AMD CAN INCREASE ITS MARKET SHARE

The release of video cards series radeon HD 48xx was very successful : some NVIDIA partners decided for the first time to release AMD graphic solution. The relationship of price and productivity for the Radeon HD of 4870 do not have any competitors, since NVIDIA is not assembled to reduce the GeForce GTX 260 price . NVIDIA as answer to the radeon HD4850 , announced the GeForce 9800 GTX+, which is $30 more expensive. In a word, radeon HD 48xx prospect are outstanding . Associate report that AMD can increase its market share in discrete graphical solutions to 40% in the third quarter this year. At the beginning of year this index was about 30%.

CPU-Z 1.46 released

CPUID is offering a new version of the little component information tool known as CPU-Z. CPU-Z 1.46 adds support for:

- AMD Puma platform (Turion & Turion Ultra "Griffin")
- AMD Black Edition processors
- Intel Xeon EX "Dunnington"

Features:
CPU

• Name and number.
• Core stepping and process.
• Package.
• Core voltage.
• Internal and external clocks, clock multiplier.
• Supported instructions sets.
• Cache information.

Mainboard

• Vendor, model and revision.
• BIOS model and date.
• Chipset (northbridge and southbridge) and sensor.
• Graphic interface.

Memory

• Frequency and timings.
• Module(s) specification using SPD (Serial Presence Detect) : vendor, serial number, timings table.

System

• Windows and DirectX version.

You can download from this page.

AMD's Phenom X3 8000 Series: Two Cores vs Three Cores

AMD's Phenom X3 8000

AMD has been pretty active on the CPU front lately, last month we saw the Phenom re-launch with the B3-stepping 50-series quad-core processors and today AMD is unveiling its 50-series triple-core parts.

	Cores	Stepping	Clock Speed	TDP	L2 Cache	L3 Cache	1 Ku Price
AMD Phenom X4 9850	4	B3	2.5GHz	125W	2MB	2MB	$235
AMD Phenom X4 9750	4	B3	2.4GHz	125W	2MB	2MB	$215
AMD Phenom X4 9550	4	B3	2.2GHz	95W	2MB	2MB	$209
AMD Phenom X3 8750	3	B3	2.4GHz	95W	1.5MB	2MB	$195
AMD Phenom X3 8650	3	B3	2.3GHz	95W	1.5MB	2MB	$165
AMD Phenom X3 8450	3	B3	2.1GHz	95W	1.5MB	2MB	$145

Note that all three of the triple-core parts are 50-series CPUs, meaning they are based on the B3 stepping and do not suffer from the TLB erratum that plagued the early Phenom processors. AMD continues to ship B2 stepping CPUs, but most of them are to OEMs that aren't as concerned with the performance hit associated with the software TLB fix.

Pricing is also pretty interesting, as the top end Phenom X3 8750 is only $20 cheaper than the quad-core Phenom X4 9750 despite running at the same clock speed. The X3 8650 and 8450 are far more interesting as both of them are priced closer to $150.

There's now some overlap between AMD's triple-core Phenom and dual-core Athlon X2 offerings in terms of price, have a look:

	Cores	Clock Speed	TDP	L2 Cache	L3 Cache	1 Ku Price
AMD Phenom X3 8750	3	2.4GHz	95W	1.5MB	2MB	$195
AMD Phenom X3 8650	3	2.3GHz	95W	1.5MB	2MB	$165
AMD Phenom X3 8450	3	2.1GHz	95W	1.5MB	2MB	$145
AMD Athlon X2 6400+	2	3.2GHz	125W	2MB	0MB	$178
AMD Athlon X2 6000+	2	3.0GHz	125W	2MB	0MB	$167
AMD Athlon X2 5600+	2	2.8GHz	89W	2MB	0MB	$146

The Athlon X2s still hold a tremendous clock speed advantage, but Phenom can do more work per clock. It will be interesting to see if three Phenom cores at 2.1GHz are a better buy than two Athlon X2 cores at 2.8GHz.

read full article

Next Generation AMD Platform Available on New Satellite Laptops

IRVINE, Calif--Toshiba’s Digital Products Division (DPD), a division of Toshiba America Information Systems, Inc., today announced that select models of its Satellite® series are equipped with AMD’s next generation notebook platform.

The Satellite laptop PC series, including the P300D, A300D, M300D, U400D, L300D and L350D, is offered with variations of AMD’s Athlon™ Dual Core QL, Turion™ Dual Core RM and Turion Ultra ZM processor(1) technology, providing consumers with the freedom to choose whichever configuration best suits their needs.

This new AMD platform promises superior performance, enhanced visual graphics and increased battery life. The combination of all these aspects contributes to a balanced laptop platform, which gives the user extended battery life without sacrificing performance.

Building upon the Satellite laptop PC's solid reputation of quality, several innovative features have been included and are offered on select models:

* Built-in FM Tuner: A built-in FM tuner allows users to enjoy their favorite FM radio broadcasts while working on their laptop PC.
* Face Recognition: The TOSHIBA Face Recognition Technology provides users with a fun and convenient way to log onto their laptops without a traditional password.
* Sleep-and-Charge USB Ports(2): Popular mobile devices can be charged whether the laptop is powered-on, off or in hibernation mode.
* eSATA: An eSATA port empowers the high-speed transfer of files between the laptop and an external hard drive with transfer rates that are up to five times faster than USB 2.0.
* Fusion finish: Each new Satellite laptop sports Toshiba’s Fusion™ finish in a Horizon pattern. More than just a graphic element, the Fusion Finish is a unique combination of appearance and texture.

Additionally each new Satellite laptop PC delivers premium audio, through a set of Harman Kardon® stereo speakers for a rich, cinema-like sound experience. Meanwhile, select Satellite models come equipped with Toshiba’s REGZA LINK™ (HDMI-CEC) technology empowering users with instant and automated device configuration and the ability to control linked HDMI-CEC enabled devices, such as Toshiba’s REGZA™ HDTVs and a Satellite laptop, with a single remote. The new Satellite series laptops are available at a variety of major consumer electronics and computer stores nationwide or directly from Toshiba at www.toshibadirect.com. Detailed product specifications and information can be found at www.explore.toshiba.com/laptops/satellite.

All new Toshiba laptops are RoHS-compatible(3), effectively reducing the environmental impact by restricting the use of lead, mercury and certain other hazardous substances. Beginning in the third quarter of 2008, Toshiba will offer a computer trade-in and recycling program for all manufacturer’s PCs to reduce environmental impact and promote efficient utilization of resources. To learn more about this free PC recycling program or to find out how to recycle other consumer electronic products, please visit: www.toshiba.eztradein.com/toshiba.

