First Look: Hot New Desktops, Notebooks With AMD Vision

Visionary Marketing

Advanced Micro Devices has extended its Vision marketing message to its desktop line of products and is calling last week’s multiple platform update ’the largest-ever launch of AMD-based desktops and notebooks at one time.’ In the following pages, we’ll take a glimpse at a sampling of more than 100 new AMD-based desktops, notebooks and ultra-thin notebooks soon to be made available from the chip maker’s OEM partners.

Simplifying Matters

Vision is an extreme simplification of AMD’s old speeds-and-feeds-laden marketing message, breaking AMD-powered desktops and notebooks into just four categories – Vision Basic for entry-level systems, Vision Premium for systems with more powerful media-viewing capabilities, Vision Ultimate for PCs with full-on content creation capabilities, and the top-of-the-line Vision Black classification for the most demanding users.

Coming Up Sixes

The new Phenom II X6 desktop processor, released in late April, slots into AMD’s Vision Black category for desktops and gives the chip maker a six-core desktop chip to match Intel’s first six-core CPU, the Core i7-980X. But AMD’s two six-core chips, the 2.8-GHz, $199 Phenom II X6 1055T and the 3.2-GHz, $295 Phenom II X6 1090T Black Edition, are priced considerably lower than Intel’s Core i7-980X, which is listed at $999.

Danube And Nile

On the notebook side, the new mainstream laptop platform, formerly code-named Danube, specifies processors up to a quad-core or triple-core Phenom II, and is aimed at systems with 13-inch-to-18-inch screens. The 2010 ultrathin laptop platform, previously code-named Nile, combines AMD's Turion II Neo and Athlon II Neo processors with ATI Mobility Radeon 4200 integrated graphics, or an optional ATI Mobility Radeon HD 5400 discrete GPU.

Muscle Machine

Acer’s new M5400 desktop PC is loaded with AMD’s quad-core Phenom II X4 processor, Direct X 11-ready ATI Radeon HD discrete graphics and an AMD 8-Series chipset to complete the Vision platform. You’re also getting multi-display support courtesy of AMD’s Eyefinity technology.

Price: TBA

Availability: TBA

Finger Candy

Hewlett-Packard’s TouchSmart 300Z series of touchscreen all-in-one PCs feature options for dual-core, triple-core or quad-core AMD Athlon II processors. Other hardware options for these media-friendly, home entertainment systems include ATI Radeon HD integrated graphics, up to a terabyte of hard disk space and up to 4GB of DDR3 memory.

Price: Starting at $799

Availability: Today

Business Slim

The HP Compaq 6005 Pro Ultra Slim desktop is an enterprise-grade performance PC designed with the environment in mind. It’s HP’s first AMD-powered desktop that is BFR/PVC-free and also features an 87 percent-efficient power supply. This commercial unit is 10 inches high and 2.6 inches wide, and in addition to the AMD CPU inside, the Compaq 6005 Pro Ultra Slim has integrated ATI Radeon HD 4200 graphics with dual-monitor capability.

Price: Starting at $599

Availability: Today

All-In-One Delivery

Lenovo’s AMD-based entry in the all-in-one PC market is the touch-enabled IdeaCentre B305. Family entertainment is the name of the game with the IdeaCentre B305, which offers Full HD resolution video playback and optional DirectX 11 graphics. The B305 also features LED Panel Technology, providing greater dynamic contrast ratio compared with standard LED-backlit screens. The IdeaCentre B305 has a 21.5-inch widescreen and packs a quad-core AMD Athlon II X4 processor under the hood.

Starting Price: $699

Availability: June, 2010

Gamers Wanted

Cooler Master’s Storm Sniper case is the red-hot vehicle for this CyberPower gaming PC featuring AMD’s new 3.2-GHz, six-core Phenom II X6 1090T processor in an Asus M4A77TD AM3 motherboard. Other specs include an ATI Radeon HD 5850 video card, a 1TB SATA II hard disk drive, 4GB of DDRS memory, a Blu-Ray drive and liquid cooling. Quite the package and at a price that won’t break the bank.

Price: $1,345

Availability: Today

Office Options

ZT Systems has updated its lineup of ZT Reliant Desktops with AMD Business Class technology, offering configurations that provide an affordable platform for basic functionality, including e-mail, internet and office applications, all the way up to real powerhouse office desktops featuring the latest ATI Radeon HD discrete graphics. Processor options include AMD Athlon II and Phenom II CPUs. ZT Systems also offers up to 1TB hard disk drives and an option for a secondary drive, as well as several KVM choices and software packages.

