amd

AMD Vision spreads across desktops, laptops: Will you see a difference?

Does affordability matter most to you when buying a new computer? More importantly, do labels?

AMD has been working on finding its way into laptops and desktops via a strategy of affordability and rebranding, and its AMD Vision series of products is taking off with a new batch of desktops and laptops. We've already seen some of this new branding in a handful of products, but the company's new initiative focuses on its latest processors, and adds extra "Vision" categories to its product line. The real question is how these new systems will perform in the … Read more

Dell cooks up competitive six-core AMD desktop

We wish Dell had announced the Studio XPS 7100 a few weeks ago, because then we might have included it in our midrange gaming PC roundup. As it stands we'll have to add it in after fact. That's too bad, because based on what we know about its specs, it sounds like this new all-AMD system would have made a competitive showing.

Like almost all Dell PCs, the Studio XPS 7100 is customizable. We wouldn't be surprised to find a few fixed configurations at retail, however. For the online version, the starting price comes in at $499, … Read more

Core wars: Multicore gaming PC shootout

Now that AMD and Intel both have six-core desktop CPUs, what will become of still-fast quad-core CPUs? For guidance, we turn to the recent crop of $1,000-to-$2,000 performance desktops.

We've compared five systems in recent desktop reviews, each with either a quad-core or a six-core CPU. The full list is as follows, with links to each respective reviews:

Dell Studio XPS SX8100-1986NBC ($1,149): 2.8GHz Intel Core i7 860, ATI Radeon HD 5770 Gateway FX6831-01 ($1,299); 2.8GHz Intel Core i7 860, ATI RAdeon HD 5850 HP Pavilion Elite 190T ($2,105): 3.36GHz … Read more

New HP Pavilion laptops add optical drives, AMD processors

Remember "thin and light?" The idea almost seems like a 2009 concept nowadays, as many manufacturers seem to be shifting back to more old-fashioned mainstream machines that emphasize optical drives over system weight. The newly announced lineup of HP Pavilion laptops, covering a wide range of models, was notable for not offering anything slimmer than the Pavilion dm3 a sleek thin notebook we reviewed and liked quite a bit. That system had no optical drive, but the new HP Pavilion dm4 adds one back in despite being under an inch thin. An etched metal chassis and new wider … Read more

Chip shipments jump over last year

Global shipments of microprocessors for the first quarter of the year grew by 39 percent over the same quarter in 2009, paving the way for a market recovery, according to findings from IDC released Thursday.

Though first-quarter shipments actually declined 5.6 percent from the previous quarter, a drop from the fourth to the first quarter is typical of seasonal trends in this industry, said IDC. And the 5.6 percent fall was smaller than usual.

"PC processor shipments typically decline around 7 to 8 percent going from fourth quarter to first quarter," Shane Rau, director of Semiconductors … Read more

Six-core AMD chips fare well in first reviews

As expected, the enthusiast review community came out in force with coverage of the new six-core Phenom II X6 CPUs AMD launched last night. The consensus seems favorable overall, with the higher-end Phenom II X6 1090T competing well against Intel's four-core Core i7 860 and Core i7 920 CPUs on tests that leverage all available CPU threads. On games, and applications that aren't as heavily threaded, Intel still maintains a performance advantage in the $200 to $300 price range.

You'll find lots of enthusiast reviews of the AMD Phenom II X6 1090T and 1055T. We liked the … Read more

AMD offers six-core CPUs for the rest of us

AMD's new Phenom II X6 is not the first six-core CPU aimed at consumers. Intel's Core i7 980X Extreme claimed that honor when it debuted back in March.

In addition to introducing six-cores, the Core i7 980X Extreme earned the single-chip speed crown, complete with a high-end $1,100 price tag. AMD's new Phenom II X6 won't beat Intel on speed, but at a top-end price of $295 for the Phenom II X6 1090T Black Edition, AMD makes six-core computing far more accessible. It may also make life uncomfortable for Intel's quad-core chips at that … Read more

Strictly rumor: Apple pondering AMD chips

AppleInsider is reporting that Apple is in discussions to adopt processors from Advanced Micro Devices. Anything is possible, I suppose, but this will remain in the highly-speculative department until I see an actual AMD-powered Apple product.

And let's clarify one thing up front: Apple already uses AMD chips in the form of ATI graphics processors. But AppleInsider is referring to AMD silicon that contains one of its "x86" Intel-compatible microprocessors. Since 2006, Apple has been using Intel processors exclusively.

If an Apple-AMD deal came to fruition (and, again, that's a big if), this would be a … Read more

AMD turns a first-quarter profit

Advanced Micro Devices delivered a first-quarter profit in the latest sign that the PC and server upgrade cycle is gaining momentum.

AMD delivered net income of $257 million, or 35 cents a share, on revenue of $1.57 billion, up from $1.18 billion a year ago (statement). AMD's revenue was down a bit from the $1.65 billion delivered in the fourth quarter. On a non-GAAP basis the chipmaker reported a profit of 9 cents a share.

Wall Street was expecting AMD to report a loss of 5 cents a share. In a statement, AMD CEO Dirk Meyer … Read more