Multimedia: Satellite AMD Series

About Toshiba America Information Systems, Inc. (TAIS)

Headquartered in Irvine, Calif., TAIS is comprised of four business units: Digital Products Division, Imaging Systems Division, Storage Device Division, and Telecommunication Systems Division. Together, these divisions provide mobile product and solutions, including industry leading portable computers; projectors; imaging products for the security, medical and manufacturing markets; storage products for automotive, computer and consumer electronics applications; and telephony equipment and associated applications. TAIS provides sales, marketing and services for its wide range of information products in the United States and Latin America. TAIS is an independent operating company owned by Toshiba America, Inc., a subsidiary of Toshiba Corporation, which is a global leader in high technology and integrated manufacturing of electrical and electronic components, products and systems, as well as major infrastructure systems. Toshiba was founded in 1875, and today operates a global network of more than 740 companies, with 198,000 employees worldwide and annual sales surpassing US$76 billion. For more information on Toshiba's leading innovations, visit the company's Web site at www.toshiba.com. 1. Processor. CPU performance may vary. See Processor Legal Footnote at www.info.toshiba.com. 2. USB Sleep & Charge. The “USB Sleep & Charge function” may not work with certain external devices even if they are compliant with the USB specification. In those cases, turn the power of the computer ON to charge the device. 3. RoHS. This product is compatible with European Union Directive 2002/95/EC. See RoHS legal footnote at www.info.toshiba.com. © 2008 Toshiba America Information Systems, Inc. All product, service and company names are trademarks, registered trademarks or service marks of their respective owners. Information including without limitation product prices, specifications, availability, content of services, and contact information is subject to change without notice. Release Summary: Toshiba’s Digital Products Division (DPD), today announced that select models of its Satellite(R) series are equipped with AMD’s next generation notebook platform. Keyword Tags: amd, face recognition, laptop, laptop computer, laptop computers, laptop pc, notebook, notebook computer, notebook pc, satellite, toshiba

AMD Puma

Trust Computing has posted a story on AMD's Puma laptop platform. XGP is also covered. That is their external graphics solution for laptops. I think a desktop version might make sense as well.

The new CPUs are based on the same STARS cores that power the Phenom desktop line of CPUs so it's fair to say they won't be setting any performance or battery life records if our previous experience is anything to go by. However, with more sophisticated power saving features than any previous AMD CPUs, they will still be an improvement. The interesting bit, though is the new chipset that will support these new processors.

This first batch will be equipped with RV635, or HD 3670 XT chips. While the RV635 isn't the fastest graphics chip, mobile or otherwise, to have its power tucked neatly away in a box ready for gaming, when you return home after a hard day's work roaming the streets with your ultra-portable notebook, is a real boon. In fact, it's this vision that I can see changing the way we game, forever.

For a while it's been conceded that CPUs are not a limiting factor for games and that what has been holding back gaming on notebooks is graphics grunt. So, with graphics potentially now taken care of, what role does the humble desktop PC now have? Sure there will always be people that require masses of storage, the fastest CPUs, and truly insane graphics but just as we're seeing notebooks devour the home desktop market, could notebooks become the new mainstream gaming platform? source

Amd enters low-cost pc market

AMD looks like it is a spent force today, pretty much like how its graphics arm, ATi is compared to Intel and NVIDIA, respectively. Still, kudos to the folks at AMD for keeping some semblance of check and balance in the processor wars. AMD will be working on a processor to penetrate the low-cost PC market which is currently being dominated by the Intel Atom and Via Technology Nano processors. These new offerings from AMD will support 6-bit instructions and based on their previous generation K8 architecture. You will get a capped speed of 1.2GHz in the single-core model, manufactured under the 65nm process. If AMD were to stand any chance of making an impact, they’d best price it just below Intel’s Atom IMHO.

Source: Digitimes

AMD's Atom rival to be introduced this year

AMD's recently revealed plans to manufacture a competitor to Intel's Atom are now said to be on track to see the first such processor coming out of a Dresden fab before 2008 draws to a close. Built using the 65nm process, the single-core wannabe Atom killer from AMD will have 64bit support, 256kB of L2 cache and a frequency between 1 and 1.2 GHz.

Equipped with a DDR2 memory controller, AMD's CPU will start shipping in the first half of 2009 when netbooks/nettops powered by it are also expected to hit the stores. With Atom being so popular these days it will be interesting to see which manufacturer will release low-cost PCs based on AMD's upcoming CPU. source:tcmagazine.com

AMD Refines Stream Computing Approach

Tech Report has talked to AMD about their Stream computing efforts.

Initially we came out with Close-to-Metal, which was a very low level interface. You had to know a fair bit about the GPU to use it, [but] you could get very good performance out of it. What we've done in the two years since we came out with CTM, is come out with higher-level tools. So, last November we launched Brook+, and what that is a C-level interface that is quite similar to [Nvidia's] CUDA and the OpenCL standard that's been proposed by the Khronos working group. So, it's kind of the same level, and the effort of Khronos is to try a standard API so that people don't get locked into one hardware platform or another based on initial software investment.

AMD trying to catch up with Intel by realeasing low-power Phenom CPU by the end of 2008

AMD is trying to take back some parts of the CPU market. While Intel is on its way to release the new Nehalem processors, AMD is planning to launch some low-power triple-corequad-core processors at the end this year. These chips are expected to come with a TDP of 65W. From the performance point of view, AMD's new processors are far from Intel's latest CPUs, but they will certainly provide a good performance/price ratio, as is already customary with all AMD chips.

AMD is set on releasing two low-power triple-core Phenom processors, named X3 8250e and 8450e respectively, with core frequencies of 1.9GHz and 2.1GHz, respectively, and both will have an L2 cache of 1.5MB and L3 cache of 2MB. The two CPUs are expected to enter DVT this summer, in July, while mass production for the new AMD CPUs is due to start at the beginning of August.

Meanwhile, AMD is expected to launch the low-power quad-core Phenom X4 9350e in the third quarter of this year. Two other models will follow in the fourth quarter and the first quarter of 2009, which is when AMD will start rolling out its 45nm quad-core CPUs (Propus), targeting core frequencies between 2.3-2.6 GHz.

Sources claim that AMD is determined to have the Phenom X4 9850 (2.5GHz) and the 9950 (2.6GHz) enter DVT in the third quarter, and ship in the following three months. The company is also to launching two 45nm Phenom X4 CPUs by the end of the fourth quarter, both of them with core frequencies between 2.4-2.8GHz.

Unfortunatellu AMD did not make any official statement regarding the new CPU lineup.

Intel to spin off solar energy tech, help form SpectraWatt

Transistor connaisseur Intel has decided to back up the forming of a new solar energy company called SpectraWatt. The Nehalem builder is set to give SpectraWatt some of its solar power technologies and, together with Cogentrix Energy, LLC, PCG Clean Energy and Technology Fund and Solon AG, will invest $50 million in it.

SpectraWatt will manufacture and supply photovoltaic cells to solar module makers and will concentrate development efforts on improvements in current manufacturing processes and capabilities to reduce the cost of photovoltaic energy generation.

"The formation of SpectraWatt is an important step forward in the renewable energy market," said Andrew B. Wilson, SpectraWatt CEO and former general manager in the Intel New Business Initiatives group. "We are pleased to work with these companies in the goal of moving toward long-term national energy independence."

SpectraWatt is expected to deliver its first products by mid-2009.

AMD demos Cinema 2.0 concept using Radeon HD 4800 cards

Trying to rain on Nvidia's GT200 parade, AMD has yesterday held a press conference in San Francisco to demonstrate "a milestone achievement in ultra-realistic and interactive visual computing." Dubbed the "Cinema 2.0 experience", AMD's latest marketing scheme combines power components like the upcoming TeraFlop offering known as the RV770 cards (Radeon HD 4800 series) in order to deliver a "fusion of dynamic real-time interactivity with convincing cinematic digital effects."