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Price: Varies

Availability: TBA

Studio Stunner

New desktops built around AMD’s six-core Phenom II X6 processors include the new Dell Studio XPS 7100. These muscular units have a 460-watt power supply to deliver plenty of juice for the CPU and several ATI graphics cards. Throw in up to 16GB of DDR3 memory, up to 4TB of hard drive space and assorted peripheral ports, and you’ll understand why Dell decided to build in an ’oversized’ amount of power for the Studio XPS 7100.

Price: Starting at $999

Availability: Today

Just The Right Size

Acer’s new Aspire 4551 notebooks feature the 2.3GHz, dual-core AMD Turion II Mobile P520 processor, a 320-GB hard disk drive, 3GB of DDR3 memory, ATI Radeon HD 4250 graphics and assorted other useful bells and whistles. It all adds up to a 14-inch mainstream laptop with decent battery life that provides an excellent blend of performance, size and wireless capability.

Price: Starting at $600

Availability: TBA

Triple Threat

Acer goes with AMD’s 2.1-GHz, triple-core Phenom II X3 N830 in its new Aspire 5551G notebook, featuring a generously sized 15.6-inch display with 1366768 resolution. AMD’s fingerprints are all over this unit, from the AMD Mobile 880G chipset to the ATI Radeon HD 5470 dedicated graphics care. A 640GB hard drive, 4GB of DDR3 RAM, a DVD burner, Wi-Fi, Bluetooth and Windows 7 Home Premium OS round out the package.

Price: Starting at $850

Availability: TBA

Not Just Any Port

Asus has added options for the AMD Vision platform in its lineup of N Series mainstream notebooks. These 16-inch and 17.3-inch laptops deliver the visual goods via flushed LED-backlit displays, while the real news here could be the introduction of USB 3.0 with the N Series. We’re talking data transfer speeds of up to 10 times that of current technology, meaning files as large as a 1GB can be transferred in a matter of seconds.

Price: TBA

Availability: TBA

Duo From Dell

Dell is hitting retail shelves with new Inspiron ultra-thin and mainstream notebooks based on AMD’s new Nile and Danube platforms. The Dell Inspiron M301z is an ultra-thin design that starts at $799 and is available now. The Inspiron M501R, pictured, will be Dell’s first AMD quad-core notebook, featuring a Phenom II X4 CPU, a 640GB hard drive and 8GB of memory in a widescreen clamshell.

Price: Starts at $799 (Inspiron M301z), TBA (Inspiron M501R)

Availability: Today (Inspiron M301z), May 21, 2010 (Inspiron M501R)

Option To Touch

The AMD-powered, 15.6-inch HP Pavilion dv6 was built to deliver a media-rich experience, offering the latest in graphics, audio and video. The dv6, available in black cherry, champagne and Sonoma red Imprint finishes plus a brushed aluminum finish, is the first HP Pavilion notebook PC available with an optional touch screen in the U.S.

Price: Starts at $699

Availability: May 19, 2010

Edgy Entries

Lenovo’s new 13-inch and 14-inch ThinkPad Edge notebooks target small business with 10 to 99 employees, according to the computer maker. These affordable SMB-oriented laptops offer a choice of AMD’s Athlon II X2 P320, Turion II X2 P520 and Phenom II X3 P820 processors, and they’ll be made available through Lenovo’s channel partners late next month.

Price: Starting at $549

Availability: June 22, 2010

Media Maven

Acer’s Aspire 5625 is a 15.6-inch mainstream notebook based on AMD’s new Vision platform, but don’t let the size fool you -- this is a remarkably thin and light design.

The high-brightness, HD Acer CineCrystal TFT LCD panel and native 16:9 aspect ratio delivers a cinematic view, making the Aspire 5625 pretty tempting for media-savvy users. This ultra-thin notebook series also has a junior partner, the 14-inch Aspire 4625.

Price: TBA

Availability: TBA

Next-Gen Ultra-Thin

Hewlett-Packard was the first AMD partner to come out with an ultra-thin notebook design more than a year ago, and HP steps up with another Nile-based ultra-thin this time around with the Pavilion dm1. This third-generation HP-AMD ultra-thin collaboration features a woven champagne HP Imprint design and is less than an inch thin while delivering up to 6.4 hours of battery life.

Price: TBA

Availability: TBA

Lean And Mean

HP’s second new entry based on new AMD’s ultra-thin Nile mobile platform is the Pavilion dm3. Thin at less than an inch thick and light at 4.2 pounds, the HP Pavilion dm3 offers ultra mobility and fast performance paired with cool etched patterns and a sleek metal finish. And the cordless life is a reality with this notebook -- the dm3 boasts a battery life of up to seven hours.

Price: TBA

Availability: TBA