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HP's Puma-based Pavilion dv5z laptops now on sale
It's safe to say the flood gates are officially open, as just a fortnight after HP's Pavilion tx2500z tablet got upgraded with Puma-based innards, along comes the Pavilion dv5z series to join the fold. Available for ordering right now at HP's website, users can grab one of these lappies with an AMD Athlon / Turion X2 (Ultra) dual-core processor, a 15.4-inch panel, up to 4GB of DDR2 RAM, ATI's Radeon HD 3200 / HD 3450 graphics, integrated WiFi / Bluetooth, up to 320GB of hard drive space and your choice of a DVD burner or Blu-ray drive. For the full list of specifications and to get one of these headed your way, head southwest to the read link and be prepared to hand over a bare minimum of $699.99.[Via Laptoping, thanks Danijel]
Next-generation AMD CPUs come to Toshiba's Satellite family
In case it wasn't completely obvious already that Toshiba had a thing for AMD's latest line of notebook processors, here's all the confirmation you need. Tosh has just made official that the next-generation of Athlon, Turion and Turion Ultra CPUs will be "available throughout" its Satellite lineup. If you're hunting specifics, we're talkin' about the P300D, A300D, M300D, U400D, L300D and L350D series -- all of which are scheduled to go on sale sometime this summer from a variety of fine retailers.
AMD roadmap shocker reveals new Turion, Athlon, Sempron mobile CPUs
It looks like those worried that AMD didn't have any new processors in the pipeline can rest easy, as an apparently official roadmap turned up by ComputerBase recently revealed that the company is, in fact, doing its job and churning out CPUs at a steady pace. This latest batch consists of four Griffin-based chips, which are spread across the company's Turion 64 Ultra, Turion 64, Athlon 64, and Sempron mobile processor lines. On the Turion front, the processors are each said to boast DDR2 800MHz memory, along with clock speeds ranging from 2.0GHz to 2.4GHz, and power consumption between 32 and 35 Watts. The lone Athlon 64 chip, on the other hand, clocks in at 1.9GHz, with 1MB of L2 cache, DDR2 667MHz support, and a power consumption of 31W, while the Sempron rounds things out with a power consumption of 25W, 512KB of L2 cache, and a clock speed "starting from" 2.0GHz. No word on prices for the processors themselves just yet, but as Laptoping points out, AMD has announced that Puma / Griffin-powered laptops would begin shipping sometime in the second quarter of this year.[Via Laptoping]
eMachines' new T5246 and T3642 desktops make you go "Eh."
eMachines, long known for dropping mediocre, middle of the road, inoffensive desktops, has once again busted out of the gate with two new defiantly tame PCs that will make you say "Hello." The latest entries -- confusingly named the T5246 and T3642 -- share similar guts, including NVIDIA GeForce 6100 GPUs, DVD DVD±R / RW SuperMulti drives, and 6-channel 5.1 audio. The differences are more apparent where it counts, with the T5246 utilizing a 2.2GHz AMD Athlon 64 X2 4200+ dual core CPU, 2GB of RAM, and a 400GB hard drive, while the T3642 uses a 2.6GHz Athlon 64 4000+ CPU, carries 1GB of RAM, and downsizes the hard drive to 250GB. Both systems are available now, with the T5246 clocking in at $429.99, and the T3642 listed at $349.99.
HP announces Pavilion a6330f desktop PC
Feeling a touch overwhelmed by HP's outpouring of media center PCs? If so, the Pavilion a6330f should calm those nerves quite a bit, as this humble rig is designed for those not quite ready to drop a grand (or more) on a new desktop. Check the innards below: 2.8GHz AMD Athlon 64 X2 dual-core 5600+ processor NVIDIA's nForce 430 chipset 3GB of DDR2 RAM 500GB 7,200 RPM SATA hard drive HP Pocket Media Drive Bay SuperMulti DVD burner (LightScribe-enabled) NVIDIA 128MB GeForce 6150 SE graphics set Front-mounted 15-in-1 multicard reader As for the port assortment, you can count on six USB 2.0 sockets, a pair of FireWire connectors, audio in / out and VGA. Additionally, you'll find an HP mouse and multimedia keyboard tossed in for good measure, and you can spec yours out later this month starting at $649.
