BenQ JoyBook Lite T131 Ultra-portable Netbook

BenQ has announced a new "ultra-portable netbook" that features a low-power AMD processor and Mobility Radeon graphics (AMD Yukon platform).

The Joybook Lite T131 comes with a 13.3" 1280x800 display, 802.11n Wi-Fi, 250-320GB of storage, a six-cell battery rated for six hours of longevity, and a choice of Windows Vista Home Basic, Windows Vista Home Premium, and Linux operating systems.

BenQ has chosen the Sempron U200, which runs at 1GHz with 256KB of L2 cache and an 8W power envelope. That CPU using an M690E chipset, which includes Mobility Radeon X1270 graphics, and an SB600 south bridge. It weighs 3.97 lbs (1.8 kg) and measures 12.6" x 9.45" x 1.1" (320 x 240 x 28 mm).


Available in a choice of opulent midnight blue or snowy white, the Joybook Lite T131 netbook will be available June in China.

AMD Samples Phenom II Black Edition TWKR

AMD just dropped off some fresh TWKR Black Edition Phenom II chips over at MainGear (Custom PC Builder). AMDs didn’t tell them much about the new mysterious CPU other than it should overclock really well and are essentially hand picked.


AMD Phenom II X42 TWKR Black Edition is not a CPU that will see the light of the day as a retail part (for now). TWKR processors are speed binned Phenoms that AMD will use to get feedback from system integrators and respectable overclockers. AMD states that these CPUs should be used with phase change or LN2 cooling only, as they are "the best of breed".

Depending on the number of speed binned processors, this might lead to real return of AMD FX series, the best CPUs that AMD makes.

HP offers dual-core Athlon Neo in new Pavilion dv2z

After the Pavilion dv2, say hello to the Pavilion dv2z. HP has released a new version of its low-cost ultraportable, which starts at a lower price and can be customized with new dual-core Athlon Neo X2 and Turion Neo X2 processors from AMD.

In its base configuration, the Pavilion dv2z costs $599.99 and features a 1.6GHz Athlon Neo MV-40, Radeon X1250 integrated graphics, a gig of RAM, a 250GB mechanical hard drive, 802.11g Wi-Fi, a six-cell battery, and Windows Vista Home Basic x86. It also has the same 12.1" 1280x800 display and chassis design as the dv2.

You can step up to the Athlon Neo X2 L335 for an extra $25 and to the Turion Neo X2 L625 for $75 more. Both of these processors have dual 1.6GHz cores, but the Turion apparently has twice as much L2 cache (1MB instead of 512KB). HP also lets you pay $80 extra for an upgrade to Radeon HD 3410 discrete graphics and Windows Vista Home Premium.

HP offers both "Espresso Black" and "Moonlight White" versions of the dv2z. For some inexplicable reason, however, the white paint job induces a $25 price premium.

Callisto and Regor launched during COMPUTEX 2009

COMPUTEX 2009 (TAIPEI, Taiwan) — June 2, 2009 — AMD today announced two new dual-core desktop processors. Building on 10 years of AMD Athlon™ processor innovation, the new 45nm AMD Athlon™ II X2 250 processor gives mainstream consumers exceptional performance, efficiency and value. For enthusiasts and overclockers, AMD also announces the AMD Phenom™ II X2 550 Black Edition processor, the first ever dual-core AMD Phenom II CPU. With this latest addition to the AMD Phenom II processor family, users can now experience the power of AMD platform technology, codenamed “Dragon,” with dual-, triple- and quad-core configurations.



The new Phenom II X2 500 inherit all the major features from their elder brothers due to the fact that they are based on the same semiconductor die. The primary ones are compatibility with Socket AM3 mainboards and support of fast DDR3 SDRAM. Of course, the new dual-core processors can also be installed into the Socket AM2/AM2+ mainboards, just like all other Phenom II CPUs. In other words, new dual-core Phenom II X2 can be used in the new systems and as an upgrade for the existing ones.

