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Netbooks have been on a strict single-core Atom diet. But one model that has appeared in Japan is gorging itself on a dual-core Atom processor and Nvidia graphics.

A Shenzhen Weibu Electronics Netbook

(Credit: Shenzhen Weibu Electronics)

Japanese technology Web site Akiba Hotline says a Netbook made by Shenzhen Weibu Electronics will soon hit the market that uses a dual-core Atom 330 processor and Nvidia 9400M "Ion" graphics--the same graphics used in Apple MacBooks.

These silicon specifications have become fairly common in so-called Nettops--tiny Atom-based desktop computers--but have yet to catch on in Netbooks. One reason: the Atom 330 has power consumption requirements double that of a single-core Atom (though the 330 is still low, at 8 watts, compared with mainstream Intel laptop chips, which typically are rated at 25 watts or higher).

The 330, like other Atom processors, supports hyper-threading--which potentially doubles the number of tasks, or threads, a processor can handle--a feature also found in Intel's newest Core i "Nehalem" processors. Intel's widely-used Core architecture processors do not support hyper-threading.

The 1.6GHz Atom 330, because of its two cores, also integrates twice the cache memory (1MB) of single-core Atom chips.

The "N10A" Netbook from Weibu is expected to go on sale "soon" for 49,800 yen, or just under $530. It will come with 1GB of memory, a 150GB hard disk drive, Web camera, and 802.11 g/b wireless. It will not come with a pre-installed operating system, according to Akiba Hotline.