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amd,neo posts

AMD's Congo platform getting really official next month?

by Darren Murph posted Oct 18th 2009 at 8:14AM

AMD's never been much for keeping to the roadmap, and it looks like the curious launch of its Congo platform is evidence of that very fact. If you'll recall, we actually saw a Congo-based netbook launch way back in June, and it was expected that a flood of other ultrathin machines would follow shortly thereafter. According to DigiTimes, the demand in the market just wasn't there (thanks, recession!), so everything was pushed back until November. Lo and behold, our Gregorian calendar has that very month on deck for next, and according to mythical sources at laptop makers, the platform should make its super-duper official debut within a matter of weeks. The dual-core Turion Neo X2 L625, Athlon Neo X2 L335/L325 and / or single-core Athlon Neo MV-40 should be front and center, and AMD is apt to announce progress on its Nile and Brazos platforms -- both of which should help carry the chip maker through the next two years. Look out Atom, you've got some delayed competition coming your way.

Update: Seems as if this may all just be a "second wave" of sorts when many PC makers choose to launch machines based on this platform alongside Windows 7's debut. AMD informed us that the November delay notion was also false, and we get the feeling that Congo's just been waiting for Win7 to really get itself out there.

MSI ships 12.1-inch, Athlon Neo-equipped Wind U210

by Darren Murph posted Sep 15th 2009 at 5:24PM

MSI's Wind U210 has certainly been making the rounds, but it has yet to plant its feet firmly on US soil. Until today, obviously. Checking in at 3.2 pounds, this 12.1-inch netbook is equipped with a larger-than-usual 1,366 x 768 display, AMD's 1.6GHz Athlon Neo MV-40 processor, 2GB of DDR2 RAM, a 250GB hard drive and a 6-cell battery that's reportedly good for four hours of usage. The rig's also packing an ATI Radeon X1250 in the graphics department, a 1.3 megapixel webcam, HDMI output, three USB 2.0 sockets, a VGA port and a 4-in-1 multicard reader. For those interested in buying a Vista-equipped machine just a month before Windows 7 swoops in to save the day, both Amazon and NewEgg would be more than happy to make your wallet $430 lighter.

Gallery: MSI ships 12.1-inch, Athlon Neo-equipped Wind U210

Continue reading MSI ships 12.1-inch, Athlon Neo-equipped Wind U210

MSI's AMD-powered U210 up for pre-order, still not 'official'

by Paul Miller posted Aug 29th 2009 at 1:33PM

Who needs press releases? You can snap up an MSI U210 pre-order right this second on Amazon, so why bother waiting MSI to actually confirm the thing for a Stateside release? Morality. That's why. Kids these days think they can just drop $430 on any old Athlon Neo MV-40-powered (the same chips at the heart of HP's dv2) 12-inch XGA ultraportable with 2GB of RAM and a 250GB HDD and 802.11n and not have to pay the consequences. Well, we're not standing for it. That read link right below? Not an implied approval of these illicit activities.

[Via Mark's Technology News]

AMD's Neo to hit nettops, all-in-one PCs soon

by Darren Murph posted Jul 19th 2009 at 6:18AM

AMD's Neo ultra-portable platform was seen as something that just might rival Intel's mighty Atom in the oversaturated netbook space when it debuted back in January, but up until now, the system has remained largely in the background. Indeed, it has only found its way into a select few machines, none of which have managed to gain any sort of traction beside the sea of Atom-based alternatives. Now, however, it seems as if the chips -- which were originally engineered for ultraslim, thin-and-light laptops -- may find themselves shoved into an array of nettops and all-in-one PCs. Here lately, a slew of underpowered SFF-type desktops and PC-in-a-monitor type units have found favor with bargain hunters, and Bob Grim, the outfit's director of client marketing, isn't looking to miss a golden opportunity. To quote:

"We've known all along that this type of technology would really work well in multiple platforms and multiple types of form factors. These CPUs perform better than the Atom processor, and the graphics are superior. These things... can play Blu-rays, they can play games."

There's still no word on who exactly plans on equipping their future machines with this here platform, but considering just how tired we are of Intel's sluggish N270 and N280, we'll take all the competition we can get.

AMD plans 'Congo' chipset for a future world of thin-and-lights, dodging netbooks for now

by Paul Miller posted Jun 11th 2009 at 6:49PM

Just like your mom keeps telling you, AMD thinks netbooks are a bit of a fad, and is laying down a roadmap for thin-and-lights while keeping its distance from any sort of "Atom killer." The existing Yukon platform -- featured in HP's dv2 -- just got an upgrade in the form of a dual-core AMD Neo chip, but things will really start to get exciting later this year with the introduction of Congo, which will pair a dual-core Neo with much better graphics and a more modern chipset. Perks in Congo, which is based on the M780G chipset and sports ATI Radeon HD 3200 IGP graphics, include hardware decoding for HD formats, DirectX 10 gaming, love for DisplayPort, HDMI and eSATA, and Hybrid Graphics potential for pairing the integrated chipset with discrete graphics. The hope is to compete well against Intel's CULV and NVIDIA's 9400M in the low-cost thin-and-light space, and if the price stays down and performance pans out, Congo just might.

