ZacateE-350
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Ripple updates its Look nettop with Fusion E-Series chip, leaves its handsome design alone
We don't cover nettops a whole lot around these parts, but we were powerless not to gawk when Ripple Korea unveiled the Look, a shapely nettop with a slick paintjob to match. At the time, it packed a dual-core Atom processor and integrated Intel graphics, in keeping with nettops' reputation for not being the most powerful PCs on the shelf. The next generation might be a bit more capable, though -- Ripple just refreshed it with an AMD Fusion E-350 ("Zacate") chip, which means you can almost certainly expect a bump in graphics performance this go 'round. Other than that, the specs haven't changed much: like the previous generation, it comes with 2GB of RAM and a 320GB hard drive. No word on pricing, though if the Fusion version is like its Atom-powered predecessor, you'll have your best chances of nabbing one if you make the pilgrimage to Seoul.
MSI's Fusion-powered X370 laptop gets $579 price tag, hits Amazon and Newegg
Our story about MSI's X370 ultraportable getting a dose of AMD Fusion ended on a cliffhanger -- the company stopped short of revealing just how much the thing would cost. Well, now we have our answer: this 13.4-incher comes with a $599 price tag and is up for grabs on Newegg. (Amazon already cut the price to $579, but isn't shipping it just yet.) For the money, that sub-$600 sticker includes AMD's new Zacate E-350 APU, 4GB of RAM, integrated Radeon HD 6310 graphics, a 500GB hard drive, a 4-in-1 memory card reader, HDMI and VGA output, a 1.3 megapixel webcam, and an 8-cell battery that MSI claims can last up to ten hours. While it earlier seemed that consumers would get their pick of hard drives and batteries, it's available in just one configuration for now -- not that you would have been tempted to downgrade to a 4-cell, anyway.
MSI slips AMD's Fusion into 13-inch X370 ultraportable, hopes you'll notice
Tired of Intel's Core i5 taking a beating on your X-Slim X360's battery life? Join the crowd. For those less concerned with playing Crysis 2 and more concerned with a solid overall machine, MSI's new X370 looks to strike a lovely balance. The 13.4-inch ultraportable gets a 1366 x 768 resolution display, AMD's hot-off-of-the-presses Zacate E-350 APU, Radeon HD 6310 graphics, HDMI / VGA outputs, a pair of USB 2.0 ports, an internal card reader, 802.11b/g/n WiFi, Bluetooth 2.1+EDR, gigabit Ethernet, a 1.3 megapixel camera and (nearly) as much DDR3 memory as you can stuff into it. You'll also get a 320/500/640GB hard drive, a 4- or 8-cell battery and a chassis that weighs 3.08 pounds with the smaller of the two cells. Naturally, Windows 7 (64-bit) is the OS of choice, but the company's stopping short of providing a hard price or release date -- here's hoping it falls somewhere between "cheap" and "price mistake."
Zotac's Fusion-based Zbox AD03 Blu-ray HTPC gets reviewed, smiled upon
While AMD's Zacate E-350 APU has managed to find its way into a number of laptops, it's not exactly simple to find a desktop based on Fusion right now. Thankfully, Zotac was champing at the bit to be one of the first, and its Zbox AD03 / AD03 Plus has just hit the test bench over at Hot Hardware. All told, the results were fairly predictable, with the Fusion APU running laps around the prior Atom-based version. Of course, "laps" is a relative term, and while it hasn't single-handedly redefined the SFF PC sector, it has provided a real alternative to Intel's stable of underwhelming nettop chips. Across the board, the Zacate E-350 managed to hold its own, with the only real issue being "lackluster Flash video acceleration." We're told that updated drivers are expected to remedy that, however, so there's really little to gripe about from a numbers standpoint. As for value proposition? The AD03 Plus (ringing up at $529.99) seems like a worse deal with its skimpy 2GB of RAM and (comparatively sluggish) 250GB HDD, while the barebones AD03 (which lists for $439.99) could be turned into quite the powerhouse with 4GB of memory and a speedy SSD. Head on down to the source link to get your nerd on, but only if you're interested in scratching that DIY itch that's been so bothersome of late.