Besides a 6MB L3 cache (the same size cache as that of Phenom II X4 900 processors), these solutions have pretty high clock speeds. The top Phenom II X2 550 processor works at 3.1GHz frequency, which is only 100MHz lower than that of the flagship Phenom II solution – Phenom II X4 955. Moreover, the calculated heat dissipation of the Phenom II X2 500 series processors is lower than that of all triple- and quad-core Phenom II CPUs due to fewer active cores (the only exception are the energy-efficient models). It equals only 80W.


AMD Phenom II X2 550 Black Edition (CALLISTO) Details

AMD Black Edition processors, like the AMD Phenom™ II X2 550, help users to take control and unleash the maximum potential of Dragon platform technology’s unprecedented performance tuning capabilities. The same massive headroom that set world records in recent months is at users’ finger tips, offering impressive performance at a price the competition can’t beat.

Users can also maximize their overclocking experience by utilizing the new features and capabilities of AMD OverDrive™ 3.0, designed to enable quick and effective tuning of their PC experience for optimal performance.

With dual-, triple- or quad-core processors, AMD provides platform level solutions at multiple price points, each of which exceeds expectations for virtually any user.

AMD Athlon II X2 250 (REGOR) Details

The AMD Athlon II X2 250 performs exceptionally well when combined with AMD chipsets and integrated graphics solutions to create an all-AMD platform. Platforms featuring all-AMD technology can deliver up to twice the graphics performance of those with Intel integrated graphics.

Windows® 7 is optimized for multi-core processors like AMD Athlon™ II processors to give consumers an amazingly fast, simple and engaging PC experience. For example, Windows 7 is tuned to make the most of these new processors’ power management features, such as AMD PowerNow!™ 3.0 technology. AMD power management technologies, in combination with Windows 7, can help OEMs and partners to build exceptionally green, cool and quiet PCs.

Based on AMD’s acclaimed 45nm process technology, the AMD Athlon II dual-core processor has a TDP of 65W and can slash power consumption by up to 50 percent when doing basic tasks, up to 40 percent when running heavy workloads and up to 50 percent when at idle.

Press looking for more information on AMD Athlon II X2 250 and AMD Phenom II X2 550 Black Edition, click here.

Reviews:
X-Bit Labs
AMDZone

New Six-Core AMD Opteron™ Processor Delivers Up to Thirty-Four Percent More Performance-per-Watt in Exact Same Platform

AMD today announced availability of the world’s first six-core server processor with Direct Connect Architecture for two-, four- and eight-socket servers. Six-Core AMD Opteron™ processors (code-named “Istanbul”) extend AMD’s commitment to offering server customers superior value at every price point with unmatched platform flexibility.

Across a single platform, AMD can address the need for more cores and greater scalability with the new Six-Core AMD Opteron processor and offer a cost- and power-efficient solution with Quad-Core AMD Opteron processors. Systems based on Six-Core AMD Opteron processors are expected to be available beginning this month from leading OEMs including Cray, Dell, HP, IBM and Sun Microsystems, along with support from motherboard and infrastructure partners. HE, SE and EE versions of the Six-Core AMD Opteron processor are planned for the second half of 2009.

The most notable change of Istanbul is the addition of a feature AMD calls HT Assist. HT Assist is essentially a probe filter intended to reduce the overhead required for the synchronization of cached data across CPUs in multiple sockets. HT Assist reserves space in each processor's L3 cache, in which it stores an index of where that CPU's cache lines are being used system-wide. The CPU then becomes "host" of the cache lines stored in its directory. If any CPU needs an update about a particular cache line, it will often know which CPU is the correct host to probe for that information. AMD says HT Assist can replace broadcast probe requests (sent to all sockets) with directed requests in 8 of 11 typical CPU-to-CPU transactions. This reduction in probe traffic can yield big gains in available system bandwidth, whose Stream bandwidth increased from roughly 25GB/s to 42GB/s with the addition of Istanbul processors with HT Assist.

Reviews:
Tech Report