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AMD FX-4130 delivers 3.8GHz quad-core on a budget, A-Series chips get even cheaper
If you're building a starter desktop to get ready for school, you'll be glad to know that AMD is squeaking just a little more value for the dollar out of its processors. The new quad-core FX-4130 takes a 200MHz hop forward from its predecessor to a 3.8GHz base speed, and ramps up to 3.9GHz if it's feeling frisky. While it's thirstier than the earlier FX-4100 at 125W of maximum power draw, the unlocked chip's $112 retail cost is a potential sweet spot for those tailoring a system to a strict price. Anyone willing to trade overclocking support for yet more of a savings will be glad to know that AMD has been slashing the prices of its Fusion-based A-Series chips at the same time: the across-the-board cuts bring even the 2.9GHz A8-3850 down to $91. No breaks exist here for the performance crowd, alas, but AMD's new proposition might be just the excuse needed to build that budget Windows 8 PC.
AMD updates A-Series APUs, gives laptop Llanos modest spec bumps
AMD released its A-Series APUs almost six months ago, and since then it's seen Intel update the A-Series' Sandy Bridge counterparts. So, it's about time for the Llano laptop lineup to do the same, and the refresh has come in the form of seven spiffy new APUs. At the high end, there's the quad-core A8-3550MX clocked at 2.0 GHz with Radeon HD 6620G graphics to supplant the older A8-3530MX chip. On the low end, the 1.9GHz dual core A4-3305M with Radeon HD 6480G graphics joins AMD's A4-3300M. It's a minor update all around, with most models seeing a 100MHz boost in turbo frequency over existing A-Series APUs. If you're itching to dig a little deeper into all the fresh Fusion silicon, you'll find what you're looking for at the links below.
HP upgrades 11 Pavilion and ProBook laptops to AMD Llano APUs
Llano laptops are like buses. You wait two years for just one to arrive and then eleven come out at once. Yep, AMD's long-awaited hybrid CPU / GPU has finally gone official today and HP is wasting no time in introducing laptops harnessing its Accelerated Processing powers. On the consumer side, the Pavilion dv (dv4, dv6, dv7) and g (g4, g6, g7) series are both getting in on the action, with the dv models touting fancier additions like Beats Audio and CoolSense as justifications for their dearer pricing. For the more demure or business-oriented AMD fans, ProBook laptops of both b (6465b, 6465b) and s (4535s, 4435s, 4436s) varieties are also getting A-series processor options. Pricing starts out at $600 on the dv line and $450 for the g series, with both expected to ship in July, whereas the ProBook models will be a bit more punctual and arrive on June 27th, provided you have at least $519 to splash out. Ful PR after the break.
AMD Llano quad-core APUs and Zambezi octa-core CPUs get priced, the former listed inside an HP dv6
Don't mistake the relative quietness from AMD on the APU front for inactivity. Ever since announcing the first shipment of its Llano Accelerated Processing Unit in April, the company's been working behind the scenes to ramp up availability to OEMs, and somewhere along the supply chain a gracious soul has been found who's leaked the bulk pricing for those chips. The new quad-core A Series processors start off at $110 for an A6-3450 and max out at $170 for an A8-3550P, but there's also mention of octa-core FX processors, which will weigh in at $320 a piece and reputedly compete with Intel's 3.4GHz Core i7-2600K. The latter are built around AMD's Bulldozer modules (wherein one module counts for two cores) and look to be the manifestation of the company's Zambezi CPUs, which could come without an integrated graphics processor as is available on the Llano and the rest of AMD's Fusion line. Just to whet appetites further, we've also come across an HP dv6 on an obscure German retail site, offering a 1.6GHz A6-3410MX APU, 6GB of RAM, and a most reasonable €590 price. There's obviously no promised delivery date, but this should be the first of many such appearances in the coming days as we build up towards Computex 2011. Something tells us AMD won't be holding back when the Taipei electronics show gets started. [Thanks, Shashwat and Vygantas]
Sony bumps out E, S, and A series Walkmens, and no, you probably can't have one
Sony Japan has just outed 12 new Walkmen models in the E, S, and A series. First up, the entry-level E series devices include the NW-E050, which includes a choice of 2GB or 4GB of storage, and the similar NW-E050K which boasts an external speaker. The five models of the S Series include the 8GB NW-S754, the 16GB NW-S755, the 32GB NW-S756, and the NW-S750K which comes with a cradle additionally. Finally, the high end A Series models include the 16GB NW-A855, the 32GB NW-A856, and the 64GB NW-A857, and all of them boast a 2.8-inch OLED screen with a 240 x 400 resolution. The E Series start at $95 and the S Series will start at $160, and both will be available in the beginning of October, while the A Series will be available at the beginning of November and start at $280. Unfortunately, there's no word of availability of these bad boys anywhere outside of Japan for now. Sony's promotional video is below.
