diff --git a/awesome.c b/awesome.c
index 58b1b198..3dfc79fa 100644
--- a/awesome.c
+++ b/awesome.c
@@ -391,7 +391,6 @@ main(int argc, char **argv)
                       &globalconf.shiftlockmask, &globalconf.capslockmask);
 
     /* init Atoms cache and then EWMH atoms */
-    atom_cache_list_init(&globalconf.atoms);
     ewmh_init_atoms();
 
     /* init screens struct */
diff --git a/common/xutil.c b/common/xutil.c
index 21241278..4c0386ef 100644
--- a/common/xutil.c
+++ b/common/xutil.c
@@ -40,7 +40,7 @@
  */
 bool
 xutil_gettextprop(xcb_connection_t *conn, xcb_window_t w,
-                  xutil_atom_cache_t **atoms,
+                  xutil_atom_cache_array_t *atoms,
                   xcb_atom_t atom, char **text)
 {
     xcb_get_property_cookie_t prop_c;
@@ -158,7 +158,7 @@ xutil_get_transient_for_hint(xcb_connection_t *c, xcb_window_t win,
 
 /** Send an unchecked InternAtom request if it is not already in the
  * cache, in the second case it stores the cache entry (an ordered
- * linked-list).
+ * array).
  * \param c X connection.
  * \param atoms Atoms cache, or NULL if no cache.
  * \param name Atom name.
@@ -166,30 +166,39 @@ xutil_get_transient_for_hint(xcb_connection_t *c, xcb_window_t win,
  */
 xutil_intern_atom_request_t
 xutil_intern_atom(xcb_connection_t *c,
-                  xutil_atom_cache_t **atoms,
+                  xutil_atom_cache_array_t *atoms,
                   const char *name)
 {
     xutil_intern_atom_request_t atom_req;
-    xutil_atom_cache_t *atom_next;
-    int cmp_cache;
+    int l = 0, r;
 
     p_clear(&atom_req, 1);
 
-    /* Check if this atom is present in the cache ordered linked-list */
+    /* Check if this atom is present in the cache ordered array */
     if(atoms)
-        for(atom_next = *atoms;
-            atom_next && (cmp_cache = a_strcmp(name, atom_next->name)) >= 0;
-            atom_next = atom_cache_list_next(NULL, atom_next))
-            if(cmp_cache == 0)
+    {
+        r = atoms->len;
+        while (l < r)
+        {
+            int i = (r + l) / 2;
+            switch (a_strcmp(name, atoms->tab[i]->name))
             {
+              case -1: /* ev < atoms->tab[i] */
+                r = i;
+                break;
+              case 0: /* ev == atoms->tab[i] */
                 atom_req.cache_hit = true;
-                atom_req.cache = atom_next;
+                atom_req.cache = atoms->tab[i];
                 return atom_req;
+              case 1: /* ev > atoms->tab[i] */
+                l = i + 1;
+                break;
             }
+        }
+    }
 
     /* Otherwise send an InternAtom request to the server */
     atom_req.name = a_strdup(name);
-    atom_req.cache_hit = false;
     atom_req.cookie = xcb_intern_atom_unchecked(c, false, a_strlen(name), name);
 
     return atom_req;
@@ -205,12 +214,13 @@ xutil_intern_atom(xcb_connection_t *c,
  */
 xcb_atom_t
 xutil_intern_atom_reply(xcb_connection_t *c,
-                        xutil_atom_cache_t **atoms,
+                        xutil_atom_cache_array_t *atoms,
                         xutil_intern_atom_request_t atom_req)
 {
     xcb_intern_atom_reply_t *atom_rep;
-    xutil_atom_cache_t *atom_cache, *atom_next;
-    xcb_atom_t atom;
+    xutil_atom_cache_t *atom_cache;
+    xcb_atom_t atom = 0;
+    int l = 0, r;
 
     /* If the atom is present in the cache, just returns the
      * atom... */
@@ -219,35 +229,39 @@ xutil_intern_atom_reply(xcb_connection_t *c,
 
     /* Get the reply from InternAtom request */
     if(!(atom_rep = xcb_intern_atom_reply(c, atom_req.cookie, NULL)))
-    {
-        p_delete(&atom_req.name);
-        return 0;
-    }
+        goto bailout;
 
     atom = atom_rep->atom;
 
     if(atoms)
     {
+        r = atoms->len;
+
         /* Create a new atom cache entry */
         atom_cache = p_new(xutil_atom_cache_t, 1);
         atom_cache->atom = atom_rep->atom;
         atom_cache->name = atom_req.name;
 