"With Cinema 2.0 you won’t just play movies, you'll play in them. Imagine the ability to look around the environments in a sci-fi movie, put yourself in the driver's seat in a race scene, duck behind things and pop up to see what’s going on in an intense firefight – all of these things are possible with Cinema 2.0," said Charlie Boswell, director, Digital Media & Entertainment, AMD. "The challenge for any director has always been taking a wonderful vision in the canvas of the mind and translating that to film for the audience to see. Cinema 2.0 breaks down the time and cost barriers of getting a scene or shot that’s 'just right', and what’s better, allows audiences to dive deeper into the experience to explore every part of that director's vision."

According to AMD, the secret of Cinema 2.0 is the blending of highly complex and realistic graphics that traditionally are the exclusive domain of blockbuster films, with the dynamic 3D interactivity of popular video games. To show off the tip of the Cinema 2.0 'iceberg' AMD, at its press conference, ran a new Ruby demo which is previewed here. The demo ran 'live' on a system equipped with a Phenom X4 9850 BE CPU, an AMD 790FX motherboard and a couple of RV770 cards in CrossFire. How exciting! (BEd: Sarcasm alert)
source:tcmagazine

AMD announces 1 TeraFlop-breaking stream processor

Thinking it can rain on Nvidia's D10 parade later today, AMD has now introduced a new stream processor, the FireStream 9250. Most likely boasting an RV770 chip, the FireStream 9250 surpasses 1 TeraFlop in single precision performance and is equipped with 1GB of GDDR3 memory.

Featuring a second-generation double-precision floating point hardware implementation, the new FireStream card consumes less than 150W and comes with a single-slot cooling solutions making it fit in everything from workstations, desktop PCs, small 1U servers and larger servers. AMD is planning to start selling the FireStream 9250 in Q3 for about $999.
News source: TechConnect

Intel Tech Chief Reveals Secret Origins of the MacBook Air's Super Small Chip

Here's something you didn't know about the MacBook Air's infamously tiny CPU: The shrinkage tech behind it had been collecting dust on Intel's shelf for a couple years since no PC manufacturer was interested in it. When Apple put in the call for a dwarven chip, Intel originally thought what Apple wanted was years away on their roadmap before re-discovering the concept—a year later they had it refreshed and ready to go. Which is the usual breakneck speed Apple moves, Intel's CTO Justin Rattner told Fortune. He also dished that they're collaborating on more breakthrough stuff that's "equally aggressive."

Besides chatting about how Intel and Apple are now BFF and love working together, delivering super cool crazy tech to the masses, he said something fairly odd about WiMax, considering how much money they've been pumping into it. Basically, he said Intel pushed WiMax hard because at the time it was the best and easiest way to deliver broadband everywhere. Now there are alternatives, and their view is that "if WiMax succeeds, we'll have the bandwidth. If others succeed, we'll have the bandwidth." Does that smell like a vote of confidence to you, or ambivalence, sprinkled with hints of regret? [Fortune gizmodo]

Intel Launching Q8000 Cheap Quad Core Processors

Digitimes is reporting that Intel is about to pop a series of cheap quad core processors (Q8000) to slap back at AMD's budget triple core offerings. The first will be the Core 2 Quad 8200, which'll run at 2.33GHz with a 4MB L2 cache, supporting a front-side bus of up to 1333MHz for around $200. Difference between these and standard Q9000 series is that these don't support Intel's Trusted Execution or Virtualization Technology.

In order to separate the Q8000 series from Intel's Q9000 CPU family, the Q8000 CPU series will not support Intel's VT and TXT technology. These seem kinda redundant, since you can pick up a Core 2 Quad 6600 for that much (or the newer 45nm Q9300 for not a whole lot more), both of which trounced AMD's fastest quad core in benchmarks. And AMD's triple cores ain't exactly anything to sing about to begin with. [DigiTimes via Tech Report -gizmodo]

Intel E5000 series to put an end to E2000s

In addition to introducing the Q8000 family of quads, Intel will, in Q3 bring out a new CPU series, one aimed at the sub-$100 market segment. The E5000s will all be 45nm-built dual-core processors and they will be replacing the E2000s which are based on older 65nm Allendale core.

Lacking VT and TXT, the E5000 CPUs will have a FSB of 800 MHz and an L2 cache of 2MB, one third that of the already released Wolfdale dual-core parts. Featuring a 65W TDP and a frequency of 2.5 GHz, the first E5000 CPU will be dubbed E5200. This one will come in Q3 and cost about $84 (in 1000-unit tray quantities).source:tcmagazine

AMD intros a single-slot Radeon HD 3870 for Macs

With everyone waiting on them to give the OK for the RV770 arrival, Advanced Micro Devices or simply AMD for friends and foes has announced a new old card based on the RV670 chip. Said to be optimized exclusively for Macs, the Radeon HD 3870 Mac & PC edition features DirectX 10.1 and PCI-Express support, a 256-bit memory interface and comes loaded with 512MB of GDDR4 memory, just like the 'regular' HD 3870. A nice plus for the new card is that it uses a single-slot cooling solution. But that's about it.

"AMD is introducing the ATI Radeon HD 3870 Mac & PC Edition to enhance the Mac experience to maximum levels of 3D gaming and HD performance," said Matt Skynner, vice president of marketing, Graphics Products Group, AMD. "Mac users demand the best when it comes to HD graphics performance, and the ATI Radeon 3870 Mac & PC Edition is designed to meet and exceed that need by delivering The Ultimate Visual Experience to our customers’ displays."

Set to start selling in late June, the Radeon HD 3870 Mac & PC Edition has a suggested retail price of $219.

AMD denies Kuma cancellation rumors

Earlier this week the word around Rumorville was that AMD decided to abandon its plans of releasing dual-core K10 (codenamed Kuma) processors. As just stated by AMD spokesman Jake Whitman though, this is just not true as the company is still "on track to launch a dual-core -codenamed Kuma - part in the second half of '08."

Set to utilize the Athlon brand, the Kuma CPUs will be built on 65nm, feature HyperTransport 3.0 and come in an AM2+ package.

AMD preparing energy efficient tri-core Phenoms

Even if it won't deliver any Kuma processor AMD will still have something to release before its 45nm parts come into play. The latest info points out to the introduction of two energy efficient triple-core (codename Toliman) Phenom processors in mid-Q3.

The CPUs in plan are the Phenom X3 8450e and X3 8250e, both build on 65nm and featuring a 65W TDP, 2MB of L3 cache and HyperTransport 3.0. The 8450e is clocked at 2.1 GHz, just like the non-e Phenom 8450 while the 8250e will have to settle for a stock frequency of 1.9 GHz. No word on pricing yet but it we're 'lucky' they'll both be found for under $150.

AMD and NVIDIA Creating Own Spec to Compete Against USB 3.0

The USB 3.0 specification is expected to be out in 2009 and will significantly upgrade the bandwidth of the current USB 2.0 ports and products that all computer users are familiar with. The body responsible for the support and promotion of the USB specifications going back to USB 1.1 is the USB Implementers Forum (USB-IF).

