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AMD Athlon, Phenom and Sempron names may be killed off in favor of Vision brand
AMD's long-awaited delivery of CPU-GPU hybrid chips in the form of its Fusion technology already had one victim in the company's branding strategy (we'll miss you, ATI!), but now we're learning that there may be even more redundancy slips being handed out. X-bit labs have uncovered documentation that claims AMD intends to consign its processor family names to the annals of history, going instead with different classes of its Vision brand. The Athlon, Phenom, and Sempron monikers we know today would be replaced by the A, FX and E series, respectively, with the Llano APU occupying the mid-range A sector, quad- and octa-core Zambezi chips slapped with the FX label, and the low end getting the leftover E tag. Since the current naming scheme really doesn't convey much useful info to non-initiates, this would seem to be a step in the right direction for AMD, but we just don't like to see old friends disappear without a trace. Guess the Athlon XP Thunderbird will just have to live on in our hearts instead.
Compaq CQ61 does 15.6-inch screen and "real" processor for $399, wonders what all that netbook fuss was about
It doesn't usually take much to identify the type of person that's suited for a netbook and the type of person that's suited for a budget laptop, but unfortunately not all of them can self select -- we're pretty sure a lot of folks who picked the former option would be pretty pleased to trade up for this here Compaq CQ61 right about now, the followup to the well-received Walmart-destroying CQ60. Compaq is becoming HP's "value" brand in the US, and we'd say the CQ61 is a pretty nice way to flex those wallet-friendly credentials for a wider audience than the Walmart set. It's built on a 2GHz AMD Sempron M100 processor, ATI Radeon HD 4200 graphics, 2GB of RAM and Windows 7 Home Premium, with a WXGA 15.6-inch screen, 160GB HDD and DVD burner to boot. HP was a bit cagey on what sort of battery life to expect out of the included 6-cell (our guess is not much), and of course the laptop won't be winning any beauty pageants, but it's a pretty nice score for the truly cash-strapped student or anyone else who needs a full-fledged laptop on the cheap without all the netbook compromises. Still too rich for your blood? Compaq's CQ4010 slim desktop weighs in with relatively similar specs and a $319 pricetag. %Gallery-75374% %Gallery-75375%
Medion rolls out AMD-based Akoya Mini E1312 netbook
The AMD-based netbook train may have been a little slow to get out of the station, but it looks like it's finally starting to pick up a bit of steam, with Medion the latest to roll out an offering of its own. That comes in the form of the company's new Akoya Mini E1312, which opts for a low-power AMD Sempron 210U processor and ATI Radeon Xpress 1250 graphics instead of the usual Intel combo. Otherwise, you can expect to get a 16:9 11.6-inch display, 1GB of RAM, a 160GB hard drive, HDMI out, and a six-cell or nine-cell battery. No word on a release 'round here just yet, but folks in the UK will apparently be able to pick this one up exclusively at Aldi stores starting July 12th for £339.99 (or just under $550).
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]
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.
Sharp intros AMD-powered Mebius laptops
Right on schedule, Sharp is updating its Mebius laptop line once again, and this time its AMD getting all the love. The 15.4-inch trio of machines include Windows Vista, a WXGA panel, ATI's Radeon Xpress 1100 graphics set, between 1GB and 2GB of RAM, a 120GB SATA drive, dual-layer DVD writer, Ethernet, WiFi, PCMCIA, SD / xD card slots, VGA out, audio in / out, four USB 2.0 sockets, and a 4-pin FireWire connector. On the low-end, the Sempron 3400+ powered PC-WE40V will ring up at ¥130,000 ($1,147), while the mid-range PC-WE50V gets the same CPU as well as Office 2007 for ¥150,000 ($1,324). The PC-WT70V, however, gets blessed with a Turion 64 X2 TL-52 and goes for ¥180,000 ($1,589).[Via Impress]
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.