-        /* Add the entry in the list at the beginning of the cache list */
-        if(*atoms == NULL || a_strcmp(atom_req.name, (*atoms)->name) < 0)
-            atom_cache_list_push(atoms, atom_cache);
-        /* Otherwise insert it at the proper position in the cache list
-         * according to its name */
-        else
+        while (l < r)
         {
-            for(atom_next = *atoms;
-                atom_next && atom_next->next && a_strcmp(atom_req.name, atom_next->next->name) > 0;
-                atom_next = atom_cache_list_next(NULL, atom_next));
-    
-            atom_cache_list_attach_after(atom_next, atom_cache);
+            int i = (r + l) / 2;
+            switch(a_strcmp(atom_cache->name, atoms->tab[i]->name))
+            {
+              case -1: /* k < atoms->tab[i] */
+                r = i;
+                break;
+              case 0: /* k == atoms->tab[i] cannot append */
+                assert(0);
+              case 1: /* k > atoms->tab[i] */
+                l = i + 1;
+                break;
+            }
         }
+
+        xutil_atom_cache_array_splice(atoms, r, 0, &atom_cache, 1);
     }
 
+bailout:
     p_delete(&atom_rep);
 
     return atom;
diff --git a/common/xutil.h b/common/xutil.h
index 2bca8718..3228a090 100644
--- a/common/xutil.h
+++ b/common/xutil.h
@@ -32,7 +32,7 @@
 /* XCB doesn't provide keysyms definition */
 #include <X11/keysym.h>
 
-#include "common/list.h"
+#include "array.h"
 
 #define CLEANMASK(mask)      (mask & ~(globalconf.numlockmask | XCB_MOD_MASK_LOCK))
 
@@ -97,16 +97,17 @@ typedef struct
 class_hint_t *xutil_get_class_hint(xcb_connection_t *, xcb_window_t);
 
 /** Cache entry */
-typedef struct xutil_atom_cache_t xutil_atom_cache_t;
-struct xutil_atom_cache_t
+typedef struct
 {
     /** Atom X identifier */
     xcb_atom_t atom;
     /** Atom name */
     char *name;
-    /** Next and previous atom cache entries */
-    xutil_atom_cache_t *prev, *next;
-};
+} xutil_atom_cache_t;
+
+void xutil_atom_cache_delete(xutil_atom_cache_t **);
+
+DO_ARRAY(xutil_atom_cache_t *, xutil_atom_cache, xutil_atom_cache_delete)
 
 /** InternAtom request data structure which may hold the cookie if the
  * atom is not already present in the cache */
@@ -125,22 +126,13 @@ typedef struct
     };
 } xutil_intern_atom_request_t;
 
-/* InternATom request which relies on a cache stored as a ordered
- * linked-list */
-xutil_intern_atom_request_t xutil_intern_atom(xcb_connection_t *, xutil_atom_cache_t **,
+xutil_intern_atom_request_t xutil_intern_atom(xcb_connection_t *, xutil_atom_cache_array_t *,
                                               const char *);
 
-/** Treat reply from InternAtom request */
-xcb_atom_t xutil_intern_atom_reply(xcb_connection_t *, xutil_atom_cache_t **,
+xcb_atom_t xutil_intern_atom_reply(xcb_connection_t *, xutil_atom_cache_array_t *,
                                    xutil_intern_atom_request_t);
 
-/** Delete a entry in the cache */
-void xutil_atom_cache_delete(xutil_atom_cache_t **);
-
-/** Cache list utils functions */
-DO_SLIST(xutil_atom_cache_t, atom_cache, xutil_atom_cache_delete)
-
-bool xutil_gettextprop(xcb_connection_t *, xcb_window_t, xutil_atom_cache_t **,
+bool xutil_gettextprop(xcb_connection_t *, xcb_window_t, xutil_atom_cache_array_t *,
                        xcb_atom_t, char **);
 
 void xutil_getlockmask(xcb_connection_t *, xcb_key_symbols_t *,
diff --git a/structs.h b/structs.h
index e1f7d208..c7916735 100644
--- a/structs.h
+++ b/structs.h
@@ -422,7 +422,7 @@ struct awesome_t
     /** Last XMotionEvent coords */
     int pointer_x, pointer_y;
     /** Atoms cache */
-    xutil_atom_cache_t *atoms;
+    xutil_atom_cache_array_t atoms;
     /** Lua VM state */
     lua_State *L;
     /** Default colors */