AMD and NVIDIA have decided they're done waiting for Intel to give them the data they need to create USB 3.0 compliant products, and plan to launch their own spec to launch against the USB 3.0 data protocol. Intel says they haven't finalized the spec and want to prevent people from developing hardware based on multiple versions. AMD and NVIDIA aren't satisfied with such an answer and feel Intel is trying to gain a sizeable lead on market share. They will apparently have their first clandestine meeting next week.
An AMD source told News.com, “We are starting development on it [open host controller] right now.” An NVIDIA source says the first meeting of the alternate open host controller specification is set for next week and adds, "We fully intend to productize this spec.”
[CNET via Daily Tech]

AMD Imageon chips to get DivX support

DivX Inc. has just signed a licensing agreement with Intel-bullied CPU manufacturer AMD that will see the latter's Imageon media processors offering DivX support.

"Including the DivX codec in the AMD Imageon application processor brings additional value to our OEM customers, helping them to deliver a robust mobile media experience," said Mark Bapst, CTO for AMD's Handheld division. "DivX technology is an attractive ingredient that enhances our offering for handheld devices, providing excellent quality and a high degree of accessibility."

As stipulated in the new deal the two companies will work together to achieve DivX certification for the AMD Imageon A250 application processor. That means the little A250 will undergo a lot of tests in the near future but they're almost harmless and rarely lead to any weird side effects.
source: tcmagazine

AMD gets OpenGL ES 2.0 certification

The Kuma confused AMD has now proudly announced that it has become the first graphics technology provider to obtain OpenGL ES 2.0 conformance certification. OpenGL ES 2.0 is the latest version of Khronos Group's royalty-free, cross-platform API aimed for embedded systems, including consoles, phones, appliances and vehicles.

"We are pleased to be the first technology provider to achieve OpenGL ES 2.0 certification from the Khronos™ Group," said Mikko Saari, senior director of design engineering for AMD’s Handheld division. "This underscores our commitment to building and nurturing the mobile gaming ecosystem to thrill consumers while providing our OEM customers and the mobile gaming community with a competitive advantage."

OpenGL ES 2.0 combines a version of the OpenGL Shading Language for programming vertex and fragment shaders that has been adapted for embedded platforms, together with a streamlined API from OpenGL ES 1.1 that has removed any fixed functionality that can be easily replaced by shader programs, to minimize the cost and power consumption of advanced programmable graphics subsystems.

The OpenGL ES 2.0 conformance test suite review was based on the AMD Z430 developer's kit.
source: www.tcmagazine.com

Intel and WiMAX 4G Open Patent Alliance

Hoping to get WiMAX widely embraced as soon as possible Intel, together with Alcatel-Lucent, Cisco, Clearwire, Samsung Electronics and Sprint have teamed up in order to form the Open Patent Alliance (OPA).

This new entity promotes an open intellectual property rights model which is hoped to eventually bring lower equipment and service prices for the 4G broadband wireless technology we know simply as WiMAX.

OPA, which is planning to get on board an additional six to nine investor companies will form a WiMAX patent pool which will see the six companies get access to patent licenses at 'predictable costs' plus it will act as a central hub for WiMAX intellectual property rights topics.

For more info please visit openpatentalliance.com.

AMD ups the ante with four new Opteron processors

It certainly took a while but AMD has now finally introduced some higher-end Opteron CPUs, the SE series. The new releases include four quad-cores aimed made specially for 4-socket and 8-socket x86 servers and clocked at 2.4 and 2.5 GHz.

The Opteron is AMD's x86 server processor line, and was the first processor to implement the AMD64 instruction set architecture (known generically as x86-64). It was released on April 22, 2003 with the SledgeHammer core (K8) and was intended to compete in the server market, particularly in the same segment as the Intel Xeon processor. Processors based on the AMD K10 microarchitecture (codenamed Barcelona) were announced on September 10, 2007 featuring a new quad-core configuration.

"Today, the performance benefits of the new Quad-Core AMD Opteron SE processor built on AMD’s Direct Connect Architecture and HyperTransport technology can help IT managers improve application performance and scalability of memory and data intensive workloads at a fraction of the cost," said Patrick Patla, director, Server and Workstation Business, AMD. "This is a significant benefit for customers looking to consolidate their datacenter or those interested in moving from proprietary hardware to x86 servers for mission critical software, such as database applications."

Set to soon be included in servers made by Hewlett-Packard, Sun Microsystems, Dell and IBM, the new CPUs are the Opteron 2358 SE (2.4 GHz), 2360 SE (2.5 GHz), 8358 SE (2.4 GHz) and 8360 SE (2.5 GHz). The price tags (in 1000-unit tray quantities) set for the SE Opterons are $1,165 (2360), $873 (2358), $2,149 (8360) and $1,865 (8358).

AMD increase the performance of Phenom

Taipei (Taiwan) - AMD has pulled a rabbit out of its hat to increase the performance of its existing Phenom triple-core (8000-series) and quad-core (9000-series) processors. Six “hidden pins” on the processors and chipsets are the secret, which, our sources told us, will enable simple overclocking through the southbridge – and accelerate the current processors on demand.

The name of the game is called “unlocking the multiplier”, which will be played with the SB700 and SB750 southbridge chips. If you are running an upcoming 2.8 GHz Black Edition CPU, a motherboard with the old SB600 model (RD690) will keep the processor cores operating at 2.8 GHz. However, if you have a motherboard with the SB700 chipset, you will receive a free upgrade to 3.0 GHz. And if you get a motherboard with a SB750 chip, your processor will run at 3.2 GHz, which matches the clock speed of the Athlon X2 6400+ - the highest clocked processor AMD ever offerred.

We have seen motherboards with 780G, 790FX and 790GX chipsets in ATX and mATX form factors, which all support this feature. Now it is up to AMD to execute and deliver a compelling user processor.

The actual overclocking is done either through the BIOS, a utility, or simply by pressing a physical button on certain motherboards. The release date of this technology is unknown, but we know that it will be available in time for the 790GX launch.

There you have it: An overclocking feature for AMD CPUs. It just does not get any more better than this. Now we just need to know how this overclocking feature will compare to Intel’s processors, how power consumption and heat dissipation will be affected and what that all means for AMD’s balanced platform marketing pitch.

(Source: Theo Valich - TGDaily.com)

Thermalright HSC-101 PC Case: Huge heatblock for the CPU

That's a photo of one side of Thermalright's prototype HSC-101 case, with a heatblock for the CPU. The other side looks identical, but it's for the GPU, and both sides can dissipate "150 Watts of heat".Thermalright also showed off another case with six huge fans in the front and back. [TG Daily]

AMD's R700 to embrace both GDDR3 & GDDR5

If everything goes smooth, AMD will unleash its dual-GPU R700 boards before this cruel summer ends. Hot on the heels of the Radeon HD 4850 and 4870 cards, R700 will feature two RV770 GPUs on one board and it seems that, unlike what happened with earlier this year, both the HD 4850 X2 and HD 4870 X2 come pretty much simultaneously.

The HD 4850 X2 and HD 4870 X2 will naturally come with similar features like PCI-Express 2.0, DirectX 10.1 support, 960 Stream Processors and 2x256-bit memory interfaces but will differ through working frequencies and the memory used. The Radeon HD 4870 X2 will go for GDDR5 with clocks likely to be lower than those of the single-GPU-ed HD 4870 while the HD 4850 X2 will utilize GDDR3 memory. No word on actual clocks though. We'll live.

Intel said to be unwilling to share USB 3.0 toys

Intel's apparently not too keen on other chipset makers building USB 3.0 - aka SuperSpeed USB - into their products. To that end, one website claims, the chip giant's not sharing its toys.