Gigantic ASUS periodical reveals and specs numerous new laptops
Curious what's inside a new ASUS laptop? Then Notebook Review has the treat for you -- earlier this month, forumite David took the time to download the company's massive 108MB ASUS World Magazine PDF and laid out the spec sheets for not one, not two, but a veritable smörgåsbord of potent portables. There's 36 in all; we've told you about some of them before, to be sure -- but others are getting solid specs for the first time, and there are even a few diamonds in the rough. Enough chit-chat, on with the show! U-series: Otherwise known as ASUS' Bamboo Collection, the U-series laptops were highlighted at CES, where we discovered they would have Core i5 CPUs and USB 3.0 support. Well, that's not the whole story. They've also all got NVIDIA Optimus auto-switching graphics between an onboard Intel GMA HD and the GeForce 310M 1GB. Oh, and forget Core i5 -- these machines support processors all the way up to the 2.66GHz Core i7-620M. Highlight: The U30JC, with a combo Blu-ray drive and a chiclet keyboard that won a iF Product Design Award. UL-series: ASUS for "UnLimited," you can read UL as "ultra low," as in Intel's ultra low voltage (ULV) processors that provide 8+ hours of battery life and let these notebooks stay cool despite being under an inch thin. We saw the UL80JT sport NVIDIA Optimus at CES and got hands-on with the Optimus-equipped UL50VF; now, the UL30JT now has it as well. Highlight: That same UL50VF, with an estimated 12+ hours of battery life. More after the break -- save pricing and availability, unfortunately -- or feel free to hit up the source link to download the entire electronic magazine for yourself. %Gallery-89273%
Fujifilm gets official with 2010 FinePix digital camera lineup
Remember that smattering of new FinePix cameras that leaked late last month? Turns out that Fujifilm had a bunch more in store that were missed, and we're bringing the whole lot to you tonight. We suspect this is just the beginning of the pre-PMA rush, so we won't waste any time getting to the nitty gritty -- here's what you need to know about each of the new models, with the full releases waiting for you after the break. FinePix AV100 ($99.95 / March): 12 megapixel CCD sensor, 2.7-inch rear LCD, Fujinon 3x optical zoom, ISO up to 3200, black / silver color options, 720p movie mode, optional HD player kit, panoramic mode, AA battery power FinePix AX200 ($109.95 (February): 12 megapixel CCD sensor, 2.7-inch rear LCD, Fujinon 5x optical zoom, ISO up to 3200, black / silver color options, 720p movie mode, optional HD player kit, panoramic mode, AA battery power FinePix F80EXR ($299.95 / April): 12 megapixel CCD sensor, 10x wide-angle optical zoom, 3.0-inch rear LCD, 720p movie mode, face recognition, pet detection, 22.9mm thick, black color option, dual image stabilization FinePix HS10 ($499.95 / April): Megazoom design, Fujinon 30x optical zoom (24 - 720mm equivalent on a 35mm camera), triple image stabilization, 1080p movie mode, mini HDMI output, 1000fps Super High Speed movie mode, AA battery power, 3.0-inch rear LCD, JPEG / RAW support More after the break.%Gallery-84264%
Canon debuts A3100 IS, A3000 IS, A495 and A490 low-end shooters
It might not be glamorous, but if a $110 camera is all you can afford -- or all you'd trust your kid with -- then it suddenly becomes of utmost importance. The new crop of A-series cameras fits such a bill, with the 12 megapixel, 4x zoom, optical image stabilized PowerShot A3100 IS in the "high end" at $180, followed by the 10 megapixel A3000 IS at $150; 10 megapixel, 3.3x zoom A495 at $130; and similarly specced A490 at $110. The differences between the A495 and A490 are muddled, outside of color choices and fewer scene selections. The Two A3000 cameras sports 2.7-inch screens and recharageable lithium-ion battery packs (a first for A-series cameras), with the A490 units going for 2.5-inches and trotting out the AAs. All four shooters should be out sometime in late February. %Gallery-81500%
Sony updates plethora of VAIO laptops in Japan
Ah, Spring. The season of vacations, beach attire and VAIO updates. We already heard that Sony was giving its VAIO P netbook a dose of Windows XP and an optional 256GB SSD, but that was just the tip of the iceberg. Indeed, the Type T, Type Z, Type F and Type A are all getting makeovers, so we'll do our best to break 'em down right. The beastly A series will continue to be menacing, boasting an 18.4-inch 1080p panel, WiFi, a HDD / SSD hybrid system, 4GB of RAM, a Blu-ray drive and a GeForce 9600M GT. The F series rolls in with a 16.4-inch display, 4GB of memory, ATI's 256MB Mobility Radeon HD 3470, WiFi, a battery good for three hours and a Core 2 Duo P8700. The other guys are seeing far lighter touchups, but you can feel free to have a look at all of these Japan-bound units in the links below.Read - VAIO updates IRead - VAIO updates II
Lenovo's IdeaCentre A600 now available to order, should ship soon
Lenovo's breaking some serious molds with the IdeaCentre A600, and if you've been waiting anxiously ever since we got up close and personal with one back at CES, the patience has (nearly) paid off. As of now (like, right this very moment in time), three variants of the all-black machine are up for ordering, with base prices sitting at $699.99, $799.99 and $999.99. They each show that shipping won't happen for another few weeks, but we'll bet Lenovo's just being conservative.
Fujitsu LifeBook A series: bringin' the A-game
Fujitsu has just unveiled its latest line of lappies, the new LifeBook A series, which come with the option of either an Intel Core Duo T2050 on the A6010 model, or alternatively an AMD Sempron or a Turion 64 X2 on the A3110. This 15-incher comes with three USB ports, SD / MemoryStick / xD slots, IEEE 1394, and the LifeBook Shock Sensor that'll reduce the likelihood that your hard drive will get scratched up if your laptop takes a tumble. Further, there's an optional S$320 ($200) battery that'll increase your autonomous power supply up to 4.5 hours on the A6010, or up to a little over three hours on the A3110. Unfortunately, the only pricing info that we have for now is on the A3110, which will cost S$2,000 (nearly $1,300) when it debuts later this month.Read - CNET AsiaRead - HardwareZone
