Windows 8
Basic internet browsing is still possible, although you have to expect longer waiting times than with a conventional PC. Considering the processor of the Atom D2700 doesn't differ much from its predecessor, the new CPU doesn't change much in this regard.
That computers with Atom or E processors don't feel fast can be due to the operating system that's used. Windows 7 is a typical multi-tasking OS and is not designed for use on slower PCs. Windows 8 changes this. In the new Metro interface only one task at a time is in use, or at most two if you use the "snap" feature. In Windows 8, applications that are not in the foreground do not use system resources (with a couple exceptions).
We tried out the Windows 8 Consumer Preview on both processors. This caused a lot of problems with the Intel D2700. As soon as we installed the video card drivers (for Windows 7 because there aren't any Windows 8 drivers available) the system became very unstable. It did work without the graphics driver, but then the animations in the Metro interface were not very smooth. With the AMD E-450 Windows 8 was a different story, it worked flawlessly. It proves that AMD is more experienced in the area of graphics card drivers.
With the Fusion system the Windows 8 experience is actually pretty positive. We can conclude that everything works as it should, as long as you limit yourself to the Metro interface and Metro apps. All apps that are available as test for Windows 8 Metro work fine. We can definitely see a market for the Intel Atom and AMD E processors as basis for affordable Windows 8 mini-PCs, all-in-ones and tablets. For real desktops you're better off avoiding these, because you'll face the same problems as in Windows 7. Of course Microsoft still needs to prove that a market can be created for PCs only using Metro. For this to happen the number of apps need to increase quickly after Windows 8 is launched.
You will still need to keep in mind with Windows 8 and Metro that the processing power of the Intel Atom and AMD Fusion limits its use to simple data consumption, for example surfing the web, reading email, checking the weather forecast and so on. In Windows 8 the heavier tasks are still not recommended.
Windows 8 and Metro Apps work fine with the slower CPUs, since the new OS prevents multi-tasking.