According to a story over at Fudzilla, it's being whispered around Taipei among the vendors gathered for Computex, that "at this time you cannot expect any USB 3.0 designs based on Intel's reference spec design from anyone but Intel".

The article's implication is clear: Intel is keeping all this stuff to itself for competitive advantage.

We'd say it's really too soon to say. For starters, the USB 3.0 specification isn't done and dusted yet - though it's due "mid-2008", according to past Intel prognostications.

The SuperSpeed USB roadmap

The timetable for the technology then calls for product development - chips that support the interconnect, and devices that'll use them to control ports - to run through well into 2009, with the first products going on sale round about that time.

USB 3.0 at the socket...

Widespread adoption of the technology isn't expected until 2010.

...and the connector

© The Register

AMD launches external graphics card box

AMD used the Computex show in Taipei this week to propose XGP - eXternal Graphics Platform, a slimline box you connect your GPU-lite laptop to when you need more graphics horsepower.

Fujitsu Siemens (FSC) was on hand to demo the concept with its Amilo GraphicBooster, an AppleTV-like unit with an AMD ATI Radeon HD 3870 GPU built in and hooked up to 512GB of GDDR 3 memory. The box can drive four displays simultaneously, the company claimed.

AMD's pitch is that users will be able to connect their slim'n'light laptops to an XGP, which will supply the level of graphical grunt that they don't need when they're on the move and, more importantly, running on battery power.

XGPs are designed to be hot-pluggable, the driver knowing about and enabling the use of the discrete GPU as soon as it's connected to the host.

With that multi-monitor support, XGP will undoubtedly also be pitched at businesses who want to give their laptop-equipped workers multi-display desktops.

Of course, this is the same notion companies like DisplayLink are peddling, but they're delivering multi-screen support over USB using the host system's GPU. AMD's approach - since it's in the business of selling more graphics chips - is to add a second GPU to the system.

That said, Fujistu Siemens has its eye on the consumer market - we understand it's pitching the technology to Dixons and other big retailers - as a way to allow ordinary punters to effectively upgrade their older laptops' graphics capabilities. The technology doesn't require an external monitor - the XGP can render images on the host laptop's own screen.

Yet another video connector for your laptop

Much will depend on the extent to which AMD pushes XGP as part of its 'Puma' notebook platform, and engages with bodies like the PCI SIG to turn XGP into a true standard. At that point, we might see all those Intel-based laptops taking on the technology.

© The Register

Intel fined $25m

Intel has been fined $25m (26bn Won) by the South Korean Fair Trade commission for breaching fair trade rules.

The chipmaker was found guilty of offering unfair subsidies to Samsung and Trigem Computer Inc if they promised to only buy Intel chips and froze out rival AMD.

But Intel dismissed the charges. Bruce Sewell, Intel general counsel, said the company was disappointed and "completely disagreed" with the verdict. The company is considering appealing the decision. Sewell said he did not feel regulators took full account of the evidence the chip giant offered.

Intel faces similar accusations in Europe where the European Commission is investigating the company's relationship with retailers. Back in February Competition Commission officials raided Intel and Dixons Store Group offices in Germany and the UK looking for evidence of unfair practises.

New York's Attorney General Andrew Cuomo is also investigating Intel, as well as AMD, over how they price their chips and how their chip exclusivity agreements with partners work.
© The Register

Intel SSD squeezes into sub-notebook sizes

Intel's new Z-P230 solid state drive (SSD) is positioned as a smaller and lighter replacement for 1.8in hard disk drives in Small, Cheap Computers.

It comes in 4 and 8GB capacity points with a 16GB version arriving in Q4 this year.

The device has a standard 40-pin ZIF parallel ATA (IDE) system interface and measures 54 x 38 x 4mm, which is a quarter of the volume of a standard 1.8in hard disk drive. It weighs 10g. The power draw is 1.65mW when idle and 314mW when operating.

The 1.8in hard drive market is being attacked by Intel, TDK and SanDisk. It's going to be a fiercely competitive market, and system OEMs should face energetic SSD sales people.

© The Register

AMD takes on XG Station with new external graphics platform

Asus has barely released its XG Station that another big name, AMD has announced a reasonably-similar solution. Dubbed ATI XGP (External Graphics Platform), the new solution comes to offer notebooks extra graphics power and support for multiple displays.
"With ATI XGP Technology, notebooks can switch between everyday computing and hard-core gaming with a simple plug-in that’' also portable enough to bring powerful 3D performance on-the-go," said Matt Skynner, vice president of Marketing, Graphics Products Group, AMD. "This technology allows users to choose notebooks with slim, lightweight and elegant designs, yet enjoy the full performance of a traditional desktop gaming rig wherever it’s convenient."

Featuring support for PCI-Express 2.0 interface, the XGP will not be cutting any corners in terms of bandwidth and offer up to 4.0 Gb/s in each direction between the notebook and external graphics. The external graphics cards based on the XGP will also feature USB connectivity and will offer CrossFireX support. The first such solutions will be powered by Mobility Radeon HD 3800 series cards (the 3850 for starters) but for now, their release date is unknown.

AMD Announces its Highest-performance Mobile Graphics Chip Ever for HD Visual Computing on the Go

— ATI Mobility Radeon™ HD 3800 series outperforms previous generation ATI Mobility Radeon™ GPUs by 3X for amazing power management and eye-catching graphics1—

Computex, TAIPEI, Taiwan — June 4, 2008 —AMD (NYSE: AMD) today announced the ATI Mobility Radeon™ HD 3800, tripling top-of-the line graphics performance in comparison to the previous generation ATI Mobility Radeon™ GPUs1. Joining the previously announced ATI Mobility Radeon™ 3000 family, the new ATI Mobility Radeon HD 3800 series offers notebook manufacturers the ability to deliver fast graphics performance, energy-efficient 55nm graphics processor technology, amazing video playback, and, for the first time ever, ATI CrossFireX™ technology for a mobile graphics solution. ATI Mobility Radeon HD 3800 series coupled with the AMD Turion™ X2 Ultra Processors, the AMD 7-Series Chipset, and industry-leading wireless technologies like 802.11n Draft 2.0 form the next-generation AMD notebook platform, also announced today, for the ultimate in HD visual performance on the go.

Notebooks equipped with ATI Mobility Radeon HD 3800 series allow users to experience the power of HD with graphics processing designed for work and play to satisfy the needs of the most demanding graphics professionals on the go. 2

“The ATI Mobility Radeon HD 3800 is the most feature-rich notebook graphics solution we have ever produced,” said Matt Skynner, vice president of marketing, Graphics Products Group, AMD. “It’s an ‘uber-performance’ chip that beats all comers. Our notebook manufacturing customers now have the ability to create the ultimate in notebook solutions that feature amazing energy efficiency coupled with next-generation, unsurpassed mobile graphics technologies.”