Sharp's uber-white 14.1-inch Mebius PC-CW50T laptop
With all the Santa Rosa lovin' that's been going on of late, it's easy to overlook the AMD-powered bunch, but Sharp's latest Mebius shuns the more popular Intel chip and relies on a 1.6GHz Sempron 3400+ CPU instead. Additionally, this 14.1-inch machine sports a WXGA panel, up to 2GB of DDR2 RAM, ATI's Radeon Xpress 1100 graphics set, an 80GB hard drive, 802.11b/g WiFi, and a dual-layer DVD burner. Around the edges you'll find four USB 2.0 ports, a 4-pin FireWire connector, PC Card slot, SD card slot, Ethernet, audio in / out, and a VGA output. Unfortunately, it sounds like you may be disappointed in the paltry 1.3-hours of battery life that the Li-ion reportedly provides, but at least you've got more than a few alternatives to run to for ¥150,000 ($1,228).[Via AkihabaraNews]
Gigabyte intros Churchill mini DTX motherboard
As this year rolled in, AMD introduced a DTX open standard in hopes of boosting the allure of SFF adoption, and sure enough, Gigabyte took the bait. The firm's first mini DTX motherboard, dubbed Churchill, reportedly "serves as a base for AMD's Live! Home Media Server platform," and supports the Socket AM2 Athlon 64 and Sempron single- / dual-core processors. The mobo also features a SiS761GX north and SiS966 south bridge, an integrated Mirage 1 graphics core, a single PCIe slot, one vanilla PCI slot, six SATA ports, a total of eight USB 2.0 connectors scattered about, an built-in audio to boot. No word on pricing just yet, but the wee board should slip in under your nose sometime in July.
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]
Sharp updates Mebius lineup, adds Vista
NEC isn't the only game in town updating its laptop line with Vista pre-installed, as Sharp is revamping its long-standing Mebius lineup to include Microsoft's forthcoming OS as well as a few new pieces of hardware to boot. The 15.4-inch PC-WT70S houses a 1.6GHz AMD Turion 64 X2 processor, 1,280 x 800 resolution, up to 2GB of RAM, 100GB hard drive, ATI Radeon Xpress 1100 graphics chipset, dual-layer DVD burner, PCMCIA, four USB 2.0 ports, FireWire, SD / xD card slots, 802.11b/g, Ethernet, audio in / out, VGA out, and a paltry 1.2-hours of rated battery life. The lower-spec'd PC-WE40S features most of the same kit as its bigger brother, but swaps in an AMD Mobile Sempron 3200+ CPU, 512MB of RAM, an 80GB hard drive, and promises an equally appalling 1.3-hours of longevity. Lastly, the 14.1-inch PC-CH40S (pictured after the break) retains most of the above components, but utilizes a 1,024 x 768 resolution on its marginally smaller screen, and manages to squeeze 2.5-hours out of its Li-ion battery. All three units should be ready to rock the day Windows Vista lands later this month, and while the PC-WT70S will start around ¥170,000 ($1,411), both the PC-CH40S and PC-WE40S will demand ¥150,000 ($1,245) apiece.[Via Impress]
Dell unveils the AMD-based Latitude 131L
We wouldn't exactly call it a torrent of AMD-based laptops from previously Intel-faithful Dell, but it's at least a start. The new Latitude 131L is the small-biz counterpart to the Inspiron 1501, featuring a Turion 64 X2 dual-core processor (starting at $899) or a Sempron processor (starting at $629), integrated graphics and a 15.4-inch widescreen display. Deets are otherwise slim, but we're guessing they'll be similar to the D820 (pictured) -- we'll know for sure tomorrow when the 131L goes live on Dell's online store.
Dell prepping AMD-based laptops for Q4 '06?
As usual, there's no official word from Dell on any of this, but it's clear that they can't ignore AMD in the consumer space forever. According to a report by ZDNet Asia, Dell is planning to release laptops based on AMD's Sempron and Turion 64 X2 processors this October, kicking things off with some 15.4-inch models. The anonymous Dell exec behind the leak was quick to downplay things: "This is not a big deal," he said, "In order to remain competitive, we have to make sure that we have [a wide] enough variety of products to meet the market demand." Apparently a "wide variety" doesn't mean AMD chips unless Dell decides to use them. An AMD rep was a bit more forthcoming, saying "This is a sensitive topic, though we won't deny the fact that we are working with Dell on desktop and notebook PCs." He also went on to note: "Consumers will be able to buy AMD-based computers from Dell by the end of the year." If that doesn't sound like a positive confirmation, we don't know what does.[Via DailyCE, thanks Sabir S.]
