those who don't own one.
 
Last edited:

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I don't think I ever questioned that the i5 can run circles around the Atom - I know it does. My question is more about real world experience away from all the charts and graphs. Is the Atom enough for everyday computing and what is 'enough' to you. When does the Atom start to lag. Personally, I am impressed that the Atom smoothly runs Lightroom and some of the other apps mentioned. What about viewing HD video or playing popular app store games?

Almost a bigger concern for me is the storage speed. The benchmarks between a sata ssd drive and one that uses mmc are just as staggering a difference as the Atom vs i5 comparison. But unlike a CPU where a 'difference' can remain pretty hidden until you really press it, storage read/write speeds are in your face always and unfortunately, I am not a patient person.

I do really like the thinner, lighter, longer lasting form factor the Atom but at the same time don't want to concede specs for form. My ideal tablet would be the body of the Thinkpad Tablet 2 (stylist holder and all) with the guts of the Razer Edge, but that form factor doesn't seem to exist in this world.
 

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I can connect a portable USB DVD drive to my tablet and run videos perfectly. I haven't tried running a stored video. I don't play games, so I can't provide any opinions in that respect. It is without a doubt suitable for everyday computing.

I can't say whether it will meet your needs, but it can do things in quite a respectable manner, all things considered. Your best option would be to find a device and try it out, if possible.
 

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Hi there
You gave me my Sunday morning laugh before breakfast -- ...."An i5 can run more than an Atom...." -- Well I suppose a Ferrari can go faster than an old Chevvy Citation or the "Peoples car" from the old East Germany --Trabant.!!

Don't forget also that very few Atom processors can run in 64 bit mode so that also adds hugely to the applications that won't be capable of working on an Atom processor.

If you basically just want to surf the net, do email / basic word processing or even some fairly light EXCEL or power point stuff then it will work fine - won't be the fastest system around though.

You could even play movies / DVD's -- but running anything complex like photoshop with huge files with loads of layers --well just forget it.

Battery life would be fine -- it really depends on what you want to do on it. -- Don't even THINK about it for serious games though. Spider Solitaire would probably be about the max you could get out of it.

Cheers
jimbo
 

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...but running anything complex like photoshop with huge files with loads of layers --well just forget it.

Well, you can, but why would you want to? You can certainly do fairly complex work with Photoshop, albeit slowly; however, and more importantly, if you need to process and deliver photos, you can do some surprising work with Lightroom.
 

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Most modern x86 Atoms can run x64, except they are locked by OEM's in the BIOS.
 

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if you guys want an Atom-based Win8 machine (me personally, I still only want Core processors because battery life isn't the main thing for me), the Lenovo Thinkpad Tablet 2 got a positive review from Engadget:

dsc05003-1360608206.jpg

Lenovo ThinkPad Tablet 2 review

to me, the most impressive aspects are the size and weight of the tablet. it also comes with a nice pen which is nice.
 

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That was a pretty shallow review from Engadget. Seems like they were more interested in the Thinkpad name and its looks more than how it performed.

That said, this was the tablet I really wanted. I love the form factor, the optional dock and the pen being built in. I waited and waited for this thing to go on sale. It was so far behind schedule that when it did release I decided to wait for the Surface to see what it had to offer.

However, now that the TT2 is out there it has some serious, show stopping issues if you spend a minute or two reading the Lenovo forums. 1) The WiFi is borked 2)The USB is suspect with a lot more stuff than just powered DVD and HDD. 3) the wait is 4+ weeks if your lucky.

If I could get one with the digitizer tomorrow and knew that the factory wasn't going to screw up installing my wlan then I probably would, but I can't so I continue to weigh the options.
 

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yeah, I don't know how you can use a support forum to judge things. by its very nature, people come to a support forum because they're having a problem. it's a magnet for problems. people don't go to a support forum to talk about their daily activities.

if you judge by support forums, every product in the world is massively defective, whether it's an apple forum or lenovo forum or whatever.

and yeah, Engadget's review is typical nowadays especially among the mobile sites. I still wait for the hardware sites like Arstechnica and Anandtech. They do reviews like I expect. Tons of details about the hardware and performance. Sites like Engadget focus more at the consumer level. Their reviewers just don't have a lot of technical expertise. I'm not singling out just Engadget. it's prevalent at Gizmodo, The Verge, etc.
 

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yeah, I love the guys at Anandtech. they have computer engineering and science backgrounds and it shows in the attention to details with their reviews. same thing with Peter Bright over at Arstechnica. He has such a breadth of knowledge. It's really impressive.

with a lot of other tech blogs, they're just normal people who get to play with a lot of hardware. they focus on details that normal people see when they play with machines at the store. how it feels in the hand. how long the battery lasts. how bright and colorful the screen is. how the trackpads and the keyboard feel.
 

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Yeah, you pretty much named the two blogs, Anandtech and Arstech, that I trust for reviews. I want geek info. Too many blogs are brand whores who treat tablets/laptops like fashion accessories - "oh that's hawt"

I would never judge a product solely by 'reader reviews' or forum posts but I also wouldn't dismiss them completely. Like blogs, they are best taken with a grain a salt and a prudent ear.
 

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    Windows 8
I have a ThinkPad Tablet 2 running Atoms 1.80 GHz processor with 2 GB of RAM in a Windows 8 Pro environment. My workhorse apps are Office 2010 Word, Excel, and PowerPoint. So far I have not seen any drag in running the programs. I also use the tablet to watch movies on Netflix w/o issues. With the 9-10 hours of battery life, this tablet is coming really close to be my desktop replacement.
 

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    Win8 Pro
    System Manufacturer/Model
    ThinkPad Tablet 2
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    Atoms 1.80 GHz
    Memory
    2.00 GB
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