As the only high-performance mobile graphics solution capable of supporting applications created using Microsoft® DirectX® 10.11, ATI Mobility Radeon HD 3800 series offers superb HD game performance and life-like realism for The Ultimate Visual Experience™. New PCI Express® 2.0 support enables fast throughput and superior overall system performance — ideal for high-performance gamers. Notebooks with ATI Mobility Radeon HD 3800 series will allow users to enjoy the latest Blu-ray movies in full-HD 1080p resolution2 and free the CPU for other tasks. The ATI Mobility Radeon HD 3800 series also provides break-through energy efficiency with improved performance-per-watt to deliver exceptional battery life.
The ATI Mobility Radeon HD 3800 features a variety of new technologies designed to improve overall notebook performance:

* The Ultimate Visual Experience™ is enabled with next generation Unified Shader Architecture, immense processing power and a 256-bit GDDR3 memory interface. The ATI Mobility Radeon HD 3800 series delivers feature-rich graphics for astonishing image quality and optimal 3D modeling application performance.
* ATI CrossFireX technology for mobile graphics delivers high-performance PC gaming by combining multiple ATI Radeon™ graphics in a single notebook PC to increase graphics quality and performance. ATI CrossFireX is designed to the latest industry-standards for notebooks today.
* PCI Express 2.0 offers more than enough horsepower for the most demanding professional graphics applications by boosting 3D graphics performance while providing fast throughput resulting in an excellent overall system performance.
* ATI Avivo™ HD Technology is the high-performance engine for advanced image and video technology, while freeing the CPU from compute-intensive video decoding tasks. ATI Avivo™ HD Technology delivers smooth full HD format video playback and photo editing with brilliant colors and sharp images, ideal for professionals demanding the next level of display technology excellence. 2
* Energy-efficient 55nm graphics processor technology helps extend battery life and conserve energy.
* ATI PowerPlay™ technology dynamically delivers the optimal balance between performance and power to suit performance requirements for long battery life and superior performance-per-watt operation.
* Breakthrough Performance-per-watt is critical to users who demand exceptional performance and power saving features that help lower power consumption.
* New design size implementation allows the chip to run cool, producing less heat so that notebook delivers the power, performance and efficiency users crave.

And for the XGP:

AMD Announces Revolutionary External Graphics Solution for Notebooks

Portable ATI XGP™ Technology unlocks notebooks for enthusiast-class desktop graphics performance and true multimedia upgradeability

Computex, TAIPEI — June 4, 2008 —AMD (NYSE:AMD) today announced ATI XGP™ (External Graphics Platform) Technology, a new external PCI Express® (PCIe) 2.0 graphics platform, designed to deliver enthusiast-class desktop graphic performance and true multimedia upgradeability to notebooks1. ATI XGP is an exclusive technology that capitalizes on PCIe 2.0 to deliver enthusiast-class graphics via a connected cable to an externally powered and cooled device. This unique innovation delivers up to 4.0 Gbyte/s in each direction in bandwidth communication between the notebook and external graphics, whereas previous consumer level external solutions were limited in graphics bandwidth2. ATI XGP is fully optimized for new AMD Turion™ X2 Ultra notebook platforms, also announced today.

ATI XGP Technology is being first launched with the newly announced ATI Mobility Radeon™ HD 3800 series for eye-catching HD graphics. As an industry first for notebooks, ATI XGP Technology delivers multi-GPU capabilities of scalable performance with ATI CrossFireX™ technology. The additional high bandwidth of the included USB 2.0 connectivity allows users to connect to a wide variety of USB-based devices, including external TV tuners, external Blu-ray players, and much more.

“With ATI XGP Technology, notebooks can switch between everyday computing and hard-core gaming with a simple plug-in that’s also portable enough to bring powerful 3D performance on-the-go,” said Matt Skynner, vice president of Marketing, Graphics Products Group, AMD. “This technology allows users to choose notebooks with slim, lightweight and elegant designs, yet enjoy the full performance of a traditional desktop gaming rig wherever it’s convenient.”

Björn Fehrm, head of Strategy and Innovation Consumer, EMEA, Fujitsu-Siemens Corp., said: “Powered by ATI Mobility Radeon™ HD 3870 in an external AMILO GraphicsBooster, the ultra mobile AMILO Sa 3650, with ATI XPG technology, takes on two very different but equally compelling personalities. Use it for your daily computing with the internal graphics for outstanding mobility and battery life. Dock it to your AMILO GraphicsBooster when coming home, in a hotel room or at a LAN event and now your gaming and multimedia performance is in another world.”

ATI XGP Technology is contained in an external chassis connected to the notebook via a specially designed self-latching, easy-connecting PCIe 2.0 cable from Japan Aviation Electronics Industry, Limited, a leading provider of electronic devices and connectors. Based on AMD’s dedicated research and development, the cable also provides USB 2.0 connectivity directly to the notebook allowing for additional USB functionality. Independently cooled and powered, ATI XGP Technology offers the potential for higher performance than traditional entry-level graphics solutions. Notebook users can take advantage of the varied usage scenarios including multiple monitor support, high performance gaming, Blu-ray video playback, and increased graphics performance for video editing3.

“ATI XGP Technology is cutting edge and we’re excited to participate in this revolutionary solution for notebooks,” said Mark Saubert, marketing manager, Japan Aviation Electronics Industry, Limited. “ATI XGP Technology redefines what mobile graphics is all about.”
The initial offering of ATI XGP Technology features the ATI Mobility Radeon HD 3800 series graphics solution giving notebook users a variety of additional functionality:

* PCI Express® 2.0 offers more than enough horsepower for the most demanding professional graphics applications by boosting 3D graphics performance while providing fast throughput resulting in an excellent overall system performance
* ATI Avivo™ HD Technology that delivers smooth video playback and photos in high-definition format with brilliant colors and sharp images
* ATI Avivo HD technology features an enhanced version of AMD’s Unified Video Decoder (UVD) offering full hardware acceleration of video decode for smooth playback of full 1080p content from Blu-ray movies4
* Integrated Digital Outputs enable viewing standard and high-definition content on a variety of devices including HDMI with integrated audio and DVI5

For more information about ATI XGP Technology, please visit: http://ati.amd.com/technology/xgp/index.html

AMD Jumps Into Ultraportables With Low-Cost and High Performance Models

With Computex 2008 in full swing, the sub-notebook announcements are coming fast and furious. First came the Eee PC 901 and 1000, followed by the MSI Wind and the Asus Aspire One. Now we have learned that AMD is entering the fray with two new ultraportables.
These versions include a white 8.9-inch version with an AMD CPU, ATI's RS690 chipset, 1GB RAM and the Linux operating system along with a 7-inch black XP version featuring a 1280 x 600 display (possibly touchscreen) a 60GB or 80GB hard drive, and 1GB of RAM. Details are still sketchy at the moment, but more should be revealed in the next few days. [AVING via jkkmobile]

AMD's Puma Chip Officially Pounces

AMD officialized its Puma chipset—AMD Turion X2 Ultra dual-core mobile processors with ATI Radeon HD 3000 graphics—"for superior 3D performance and HD image quality, with industry-leading wireless for greater throughput and range." As we've noted in the past, it's a consumer-grade laptop play, and performance-wise it's aimed a bit lower than the upcoming but delayed Centrino 2 from Intel. But it's here and backed by Acer, Asus, Clevo, Fujitsu, Fujitsu Siemens Computers, HP, MSI, NEC and Toshiba. Odds are it will be an option on your next PC buying mission. Want to know more? Take a gander at the long-winded press release below.

