Thing is though, performance isn’t required from just graphics but also CPU performance to properly play the mid to high end modern PC games.

So granting far more graphical performance will only carry them so far. Just like Netbooks that were coupled with discrete graphic cards in the past, such as Nvidia ION that also gives a good idea of how far they could take it as the Nvidia ION pushed the limits of what you could get without also increasing the CPU performance.

However, this is part of Intel’s strategy (AMD as well as they’re working on their own version of the technology) though as they are working on allowing their processors to be clocked higher if factors like power and cooling can be addressed. So a docked system could ramp up to higher power specification, along with options to use a docked discrete graphic solution as well.

Though this will mainly apply to their Core i-Series at first but the ATOM line should also receive similar dock options.

MS also has a patent, they got back in about 2010, which is for allowing a docked device to switch to a more powerful CPU without rebooting. So if Intel offers such a capability then it’s a safe bet MS will make Windows compatible with that feature.

Right now, we may see this in a more limited fashion for systems that may switch between ARM and x86. Such as laptop models with detachable screens that function as Android tablets, but these don’t provide seamless usages between the tablet and laptop modes.

So the potential is there but it’ll be some time before we see it properly developed.

Windows 8 though can potentially be a catalyst to help speed the process along… provided everything goes as planned of course.

However, if your needs are small then next year’s 22nm ATOM updates might be enough. Intel will be introducing much of the technology they already developed for Ivy Bridge to the ATOM and this will include the GMA, which will be based on the HD4000 but scaled down from 16 execution units to 4.

The HD2500 has 6 for comparison… Combined with up to quad core processors should allow some limited PC gaming.

Mind that they could always give it a boost by combining a discrete graphic card solution. This has been done for even netbooks and also some Ultrabooks. So given time we should see some more options.

Nvidia at least is working on discrete solutions that should be applicable all the way down to mobile devices. They may not be that powerful but it’s much easier to design a more powerful discrete graphic solution than a embedded/integrated solution.

I was hoping that on the lower end, Intel Atom & GMA has caught up to at least the 1st generation Intel HD Graphics.

Even AMD Brazos, which has 2-3x better graphics than even the new ATOMs, with 5-9x better than the older ATOMs, aren’t really intended for PC gaming either.

However, MS is also pushing game streaming services, MMO’s, and more tablet optimized games that will be easier to run and still look pretty good.

Tablet gaming is basically reaching the game console level and should steadily offer more over the next few years.

This year is the last of the old ATOM architecture and starting with the 22nm update that will start in the second half of next year we shall see a marked improvement throughout their offerings.

The main improvement Clover Trail brings is basically turning the ATOM into a SoC, like ARM… So you can expect around 8-14 hours, with an average around 10 hours, of run time from most devices, along with lower costs as SoC design helps reduce cost and they’ll be using the same LPDDR2 RAM and eMMC storage as ARM SoC’s for pretty much the same BOM costs.

They also added the usual range of sensors, some will offer a WACOM digitizer pen as well as the usual touch screen, but unlike ARM tablets you’ll see USB 2.0 (or mini) far more common, some may even offer Ethernet, and of course running a desktop OS with Windows 8/Pro.

Overall performance for the Clover Trail Windows 8 tablets will be better than previous Windows 7 ATOM tablets. The Z2760 is just a little less powerful than the Cedar Trail N2800, which is the top performer for present mobile Intel ATOMs and Windows 8 is much more optimized for mobile usage than Windows 7.

The Modern UI apps are run mainly one at a time and apps are suspended after ~5 seconds if not actively used. System will also close suspended apps if more RAM is needed to open another app. So it’s harder to use up resources with Windows 8.

The UI is also hardware accelerated and some of the optimization even spills over to the desktop mode mode.

So overall the system will seem pretty responsive and short of gaming and running similarly resource intensive apps then the Clover Trail tablets should fit most people’s needs…

While for gaming, next year’s Haswell should provide the solution you’re looking for…