HP's Pavilion Slimline s3330f PC does Blu-ray and HD DVD
A slim PC destined to handle both of the major high-definition movie formats? Say it ain't so! Turns out, HP is indeed doling out such a machine, and it's so eloquently dubbed the Pavilion Slimline s3330f PC. Here's a look at what this mighty mini-tower will be packin': 2.8GHz AMD Athlon 64 X2 processor 2GB of DDR2 RAM 500GB 7,200 RPM SATA drive HP Pocket Media Drive Bay Single LightScribe-enabled optical drive that reads Blu-ray / HD DVD and writes to dual-layer DVDs NVIDIA's 256MB GeForce 8500 GT 802.11b/g WiFi Built-in NTSC / ATSC TV tuners Front-mounted 15-in-1 multicard reader Furthermore, you'll find 6 USB 2.0 ports, FireWire, audio in / out, DVI / HDMI ports and a wireless keyboard / mouse bundled in along with a whole suite of software. Intrigued? Be on the lookout for this one to land later this month starting at $949.
AMD casually intros new 45-watt processors
Shortly after (quietly) unveiling the Athlon 64 X2 5000+ Black Edition, AMD has used a similar tactic with a half dozen more processors. The new 45-watt offerings span the Athlon X2, Athlon and Sempron lines, and come in like so (with prices reflecting batches of 1,000): the 2.3GHz Athlon X2 BE-2400 ($104), 2.4GHz Athlon LE-1620 ($53), 2.2GHz Athlon LE-1600 ($47), 2.2GHz Sempron LE-1250 ($53), 2.1GHz Sempron LE-1200 ($48) and the 1.9GHz Sempron LE-1100 ($37). No word yet on what OEMs will be integrating these chips into their machines, but we wouldn't be surprised to see 'em filter into smaller, more energy-conscious rigs.[Via ExtremeTech]
AMD keeps it dark with Athlon 64 X2 5000+ Black Edition
Barely a month after showing off its Athlon 64 X2 6400+ Black Edition, AMD is apparently hoping to rope in a few more followers with a lower-priced CPU in the same family. This processor reportedly hums along at 2.6GHz, is built around 65-nanometer technology, boasts 1MB of L2 cache and will play nice with the firm's "580x or upcoming 700-series chipsets." 'Course, enthusiasts will love the "customizable clock multiplier for tunable performance," and word on the street has these new chips "available to channel partners" for just $136 apiece in groups of 1,000.[Via InformationWeek]
HP to debut bumper crop of new Pavilions and Presarios
HP has a whole lotta' new laptops to launch, possibly at a press conference this Tuesday if Notebook Italia is on the money. The designations are a real mouthful, so brace yourself: in all, we could be looking at Pavilions numbered dv2600, d6600, dv9600, and tx1300, and new HP G7000 and HP G6000's also coming in the form of Compaq Presario F700 and F500 models. There are a crazy amount of specs here, so it's probably safe to say that there is a machine to suit your requirements. Screen sizes range from 12.1 inch with the tx1300 up to 17 inches with the dv9600, CPUs range from 1.6GHz Core Duos and 1.7GHz Athlons up to 2.2GHz Core 2 Duos and ... well, you get the point. Most notably, the new dv models include HDMI among their image output ports, with the dv2600 featuring some kind of fancy new print on the outer casing (pictured above). For a more detailed listing, check the read links below. Fortunately, spec sheets don't require translation.Read - HP G7000 and G6000 (Notebook Italia)Read - New Pavilions (Notebook Italia)
Lenovo's ThinkCentre A61e is all kinds of green
Not too long after Dell tooted its own horn when releasing the energy-efficient OptiPlex 755, Lenovo is hopping on the green PC bandwagon with a power-sipping machine of its own. The ThinkCentre A61e is hailed as "the company's smallest, quietest and most energy-efficient desktop yet," and can be equipped with a 45-watt AMD Athlon 64 X2 dual-core or Sempron single-core CPU. Additionally, this system is Lenovo's first to tout the oh-so-coveted EPEAT Gold status, and it can even be powered by "an optional solar panel." The ThinkCentre A61e will start at just $399, but picking one up will require you to turn a blind eye to just how hideous this thing truly is.