New AMD Neo Athlon / Turion chips emerge in HP Pavilion dv2z

by Darren Murph posted Jun 11th 2009 at 9:22AM

Well, well -- what have we here? HP's newly unveiled Pavilion dv2z just so happens to have a bit of fresh silicon within, as AMD's latest Neo chips are front and center in the configuration options. The thin-and-light machine can be ordered with single- or dual-core AMD Athlon Neo and Turion Neo dual-core processors, and if you're looking for specifics, you'll find the new 1.6GHz Athlon Neo X2 L335 and 1.6GHz Turion Neo X2 L625. Other specs on the 12.1-incher include a LED-backlit WXGA panel, optional Blu-ray drive, discrete ATI Radeon graphics, up to 500GB of HDD space, a built-in webcam, WiFi, optional WWAN (Verizon, Sprint or AT&T) and a 6-cell battery. It's up for order right now starting at $599.99, but if you're looking to leave that aged Neo MV-40 behind, you'll have to pony up a bit more than that. Full release is after the break.

Gallery: New AMD Neo chips emerge in HP Pavilion dv2z

Continue reading New AMD Neo Athlon / Turion chips emerge in HP Pavilion dv2z

HP introduces cheaper dv2, dv3, and dv6 laptops, fantastically ugly dv6 Artist Edition

by Nilay Patel posted Jun 9th 2009 at 12:36AM

HP's just kicked out a slew of updates to its laptop lines, and thankfully the biggest news is that they've gotten cheaper. The HP dv2z brings the low end of the 12.1-inch AMD Neo ultraportable down to $599, while the larger Intel-based dv3t is now $649. The dv6 gets two new editions, including the pictured $949 dv6z Artist Edition 2 preloaded with a bunch of Corel art software and a $649 dv6t base model that thankfully loses the awful lid artwork. Seriously, we know HP had to use the design after it won the HP / MTV Notebook Design Contest, but we just don't think too many people want to rock the"surfing peacock" look. There are also a bunch of new eco-friendly printers if you're into that sort of thing -- hit the read link for the lowdown.

Mio's new Intel Atom and AMD Neo netbooks might help you navigate through a sea of me-too computers at Computex

by Paul Miller posted Jun 2nd 2009 at 9:11PM

Sure, it's odd to see Mio churning out a couple of netbooks, but what's even more surprising is that they're at least somewhat interesting. The 8.9-inch Atom N270-powered Mio N890 includes 3G, GPS, Mio navigation software, an accelerometer, and a MagSafe-style breakaway power connector. It all weighs in under 2 pounds, and measures less than an inch thick. Meanwhile, the Mio N1210 (pictured) is one of the few computers we've seen so far running AMD's new Neo MV-40 processor. There's no mention of GPS, but the 12-inch laptop is preloaded with Windows 7 and 3G data, measures under an inch thick, and weighs under three pounds. No word on price for either, but both should be headed to Europe this fall.

Read - Mio N890
Read - Mio N1210

How would you change HP's Pavilion dv2?

by Darren Murph posted May 23rd 2009 at 5:18AM

AMD had (and still has, arguably) a lot riding on HP's Pavilion dv2, with it being the first notable machine to arrive with the outfit's Neo platform. We've already heard what the so-called professionals think, but we're interested to hear from the folks who really matter -- the consumers. Is HP's BD-friendly dv2 priced right? Is it sufficiently sexy? Is the 1.6GHz Athlon Neo MN-40 living up to the hype? Are you stoked with running Windows Vista on this? As with Sony's VAIO P, this here "netbook" is definitely on the pricier end of things, so we're pretty sure owners won't hesitate to give HP a mouthful. The forum's open, so speak!

AMD to flood Computex with mainstream Tigris laptops, reveal Danube?

by Thomas Ricker posted May 18th 2009 at 6:20AM

Besides being overwhelmed by Intel's CULV thin-and-lights at Computex, it looks like AMD will use the event to punish Engadget editors and readers with the launch of its Tigris platform. Since you've most likely supplanted any memory of Tigris with something useful, let us remind you that Tigris is AMD's mainstream laptop platform built around a dual-core 45-nm Caspian processor supporting 800MHz DDR2 memory and ATI M9x series graphics. The Commercial Times is also reporting that Computex might even bring a possible unveiling of AMD's next-generation Danube laptop platform featuring a quad-core Champlain processor with support for DDR3 memory. Unfortunately, Champlain won't be available for consumers until 2010 -- 2009 is all about Tigris laptops and the Athlon Neo thin-and-lights for AMD. Where's the AMD netbook? Oh they ceded that market to Intel a long time ago; a bad move now that Atom-based netbooks are plundering mainstream laptop marketshare that AMD was betting on with Tigris.

