AMD extends their Athlon II processor family today with the announcement of several new dual-core, triple-core, and quad-core product offerings. The new processors are designed to offer “outstanding performance” with low power consumption at low-price points – thereby enabling system builders to create power and cost-efficient systems optimized for Windows 7. The new processors with their 1ku price points are as follows:

• Athlon II X4 605e clocked at 2.3GHz with TDP of 45 W and 1ku price of $143
• Athlon II X4 600e clocked at 2.2GHz with TDP of 45 W and 1ku price of $133
• Athlon II X3 435 clocked at 2.9GHz with TDP of 95 W and 1ku price of $87
• Athlon II X3 425 clocked at 2.7GHz with TDP of 95 W and 1ku price of $76
• Athlon II X3 405e clocked at 2.3GHz with TDP of 45 W and 1ku price of $102
• Athlon II X3 400e clocked at 2.2GHz with TDP of 45 W and 1ku price of $97
• Athlon II X2 240e clocked at 2.8GHz with TDP of 45 W and 1ku price of $77
• Athlon II X2 235e clocked at 2.7GHz with TDP of 45 W and 1ku price of $69

Expect many more multi-core thin-and-light notebooks/desktop systems with low-price points and higher performance. Great time to be a consumer I tell ya!

Technorati Tags: AMD Athlon II

System builders looking to create cheap (and decently powerful) computers will be happy to hear that AMD has launched the world’s first quad-core processor for under $100 dollars in the form of the AMD Athlon II X4.

The new 2.6 GHz Athlon II X4 620 is priced at $99 dollars for system builders – although pricing might vary by region. AMD claims that a bundle containing the Athlon II X4 620 and the MSI 785GTM motherboard (which uses the latest AMD 785G chipset) should cost around $170 dollars – a steal for anyone looking to put together a quad core system.

Spec wise, the Athlon II X4 620 is clocked at 2.6GHz, built on a 45nm SOI process, comes with 2MB of L2 cache, and has a TDP of 95W. There’s also a 630 model which is clocked at 2.8GHz with otherwise identical specs.

This along with the recent introduction of the Intel Core i5 processors means its a very good time to be a computer enthusiast.. or heck.. a good time in general to be a consumer looking to get a new computer.

[Check it out via PC Magazine]

Technorati Tags: AMD Athlon II X4

HP expanded their thin and light notebook lineup yesterday with the introduction of the new dv2z series. The dv2z has a starting price of $599, measures less than an inch thick, weighs around 3.81 pounds, and features a 12.1 inch diagonal mercury-free LED widescreen display.

The $599 base configuration comes with the following specs:

• Espresso black color
• Windows Vista Home Basic
• AMD Athlon Neo processor MV-40 clocked at 1.6GHz
• 1GB RAM
• 250GB 5400RPM SATA HDD
• ATI Radeon X1250 graphics
• 12.1 inch WXGA display (1280 x 800)
• Webcam
• Wi-Fi card
• 6 cell lithium ion battery

You can also opt for more powerful processor options including a new AMD Athlon Neo X2 Dual Core Processor (Model L335) clocked at 1.6GHz for $25 dollars more or the AMD Turion Neo X2 Dual Core Mobile Processor Model L625 clocked at 1.6GHz for an additional $75 dollars. (Note – if you do opt for the Turion Neo X2, HP requires that you update to Windows Vista Home Premium (which adds $30 dollars to the price) and to an ATI Mobility Radeon HD3410 (which adds $50 dollars to the price) – bringing the overall price to $754.99. Still not bad but something to remember if you want the more powerful Turion processor.

[Check it out]

Technorati Tags: HP Pavilion dv2z notebook, AMD Athlon Neo processor

Not quite ready to go quad-core yet?

Well, AMD has two new dual core processors for you to consider – the 45nm AMD Athlon II X2 250 processor which brings the 45nm processor to the Athlon processor lineup and the new AMD Phenom II X2 550 Black Edition processor – the first dual core AMD Phenon II processor. The Phenom II lineup is now available in dual, triple, and quad-core variants.

AMD claims that the new Athlon II X2 250 processor has a TDP of 65 watts with power consumption cut by up to 50 percent when doing basic tasks or at idle, and up to 40 percent on heavy workloads.

You can read more about this over at AMD’s website here.

Technorati Tags: AMD, AMD Athlon II X2 250, AMD Phenom II X2 550 Black Edition

It’s finally happened (and it was about time!). The graphics processor has finally reached the gigahertz plateau thanks to the introduction of the new factory over-clocked ATI Radeon HD 4890 GPU from AMD. While many computer enthusiasts have broken the gigahertz barrier with their respective GPUs, this is the first commercially available GPU to hit 1GHz using standard air-cooling techniques. Yes.. no need to break out some fancy schmancy cooling techniques here folks. Couple several of these 1GHz GPUs together and you’ve got yourself one fast graphics powerhouse of a system!  Maybe it’s time for me to revisit PC gaming again!