AMD intros Athlon 64 X2 6400+ Black Edition
While AMD still has bigger and better things in store, those looking for some more instant gratification may want to consider the company's new Athlon 64 X2 6400+ Black Edition, which now occupies the top spot of its X2 line. At 3.2GHz, this one clocks in at 200MHz faster than the previous top-end 6000+ but, according to HotHardware, little else has changed. That means it's based on AMD's current 90nm DSl SOI technology, and boasts support for a single HyperTransport link at 2.0GHz, along with 2MB of L2 cache and a 125W TDP. If that's enough of a bump for you, you should soon be able to pick one of these up for $239 (in 1000-unit PIB quantities).
eMachines unveils three new desktops
eMachines continues to ply its wares in the cutthroat waters of the low end PC market, and its new summer and fall lineup looks like it'll be pretty competitive. $500 will get you a T5230 desktop (pictured with optional 19-inch display) with a 2.32GHz dual-core Athlon 64 X2 4400+, NVIDIA 6510SE integrated graphics, 1 GB of RAM, a 250GB disk, Vista Home Premium, and a dual-layer DVD±RW drive, while the $450 T5062 swaps in a single core 2.4GHz Athlon 64 3800+ and a 160GB disk. The $400 T3616 is somewhat less of a deal, with a 2.0GHz Sempron on a 160MHz frontside bus, 512MB of RAM, a 120GB disk, and Vista Home Basic. All these prices go down $50 if you complete the mail-in rebate eMachines will be offering, which should be enough to throw in a couple extra sticks of RAM and actually make these things useful.
Moneual intros sub-$1000 301 HTPC
You may be rather used to hearing from Moneual every few months or so, but the engineering department has apparently been on top of things lately. A mere three days after witnessing the firm's colorful lineup of Inovys, the company's 301 HTPC is being offered up as well, and we must say that the simple, sleek styling is quite attractive. Internally, you'll notice a water-cooled AMD 64 Athlon X2 4400 handling the processing duties, 2GB of RAM, 7.1-channel audio, dual FireWire ports, a 250GB hard drive, dual-layer DVD writer, HDMI / VGA outputs, five USB 2.0 connectors, Ethernet, and a wireless keyboard / remote to keep things tidy. Most impressive, however, is the price, as this decently-spec'd media PC will only run you $995 (sans any TV tuning abilities, of course).[Via eHomeUpgrade]
Moneual Inovy desktops spice it up in six colors
Seeing as the last time we heard from HTPC-manufacturer Moneual it was pimping the million-dollar Jewelry PC, the $695 base pricetag on its new Inovy series of desktops seems downright frugal. The machines, available in six colors, feature liquid-cooled 64-bit dual-core Athlon 4400+ processors, integrated NVIDIA 6100 graphics, 1GB of RAM, a 250GB hard drive, and a vertically-mounted dual-layer DVD burner that adds a little flair into loading your optical media. No word on where any other ports or bays might be located, but seeing as the Inovy tech specs boast of a 2.88MB "floopy" drive port, our guess is that the company is still locking some things down. Moneual says the units were available as of June 1 and are only being manufactured in runs of 1,000 for each color, so those looking to bring a little glitz to their living rooms had better hurry.[Via ChipChick]
HiPe intros K-Tana 2.0 gaming rig, two-in-one Daisho 2.0 Dual PC
HiPe PC is no stranger to the land of excessive power and unorthodox construction, and the firm's latest two gaming rigs are no exception to either. The K-Tana 2.0 can come stocked with your choice of an overclocked 3.2GHz Intel Core 2 Quad Extreme or dual liquid-cooled AMD Athlon FX-72 / FX-74 processors, an overclocked NVIDIA 8800 SLI graphics setup, 1,200-watt power supply, up to 8GB of DDR2 RAM, up to 4TB of HDD storage, acoustical dampening, colored neon lighting systems, and the ability to order up a customized paint scheme if the early 90s vibe isn't really workin' for you. The real head-scratcher is the Daish? 2.0 Dual PC (shown after the jump), which as the name implies, sports a duo of networked PCs within a single vertical chassis. The primary PC is a GeForce 8800-equipped gaming rig with up to 4GB of RAM and 4TB of HDD space, while the secondary computer is a "personal media center or server" powered by either VIA's Epia C7 or Intel's Merom processor. Additionally, the secondary unit is connected to a motorized touchscreen LCD and responds to your voice thanks to the included speech recognition software. Notably, both machines can be configured to include a Blu-ray writer, and while both systems manage to start around $2,600, the sky really is the limit when adding in luxurious extras.