AMD Delivers the Ultimate HD Visual Performance on the Go with Next-Generation Notebook Platform

Balanced Notebook Platform Achieves Superior 3D Performance and HD-Image Quality with Increased Energy Efficiency
TAIPEI, Taiwan —(Business Wire)— Jun. 4, 2008 AMD (NYSE: AMD) today announced the availability of its next-generation notebook platform, delivering the ultimate HD visual performance and increased energy efficiency on the go. The platform features new AMD Turion(TM) X2 Ultra Dual-Core Mobile Processors with ATI Radeon(TM) HD 3000 Series Graphics for superior 3D performance and HD image quality, with industry-leading wireless for greater throughput and range. AMD customers overwhelmingly embrace the new platform, as evidenced by more than double the number of design wins compared to the last major AMD Turion processor introduction. These new notebook designs come from leading OEMs including Acer, Asus, Clevo, Fujitsu, Fujitsu Siemens Computers, HP, MSI, NEC and Toshiba.

This next-generation AMD notebook platform also serves as the foundation for new AMD Business Class, AMD GAME! and AMD LIVE!(TM) notebook solutions.

"AMD is uniquely positioned to deliver balanced platform solutions that tightly couple computing and graphics capabilities for a visually rich user experience," said Dirk Meyer, president and COO, AMD. "Our next-generation AMD notebook platform contains a host of interrelated innovations that together deliver enhanced business productivity and the ultimate in HD visual performance on the go."

Capitalizing on a Historic Market Shift

Consumers are now using their notebooks for more than just productivity, but also entertainment, such as enjoying and manipulating photos, watching videos and listening to music. Likewise, businesses are adopting Microsoft(R) Windows Vista(R) as well as applications that are more graphically intensive. Therefore, a notebook with robust graphics and video capabilities is essential to unlock the best possible experience.

"With the advent of Microsoft Windows Vista, its new graphics and multimedia features, as well as the applications that will be tailored to this operating system, discrete graphics have become a much more important part of the purchase decision," said Bob O'Donnell, Program Vice President, IDC. "With the transition from desktops to laptops, consumers and business professionals are not only seeking the portability and connectivity provided by notebook PCs, they are also unwilling to compromise on the features and performance needed to drive the latest generation operating systems and applications. This next generation of notebooks must deliver the graphics and video capabilities to address this requirement."

Superior technologies working together

As a part of the new platform, AMD today also announced a new notebook processor and chipset, which together deliver the ultimate in HD visual performance on the go. The AMD Turion X2 Ultra Dual-Core Mobile processor includes top enhancements including AMD Independent Dynamic Core Technology, a new mobile-optimized memory controller, and power-optimized HyperTransport(TM) 3.0. The new mobile AMD 7-series chipset, AMD M780G and AMD SB700, features integrated ATI Radeon HD 3200 Graphics and delivers support for Microsoft DirectX(R) 10. The integrated graphics deliver up to three times the 3D graphics performance of comparable competitor graphics and offer ATI Avivo(TM) HD Technology for smooth video playback in hi-def format.

Complementing the video capabilities to deliver a rich visual experience, the platform also offers the ATI Mobility Radeon HD 3000 series discrete graphics, including the previously announced ATI Mobility Radeon 3400 and 3600 Series, and the new ATI Mobility Radeon(TM) 3800 Series, also introduced today. The 3800 Series delivers the highest levels of graphics performance in the ATI Mobility Radeon HD family, with support for PCI Express(R) 2.0, the only graphics processor with DirectX 10.1, integrated digital output support for HDMI, DVI and Display Port, and multi-monitor functionality with native support for up to 4 monitors for mainstream notebooks. When using notebooks with both integrated and discrete graphics, users can also benefit from ATI CrossFireX(TM) Technology, a feature of ATI Hybrid Graphics Technology designed to boost graphics performance up to 70 percent by running the integrated and discrete graphics together.

"Windows Vista enhances the overall performance and productivity of the personal computer, offers rich visual experiences and makes the digital lifestyle easier, safer, more entertaining and better connected than ever before," said Steven Guggenheimer, corporate vice president of the OEM division at Microsoft. "The next-generation AMD notebook platform provides optimized technologies that will provide an even richer visual experience for customers running Windows Vista and other graphically demanding applications."

Cutting-edge wireless connectivity, enhanced power efficiency

The next-generation AMD notebook platform also incorporates the latest in wireless connectivity technologies like 802.11 draft n and 3G from leading Better by Design technology partners including Atheros, Broadcom, and Ralink. These technologies provide superior range, faster data transfer and allow users to stay connected on the go.

"AMD and Broadcom are technology partners in the Better by Design program and share a common goal of helping our mutual customers create innovative, high-performance notebooks that deliver exceptional user experiences," said Thomas Lagatta, senior vice president, Global Sales, Broadcom Corporation. "The combination of our industry-leading Bluetooth, Wi-Fi and network interface controller solutions and the next-generation AMD Turion X2 Ultra Mobile Processor platform provides notebook users with a variety of ways to stay connected to the people and information that matter to them."

The next-generation AMD notebook platform also incorporates innovative power management technologies, including AMD Enhanced PowerNow!(TM) Technology and ATI PowerXpress(TM) Technology to maximize the efficient use of power for extended battery life. AMD Enhanced PowerNow! Technology provides independent and dynamic control of core performance, and the ability to shut off areas of core logic when not in use to preserve power. ATI PowerXpress Technology, in turn, provides the high performance of discrete graphics when plugged into a power source and dynamically switches to integrated graphics when unplugged, saving up to 90 minutes of battery life.

Security and manageability features for SMBs

Business users increasingly are recognizing the need to support today's graphics-rich applications and operating systems in a more mobile business world. Small- and medium-sized businesses also recognize the ability of notebook PCs to increase productivity, and require improved security to prevent data loss. With designs that enable industry-standard security and manageability such as Trusted Platform Module and Enhanced Virus Protection(TM)(a), small- and medium-sized businesses will find the next-generation AMD notebook platform helps meet their needs.

AMD Next-Generation Notebook Platform Availability

Systems based on the next-generation AMD notebook platform and the AMD Turion X2 Ultra Dual-Core Mobile Processor and ATI Radeon HD graphics, are now available from OEM customers.

The AMD next-generation notebook platform press kit offers additional information and collateral material pertaining to this launch.

AMD at Computex

Click here to see more about AMD activities at Computex, including a live broadcast of the press conference, short videos from the show floor, a daily blog, photos and more.

About AMD

Advanced Micro Devices (NYSE: AMD) is a leading global provider of innovative processing solutions in the computing, graphics and consumer electronics markets. AMD is dedicated to driving open innovation, choice and industry growth by delivering superior customer-centric solutions that empower consumers and businesses worldwide. For more information, visit http://www.amd.com.

(a) As part of a comprehensive security program, AMD strongly recommends enabling Enhanced Virus Protection (EVP) and using up to date third party anti-virus software.

(C)2008. AMD, the AMD Arrow logo, AMD Turion, and combinations thereof, AMD Enhanced PowerNow!, AMD Live!, Enhanced Virus Protection, ATI Radeon, ATI CrossFireX, ATI PowerExpress, ATI Avivo, ATI Mobility Radeon, ATI Hybrid Graphics Technology are trademarks of Advanced Micro Devices, Inc. Microsoft, Windows, DirectX and Vista are registered trademarks of Microsoft Corporation in the U.S. and other jurisdictions. HyperTransport is a licensed mark of the HyperTransport Technology Consortium. PCI Express is a trademark of the PCI-Sig. Other names are for informational purposes only and may be trademarks of their respective owners.
AMD is pleased to have support from leading OEM customers and wireless partners for the next-generation AMD notebook platform.

