Intel N100 processor runs very smoothly with older gaming console emulation
At CES 2023, in addition to the 13th-generation non-K processors and 13th-generation mobile processors for desktops, Intel also has Alder Lake-N series processors for entry-level computing. It uses the 7nm Gracemont architecture, which is the E-Core of Alder Lake and Raptor Lake and is the successor of the previous Jasper Lake architecture Pentium/Celeron Nx000 series. The Core i3-N305 and N300 have 8 E-Cores, while the Intel N200/N100 processors have 4 E-Cores, and the N50 processor has only two E-Cores.
ETA Prime tested the Morefine M9 Mini-PC, which uses an N100 processor and single-channel DDR4 memory. The overall size is only about 0.5 liters, which is smaller than a gamepad. The N100 processor has 4 cores and 4 threads, with a boost clock of 3.4GHz. It is equipped with 24 EU iGPU with a clock of 750MHz. Due to the bandwidth of single-channel DDR4, the performance of the iGPU will be affected.
MoreFine N9 with Intel Processor N100, Source: ETA Prime
Compared with the previous generation N5105, the performance improvement of the Intel N100 processor in a single thread is still very obvious, and the improvement of multi-thread is relatively not so big. The performance of the two entry-level graphics cards running 3DMark is still very smooth.
MoreFine N9 with Intel Processor N100, Source: ETA Prime
In addition, this machine runs very smoothly with older gaming console emulation. It can run smoothly on Gamecube’s F-Zero GX, PSP’s God of War Chains of the Olympus, PS2 Grand Turismo 4, or even WiiU Bayoneta 2. The average system power consumption during gaming is 16W, while the standby power consumption is only 4W.
It can be seen from this that the performance of Alder Lake-N is still very strong, and the energy consumption ratio is also relatively high. It’s a great value for the non-gaming home and commercial market, and it’s not bad at running emulators, so you’ll probably see these processors in cheap gaming consoles under $200.