[Check it out]

Technorati Tags: AMD, ATI Radeon HD 4890

Looking to address the multi-monitor enterprise market, AMD introduces the new ATI FirePro 2450 graphics accelerator. This low-profile, power-efficient graphics accelerator supports up to four displays via either DVI-I or VGA connections. How power efficient is it? The card is designed to operate at less than 18 watts of power.

Other features of the FirePro 2450 include:

• 512MB on-board graphics memory
• Max digital resolution of 1920 x 1200
• Full support of Windows Vista Aero
• Supports PCI Express 2.0
• Two VHDCI connectors with breakout cables for quad DVI-I/VGA
• Hardware acceleration of DirectX 10.1 and OpenGL 2.1 advanced features
• Unified Driver Architecture
• Consumes a max of 32 watts with avg of 17 watts on 2D business usage

Designed to replace the ATI FireMV workstation graphics card, the ATI FirePro 2450 is available now for a price of $499.

[Check it out]

Technorati Tags: AMD, ATI FirePro 2450, graphics accelerator

(Updated at 2:06 AM PST) It certainly looks like we’re on the verge of a new processor price war here folks. The first round happened a few weeks back when AMD announced their new Phenom II processors – undercutting Intel’s quad core processor lineup. Intel responded in kind a few weeks later and now, it’s AMD’s turn to respond by releasing five new Phenom II processors including three quad core processors and the industry’s only 45nm triple core processors.

The new Phenom II processors fit in either AMD2+ or AM3 sockets and support either DDR2 or DDR3 memory. The five new models announced today are as follows (check the price list for up to date prices):

• Phenom II X4 910 clocked at 2.6GHz
• Phenom II X4 810 clocked at 2.6GHz – priced at $175
• Phenom II X4 805 clocked at 2.5GHz
• Phenom II X3 720 Black Edition clocked at 2.8GHz – priced at $145
• Phenom II X3 710 clocked at 2.6GHz – priced at $125

Two early reviews out – one from Anandtech and one from ExtremeTech (we expect more reviews to hit the net as the day progresses). Anandtech had this to say about the new 810 processor:

“These new CPUs from AMD are good overclockers, good performers and they don’t have any real drawbacks unlike their predecessors. The most interesting CPU is the Phenom II X3 720; at $145 its only Intel competitors are the Core 2 Duo E7500 and the Core 2 Duo E8400, both of which are dual-core CPUs.“

ExtremeTech had this to say about the 810:

“AMD’s long anticipated move to socket AM3 is finally hear, but it disappoints somewhat with reduced cache sizes, clock rates and entry level performance. The price is right, though.”

With both processor lineups now roughly on par with one another, AMD is attempting to win over customers by simply offering lower prices. It’s a dangerous game to play for the company especially since they are now effectively fab-less. Intel can easily respond by lowering prices yet again – reducing processor prices to a point which will easily hurt AMD – even if they now have a competitive product.

Of course, all of this is great for you and I – the average consumer. It’d be great to have an inexpensive quad core desktop PC in the office.

Technorati Tags: AMD, Phenom II, CPU price war

Here’s an interesting press release that went across the wire this morning.

“Qualcomm has acquired certain graphics and multimedia technology assets, intellectual property and resources that were formerly the basis of AMD’s handheld business. The acquisition enhances Qualcomm’s multimedia capabilities, allowing Qualcomm to strengthen its leadership position in delivering more advanced products that redefine next-generation mobile user experiences.”

According to Steve Mollenkopf, executive VP of Qualcomm and president of Qualcomm CDMA Technologies, “This acquisition of assets from AMD’s handheld business brings us strong multimedia technologies, including graphics cores that we have been licensing for several years”

Under the terms of the agreement, Qualcomm has extended job offers to various design and development teams from AMD’s handheld business. AMD will receive $65 million dollars from AMD as part of this transaction.

So what exactly is AMD handing over to Qualcomm? In a report over at CNET’s News.com, AMD states that they are providing “vector graphics and 3D graphics technologies and IP” to Qualcomm. However, this does not include the Imageon line of graphics processors. The company will retain the rights to Imageon and “honor existing customer commitments” but will not make future updates to the Imageon road map.

[Check it out]

Technorati Tags: AMD, Qualcomm, handheld graphics

Wanted to drop a quick note before I head out for day 1 of CES 2009. AMD announced their next generation quad core processor today – the AMD Phenom II – built on the same 45nm process that Intel has been on for a few years now. The Phenom II will initially be available in two versions – the X4 920 and the X4 940 Black Edition – and will fit in nicely between Intel’s Core 2 Quad processor models and the new Core i7 product offerings. The Black Edition processors will have their core clock multiplier unlocked which will be a boon for computing enthusiasts.

The key driving points with the Phenom II?