"Dedicated to delivering cutting-edge notebook designs, Acer strives to offer solutions that afford exceptional experiences for all customers," said Campbell Kan, executive vice president of Notebooks WW Acer Corporation. "Consumers today want the latest in multimedia and HD entertainment, while our business users need stable, powerful systems that help them to get the job done at work or on the road. With the next-generation AMD notebook platform with AMD Turion X2 Ultra processors, Acer can offer customers the latest notebook innovations, and we plan to roll out a number of new systems across Acer Aspire and TravelMate product lines."

"ASUS is always committed to bringing customers the most advanced technologies, and we are excited to be among the first to offer systems based on the next-generation AMD notebook platform," said Henry Yeh, General Manager Notebook BU-R&D Div.2, ASUS. "The platform's improved notebook performance, dynamic power coordination and new levels of graphics processing will enable us to deliver products that provide increased business efficiency, as well as enhanced video and multimedia experiences."

"Exceptional wireless performance is a must for consumers and professionals who want anywhere, anytime access to the Web and advanced applications, and a great user experience," said Ben Naskar, vice president and General Manager of Wireless Networking Business Unit, Atheros. "Our single-chip XSPAN Wi-Fi solutions and the next-generation AMD notebook platform with AMD Turion X2 Ultra processors are optimized for 802.11n performance and power-efficiency. As a result, users will benefit from a most satisfying mobile computing experience with significantly extended battery life."

"As a leading notebook manufacturer for 25 years, Clevo strives to flexibly and efficiently meet our notebook customers' individual needs, while offering the latest technologies and superior value," said Donovan Yeh, vice president of Strategic Marketing Center, Clevo. "With the unparalleled flexibility of the next-generation AMD notebook platform featuring AMD Turion X2 Ultra Mobile Processors, Clevo can deliver the 'on the go' application performance, power-efficiency and rich visual experience our customers demand."

"Fujitsu looks forward to working with AMD and plans to incorporate the next-generation AMD notebook platform into the next-generation Fujitsu products," said Akira Nagahara, general manager, Personal Computing Division, Personal Systems Business Unit, Fujitsu Limited. "The products will provide the improved graphics capabilities, fast wireless connectivity and long battery life of the next-generation AMD notebook platform, and this collaboration will allow Fujitsu to continue to offer PCs that exceed the demands of today's consumers."

"At Fujitsu Siemens Corporation, we are increasing our focus on technological innovation giving our customers real useful benefits with the introduction of our AMILO 3000 series of products. One of the areas that needed a better solution was the increased demand for multimedia and gaming capability in notebooks without sacrificing battery life," said Bjorn Fehrm, head of Strategy and Innovation Consumer EMEA, Fujitsu Siemens Corporation. "Our technological cooperation with AMD has produced really new and exciting solutions to this problem."

"To meet the rigorous multimedia demands and expectations of today's on the go consumers, MSI continually strives to offer a wide variety of notebooks that best meet our customers' specific needs, whether they are casual gamers, video fanatics or music lovers," said Larry Wu, Global Sales VP, MSI. "MSI plans to expand the Gaming (GT730, GX730), Entertainment (EX310) and Professional (PX210, PR211) Series of notebooks with the AMD Turion X2 Ultra Platform, affording exceptional flexibility to design and deliver systems that keep pace with our customers' needs and desires."

"We believe the next-generation AMD notebook platform is the most suitable platform for the multimedia environment of the next-generation PCs, particularly with its high performance on HD content playback capability," Sakae Takatsuka, senior vice president, NEC Personal Products, Ltd. "By fully utilizing this technology, we are planning to create user-friendly products by offering many more PC usage options. With the close collaboration with AMD, NEC is dedicated to the continuous technological innovation and the growth and enrichment of the PC market which will expand the boundaries of the benefits and excitement for our customers."

"AMD and Ralink continue to deliver superior technologies to OEMs, enabling a better notebook PC experience for users around the world," said Kenny Chiu, Vice President of World Wide Business Development, Ralink. "Ralink, a member of the Better by Design program, delivers wireless LAN solutions that enable large data transfers and the consistent reliability required by today's HD entertainment applications. Next-generation AMD notebooks featuring our RT2800 and RT2700 chipsets on the next-generation AMD notebook platform deliver faster wireless data transfers and HD image quality to improve visual performance from on the go."

"As one of the world's largest laptop manufacturers, Toshiba is always looking to stay ahead of consumer mobile computing needs and desires while delivering stable, affordable and high-performance systems for business users," said Mr. Hidejiro Shimomitsu, president and CEO of Toshiba's Personal Computer & Network Company. "With the addition of AMD's next-generation platform to our Satellite line-up, we continue to deliver innovative, powerful and power-efficient mobility to end users."

Nvidia launches next-gen laptop graphics chips

Computex Nvidia has taken the wraps off the next incarnation of its notebook-oriented graphics chip line, dubbed unsurprisingly the GeForce 9M series.

The chip maker claimed the parts will be up to 40 per cent faster than their GeForce 8M equivalents and ten times faster than typical laptop-oriented integrated GPUs. That gives them the horsepower needed to support the latest additions to the Blu-ray Disc spec, including dual-stream video for picture-in-picture presentations.

The new 9M GPUs also support a greater range of monitor connections, including DVI, HDMI 1.3 and now DisplayPort 1.1.

Nvidia's GeForce 9600M GT:

However, Nvidia was most keen to stress the chips' support for Hybrid SLI, allowing them to be partnered with an integrated graphics core - from Nvidia, natch - to co-operatively render 3D graphics and to save power by allowing the discrete part to be turned off when it's not needed, leaving the integrated part to handle basic 2D and 3D graphics.

Nvidia's GeForce 9M line-up includes the 9300M G, the 9500M GS, the 9600M GT and the 9650M GS.

The 9300M, for instance, has 16 unified shader Stream processors and runs at 400MHz. It connects across a 64-bit bus to up to 256MB of DDR2 or GDDR 3 video Ram running at 600MHz. It's got a fill rate of 3.2bn texels per second.

The 9500M ups the shader count to 32 and the core clock speed to 475MHz. This time up to 512MB of memory sits on a 128-bit bus and is clocked to 700MHz. The 9650M is essentially the same part clocked at 625MHz and with memory running at 800MHz. Ditto the 9600M, though its clock settings are not yet known.

Nvidia didn't say when the GeForce 9M family members will ship exactly, but it suggested that machines incorporating them will launch "this summer".

The GPUs will also ship integrated on MXM 3.0 modules

Intel and Nvidia At War

Sure, Nvidia's crashing into the mobile market Intel wants to dominate. And Intel is running into discrete graphics (not to mention ruling with integrated graphics). But you know, it's friendly right? Wrong. It's total war. Nvidia's continuing to hold out licensing SLI support for Intel's boards, notably its next-gen Tylersburg chipset for the Nehalem CPUs. And Intel hasn't yet licensed Nvidia to make an nForce chipset that'll support Nehalem, citing a "disagreement" over the terms. If they don't make nice, gamers will have to pick between having SLI or the latest and greatest Intel processors, meaning they get screwed either way. Man, where's AMD when you need them? [Maximum PC]