AMD Launches Low-Voltage Processors

mgoulding writes "CoolTechZone reports that AMD has released its low-power Athlon processors, which are designed to target the ultra-lightweight notebook market. The low-voltage chips will use smaller batteries and produce less heat. Acer plans to ship systems using the processors by the end of May." Acer plans to use them in their Ferrari line of thin laptops.

Comments

transmeta

[mandalayx]

The competitor that comes to my mind is Sharp and their Transmeta Efficeon processor. That notebook is quoted as being 2 pounds and 1GHZ/512MB/20GB/10.4" for $1499.

I do want a laptop for class and just having around, so I was strongly considering getting the Sharp, but constructive suggestions welcomed..

Re:transmeta

[Rodrin]

Well in terms of battery life the Efficeon blows the AMD away, however because of cache and optimization the AMD will blow a Transmeta processor away any day. The same goes for the fancy VIA processors that are "mobile". There is a difference between low power and mobile processors.

Low Voltage Battery + Smaller battery = ?

[SCSi]

So this means that laptops will still have the same low battery life as they do now. Why dont they make low voltage processors with larger batteries so you can get more than a few hours of runtime.

Great news for people like myself...

[proxima]

My next notebook will probably contain a low-power processor. There'e the Servelinux Enote for $800 that uses a Via processor like my mini-itx motherboard, but I suspect that AMD will be able to come up with something that's a little faster (it doesn't need to be blazing, but a 800 Mhz Via runs like a 600 Mhz P3 it seems).

I'd like to have either a 2.5-3lb subnotebook with a nice 12" screen (and preferably below $1k, like the Servelinux), or a ~4lb notebook that gets a much longer battery life than anything else on the market (besides maybe a Mac), but also is below $1k. No CDROM or large screen needed in my case, cause I'm not looking for a desktop replacement.

For now, though, the Servelinux enote is too obscure for me to look at it seriously, and I'll stick with my used 7020 (?) Toshiba Portege (at a little over 4 lbs I think, with a nearly useless battery).

I've personally seen and played with the enote, anyone have comments on other laptops in the same category (maybe from Transmeta instead?). Cheap, light, and fast, pick three; I like cheap and light.

hanging around

[poptones]

No way would I pay $1000 or more for a laptop computer. No matter what you do it's still going to have one of those cramped keyboards and limited expansion without carrying aroound a bag of USB goodies. And if you drop it then what? Yeah you can get an expensive new system with one of those "oops I dropped it" warranties, but that same money would buy a LOT of spare parts for an older, well built machine.

For $1500 I can have, like, 6 or 7 T600 stinkpads. Or maybe just one or two and a sack of batteries to keep it running 12 hours or more. Gets the job done, and if I drop it I don't care so much. "No one will ever need more than 500MHz and 512MB of memory."

I've had a lot of laptops and they all sucked compared to my (relatively) light, compact little thinkpad. They work great with linux and they feel so soft and squishy - if batman carried a laptop, he'd carry a classic thinkpad.

Low-voltage + PowerNow == PentiumM Competition

[david_reese]

Previously, only the VIA and Transmeta chips were in the same range of power consumption (actually much less) as the Pentium-M (which, tho I'm an AMD fan, is a pretty sweet processor). But those processors were pretty lightweight in the power department.

Now the Athlon64 mobiles, which already run at a cool 800Mhz when not taxed, combined with a voltage decrease, should create something that is at the same time powerful, yet battery-preserving.

Kicker: it's AMD64, so if you have 64bit OS and apps, it will really dominate.