When netbook processors compete, everyone wins

by Tim Stevens posted Apr 14th 2009 at 7:23AM

You know the drill: the Atom is the king of all netbooks, with a domain stretching as far as the eye can see. But, upstarts like the Via Nano and AMD's Athlon Neo are encroaching on Intel's domain, and Crave took the time to pit examples of the three against each other in a series of benchmarks to see which should rule the land. Rather sadly for us, each of the three tests had a different winner, with the Atom N280 excelling in multi-tasking, the Nano U2250 best for iTunes encoding, and the Neo MV-40 quickest under a Jalbum-based benchmark. So you know what that means: everyone gets a prize, nobody has to go home crying, and you should just go ahead and buy whichever netbook you like best already.

Update: It's actually unclear which proc won which test, as the table at the source shows one thing, but the text swaps the Neo and Nano around. But, again, there's not much between these three.

HP's 12.1-inch Pavilion dv2 on sale and photographed

by Darren Murph posted Apr 6th 2009 at 4:22PM

Ah, there we go. Not quite a week after HP's Pavilion dv2 was spotted on sale in Thailand, the Blu-ray-packin' ultraportable has now surfaced here in North America. Starting right now, prospective buyers can select a machine directly from HP, and if you're still curious to see what exactly you'll be buying, there's even a link to a few hands-on images for your perusal. Oh, advice on financing? Sorry, that one's on you.

[Thanks, Chad]

Read - HP Pavilion dv2 on sale
Read - HP Pavilion dv2 hands-on

HP's Pavilion dv2 spotted in the wild, on sale in Thailand

by Darren Murph posted Apr 1st 2009 at 2:26PM

The first machine to rely on AMD's Neo MV-40 processor has officially been spotted outside of a show floor, though you'll have to jet to Bangkok if you're looking to touch one yourself. The atypically well-specced 12.1-inch Pavilion dv2 has been spotted over in Thailand for around $720, and while it doesn't look drastically (or at all, really) different than what we saw at CES this year, it's good to see this bugger finally creeping into homes. Check the read link for a few more angles and impressions, and feel free to get your hopes up for a US release in the not-too-distant future.

Intel's CULV platform guns for AMD's Neo: Danger Will Robinson, Danger!

by Thomas Ricker posted Jan 19th 2009 at 9:01AM

Poor, poor AMD. Just when it found a niche above Atom and below the Core 2 Duo with its Athlon Neo, back comes Intel with its new "Consumer Ultra-Low Voltage" platform -- something we started to hear about a few weeks ago. This from DigiTimes' "sources at notebook makers." New CULV-based ultra-portables from the "top-three notebook vendors" (that'd be HP, Dell, and Acer by most accounts) should be hitting shelves in the second quarter of 2009 carrying prices between $699 and $899. DigiTimes claims that the new platform will allow Intel to divide the laptop market up into four segments for 2009: 1) Traditional 12.1-inch laptops and above, 2) Atom or Pineview-based netbooks, 3) Menlow-based MIDs, 4) Ultra-portables with displays between 11.x and 13.3-inches. It's also interesting to hear that the rumored 13.3-inch HP Mini-note coming in June will carry the CULV instead of the Atom Zxx on "Intel's insistence." Well, well, being pushy again are we Intel?

AMD kinda sorta takes aim at Atom with Athlon Neo

by Thomas Ricker posted Jan 6th 2009 at 12:01AM

And here you thought AMD's 45-nm Conesus was its next generation netbook / ultra-portable processor. Sorry, for that you'll have to wait until the beginning of the second half of 2009 according to Bahr Mahony, Director of AMD's mobile division who we just spoke with here at CES. Instead, AMD's Athlon Neo ultra-portable platform built around existing 65-nm processes is scheduled to make its retail debut in the US in March. Remember, AMD won't be challenging Intel in a race to the bottom so Neo is aimed squarely at that soft, chewy marketshare nestled between the underperforming $499 netbook and over-the-top $1,499 ultra-portable. Neo boasts more processing power than Intel's 45-nm Atom at the cost of a higher load on your battery thanks to the 35W thermal envelop of the Neo chipset combined with a discrete, ATI Mobility Radeon Hd 3410 graphics. The result however is what AMD calls balanced performance from ultra-thin notebooks capable of smooth 1080p playback of your HD media -- a feat that Atom-based netbooks saddled with integrated graphics struggle with. Interesting, now let's see the 3rd party benchmarks. AMD's data versus the Atom posted after the break.

Continue reading AMD kinda sorta takes aim at Atom with Athlon Neo