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AMD Developing Low Power CPU for Tiny Cheap Laptops
Posted by Matt Buchanan at 9:40 AM on June 18, 2008
The cheap, low power processor space for stuff like lil' notebooks is just about the hottest one around, so AMD would be silly to pass it up, especially when it preached the benefits of efficiency long before Intel came around to that school of thought. (Oh, those were the days.) A leaked slide shows AMD might have one up its sleeves--64-bit, 1GHz, and an 8W thermal power design, which puts in more in range of Via's Nano processors than Intel's Atom, meaning it's not quite ultra-ultraportable appropriate. Course, it could be (and very probably is) just one a family, meaning there might be more sprightly versions. [EeePCNews.de via Electronista]
Comments (AU Comments · US Comments)
adamnfish
Posted June 18, 2008 2:13 PM
"Why don't they concentrate on making desktop processors that can actually compete with intel before trying to our them on the mobile market."
Intel started focusing on new mobile-oriented mobile processor architectures a few years back, which is when AMD started to compare favourably in the desktop space. A few years down the line and the R&D they did has filtered up to the desktop chips and blown AMD out of the water.
It's no good getting Phenoms that are clocked a bit higher - AMD to take a step back and re-think their approach. Hopefully if they can innovate in the challenging portable market they'll be able to sort themselves out and rekindle the desktop competition we used to love...
Electric Magnetic
Posted June 18, 2008 10:16 PM
8W isn't suitable for the UMPC market unless they are planning on underclocking them, and look what happened on the EeePC701 - everyone clocked them back up to 900mhz and had serious heat issues. I had to mod my EeePC to run comfortably at that clock (and that was the manufactured clock speed).
Anyway I made a great picture to go with this topic... check this
http://electricvagabonddownunder.blogspot.com/2008/06/amd-cries-up-and-atom.html
nimblesquirrel
Posted 10:48 AM 18/6/08
It could be a much better match for the Atom (in nettops) and Via's Nano. As far as I can tell neither of those incorporate the northbridge/memory controller on their processor dies.
nimblesquirrel
T1nd0g
Posted 10:44 AM 18/6/08
Man there killing me over there at AMD, every single piece of information that's coming out right now is focusing on Mobile parts, low end parts or applications and not a single word on when there going to release phenoms clocked above 2.5ghz, AM3 sockets or real benchmarks on the 4870s.
T1nd0g
Stacky Botrus
Posted 10:36 AM 18/6/08
This would prove far better than anything in its range, providing the OS can take advantage of the 64bit architecture.
Stacky Botrus
NeoAkira
Posted 12:28 PM 18/6/08
@NeoAkira:
our=out
NeoAkira
NeoAkira
Posted 12:28 PM 18/6/08
Why don't they concentrate on making desktop processors that can actually compete with intel before trying to our them on the mobile market.
NeoAkira
DarkNight_DS
Posted 2:18 PM 18/6/08
This is good news, the more competition the better. This CPU offers the same wattage as an atom with memory controller but more processing power for your buck. AMD64 + the Athlon 64 architecture is a much better performer then the Atom. Even comparing a 1ghz AMD64 vs a 1.6ghz Atom.
DarkNight_DS
Tired_
Posted 3:34 PM 18/6/08
Cool. If I trust AMD to be able to do anything, it's to be able to make a processor that's less powerful than most.
Tired_
strider_mt2k
Posted 10:04 PM 18/6/08
It better be groundbreaking, and it better be soon because these micros are starting to swing.
strider_mt2k
torched
Posted 12:20 AM 19/6/08
@torched: dar.. 1.8W @ 500MHz, 2.6W @ 600MHz
torched
torched
Posted 12:17 AM 19/6/08
AMD already has a competitor to the atom. Its called GeodeLX. A similar in-order x86 core but with northbridge and vga built on for a total power consumption of 1.1W at 500MHz
torched
willyolio
Posted 3:06 AM 19/6/08
@NeoAkira:
because it takes a shitload of money, time, and effort, and probably some luck to be able to break a giant on its home turf.
willyolio