• Larger L2 cache
• Larger L3 cache – bumped up to 6MB
• Higher core frequencies – the 940 Black Edition is available as high as 3 GHz
• No socket changes here – still utilize AM2+ motherboards

Where Phenom II will truly compete is in the area of price. The 3GHz Phenom II X4 940 Black Edition will have a price of $275. The Phenom II X4 920 at 2.8GHz will be available for $235. This translates to inexpensive quad core systems with comparable performance to more expensive Core 2 Quad systems and low end Core i7 systems.

With that said, here’s a rundown of early reviews and their verdicts:

ExtremeTech reviews the Phenom II X4 940 Black Edition and has this to say:

“If you’re looking to build a fairly cost effective quad core system, AMD’s latest Phenom II will get you there. Just don’t expect performance miracles.“

The TechReport reviews the new Phenom II’s and has this to say:

“In the Phenom II, AMD has produced a chip that comes strikingly close to duplicating the performance of Intel’s mid-range Core 2 Quad processors, the Q9300 and Q9400”

Bit-Tech reviews both the AMD Phenom II X4 940 and 920 processors and says:

“While not the best performer we’ve ever seen, AMD has finally got a solid competitor it can sell on an inexpensive platform – this should readdress the balance quite nicely in the market.”

TweakTown looks at the Phenom II and the new Dragon platform and says:

“While not quite up to the task of taking on the Core 2 Extreme in raw performance, its associated price tag makes it a fairly attractive option for the performance it offers”

Tom’s Hardware looks at the Phenom II X4 processor and says this:

“When it comes to system efficiency and energy consumption, if you put a Phenom II X4 940 system head-to-head against a Core 2 Quad Q6600, an AMD system delivers measurably better “performance per watt” figures.”

Anandtech takes a look at both the Phenom II X4 940 and 920 here with this to say:

“If you’ve been waiting for an AMD to be excited about for the past couple of years, today is your day. Competition is back.”

Bjorn3D looks at the Phenom II X4 940 and the verdict is…

“Even though we are positive about the Dragon platform we cannot stop to be a bit disappointed again that AMD cannot put out something that rivals the best from Intel.”

LegitReviews looks at the AMD Phenom II X4 940 processor and has this to say:

“The AMD Phenom II processor series processor may not be the performance winner in all the benchmarks, but it might not need to be competitive in this day and age when the price tag matters most.”

OverclockersClub looks at the higher end 940 processor with this to say at the end:

“For the price, the Phenom II is a killer processor.”

Technorati Tags: AMD Phenom II X4 reviews

[Reprinted from NetbookTech] AMD took the wraps off their “Yukon” platform tonight with the introduction of the new Athlon Neo processor, ATI Radeon X1250 integrated graphics and optional ATI Mobility Radeon HD 3410 discrete graphics. With this new platform, AMD aims to claim the space between low-end netbooks and expensive ultra-portable notebook PCs – basically inexpensive 12 inch notebooks that are more powerful than netbooks yet cheaper than current ultra-portables often powered by the more powerful and more expensive Intel Core 2 Duo ULV processor.

According to Chris Cloran, corporate vice president, client division, AMD:

“In introducing the AMD ultrathin notebook platform, AMD enables balanced PC performance, including the option of advanced graphics and video for true HD entertainment, all in an affordable, ultrathin notebook, bringing consumers uncompromised mobility.”

AMD claims the Athlon Neo processor platform will enable:

• Smooth 1080p HD playback
• Realistic 3D graphics with the optional ATI Mobility Radeon HD 3410 Premium graphics
• HDMI and DVI outputs

Features of the Athlon Neo processor include:

• Processor package measuring 27 x 27 mm and a low profile of 2.5 mm
• AMD PowerNow! Technology – dynamically switches performance states (processor core voltage and operating frequency) based on processor performance requirements
• AMD Digital Media XPress with support for SSE, SSE2, SSE3 and MMX instructions
• 64 bit processor
• Compatible with Windows XP Professional x64 Edition, Windows XP Professional, Windows XP Home Edition, Windows 98, Windows ME, Windows NT, Windows 2000, Linux, and Windows Vista

The Athlon Neo processor will be available initially in a 1.6GHz model (Model number MV-40) manufactured on a 65nm process and featuring a 512MB L2 cache.

Should we expect to find the Athlon Neo processor in future netbook systems? That’s always a possibility but keep in mind that the Neo has a larger footprint (Neo’s 27 x 27 mm vs. the Atom’s 22 x 22 mm footprint) and thermal envelope (Neo’s 15 watt thermal envelope vs. the Atom’s 2.5 watt thermal envelope) than the Intel Atom processor making it a more ideal processor for larger platforms like the 12 inch ultra-portable notebook.

From a performance perspective, PC Magazine claims the Athlon Neo should deliver 2.5 times the performance of a 1.6GHz Intel Atom processor and the Intel GMA 950 graphics platform. 

[Check out the press release]

Technorati Tags: AMD Athlon Neo processor, ultra-portable notebooks