Intel's Atom platform has had great success in the netbook market, especially due to its low power consumption. As a result, manufacturers started introducing the Atom processor into different computer hardwares such as Tablet PCs, HTPCs, and NetTops. Now the Atom has moved into the Network Attached Storage (NAS) market.

SoC are often used in budget and mainstream NAS products due to their lower power consumption, but they are not as powerful as a desktop processor based NAS. High-end NAS products like the QNAP TS 809 Pro will often use desktop processors that emphasize performance over power consumption. The Atom processor seems to be a perfect marriage of the two with its combination of high performance (due to its x86 design) and low power consumption.



Link: Bjorn3D