AMD Phenom FX, X4, X2 Stars to shine in Q3 / Q4
When it's been nearly six months since we've seen an elusive PowerPoint slide pointing to future AMD processors, it's been far too long, but it looks like the forecasting can begin again thanks to information about AMD's star-packed Q3. According to a roadmap slide charting out the future of AMD's "Stars" family of processors, a number of dual- and quad-core processor options will be headed to the desktop market sometime in the third and fourth quarters, and while the firm's "value" Athlon 64 X2 and Sempron chips will also see minor overhauls headed into Q1 of 2008, the focus seems to be on the Phenoms in the crew. The flagship quad-core Phenom FX (dubbed Agena FX) will clock in from 2.2GHz to 2.6GHz, sport 4 x 512KB of L2 cache, 2MB of L3 cache, and sport bus speeds of 3,200MHz or 3,600MHz. The X4 chips ratchet down in speed a bit, and only handle the AM2+ socket while the top-end FX plays nice with the 1207+. The X2 CPUs go the dual-core route, top out at 2.8GHz, but won't be ready for ordering until Q4 of this year. Be sure to hit the read link for a (larger) peek at the chart -- unless you just completed an order for a current-generation chip, that is.[Via RegHardware]
AMD integrates ATI Radeon X1250 into Vista-certified 690 chipset
Although ATI's R600 graphics chip may have hit a recent snag, it seems that the company's Radeon X1250 GPU is coming along just fine, as it claims the proud title of "world's first" integrated graphics unit to receive Vista certification. The chip, of course, is a critical piece of AMD's latest 690-series chipset, which integrates Aero-capable graphics, 1GHz HyperTransport interface speeds, and support for Sempron, Athlon 64/64 FX/64 FX X2 processors, PCI Express, Microsoft's DirectDraw, hardware acceleration for MPEG-2/4 and WMV9, TV output, HDCP-compatible DVI / HDMI outputs, and the general smorgasbord of connectors we're all used to seeing these days. Putting the resources of the ATI / AMD merger to full use, the 690 family claims to be the first chipset from the pair that supports ATI's Avivo technology, which purportedly makes your multimedia experiences within Vista a smooth ordeal. AMD's latest should be available right now for an undisclosed price, but we'd wait for a few hands-on opinions before rushing out and skipping over a dedicated GPU in your next rig.[Via 64-Bit-Computers]
AMD's new consumer flagship proc, the X2 6000+
The 90nm Athlon 64 X2 processor line looks close to its last breath with the X2 6000+, a 3GHz monstrosity designed as a consumer equivalent to the FX-74. The 6000+ is limited to single processor systems, none of those quad-core frivolities the FX-74 is known to partake in, but the chip can still suck down a maximum of 125 watts, and carries 1MB of L2 cache per core. Where the 6000+ processor really departs from its enthusiast sibling is the $464 pricetag, less than half the cost of a FX-74. The chip is a few months late -- it was slated for Q4 2006 originally -- and will be followed by an 89 watt version in the third quarter of this year, along with a slightly less beefy 5800+ edition, but then its quitsville for AMD's 90nm creations. 65nm here we come!
Faith-go's Inspire X does quad-core AMD style
Lest we forget, Intel's QX6700 isn't the only quad-core game in town, and while AMD's Quad FX platform might've been edged out by Intel in benchmark land, there's still plenty to love about the power chompin' beast. Faith-go is putting those cores to good use in its stylish new Inspire X FX70XN/DVR-88GTX setup, which sports an Athlon 64 FX-70 processor, along with GeForce 8800 GTX 768MB graphics, 2GB of RAM, a 10k rpm 150GB HDD, and a super multi-DVD drive. All of this (literal) hotness resides on a NVIDIA nForce 680a SLI chipset, with the chutzpah to support up to four graphics cards. Considering the bleeding edge components on display here, the $3,253 pricetag doesn't sound too ridiculous, though we're not positive this box will be making its way to the US anyways, so perhaps the point is moot.
IBuyPower offers up sub-$2,000 AMD Quad FX rig, undercuts Intel
Alright, so you knew very well the micro-sized 4x4 was on the way in, and we even filled you in on the nitty gritty a bit earlier, but before all that silicon-based information can even sink in properly, IBuyPower is already dishing out a very tempting way to blow two grand (or much, much more). Hot off the manufacturing lines, you can get your very own AMD Quad FX-based machine for around $2,000, which is monumentally less than the first few systems we noticed packing Intel's oh-so-pricey QX6700 processor. Granted, the $2k version is relatively stripped down, especially compared to the souped-up Intel counterparts, but you can certainly max out that increasingly large spending limit if you try. The firm offers the FX-70 in the low-end flavor, while you can opt for the speedier FX-72 or FX-74 should you so desire, while complementing it with a kilowatt-draining 500+ watt power supply, 512MB to 2GB of RAM, your choice of NVIDIA graphics card, and a bevy of various sized HDDs. Considering the likely stagnant retail prices of this fresh chips, the overall pricing isn't too outrageous, but we all know how things will look just a few months down the road anyway.[Via TGDaily]
