There has been a lot of discussion and buzz around 2^nd generation notebook technologies. It can get pretty confusing and I wanted to add my two cents to see if I couldn’t help cut through the hype. In fact, it’s pretty easy to get distracted by some of the more flamboyant (and in my view, irrelevant) claims and “miss the forest for the trees”. I recognize that end users have many different tastes in what they are looking for a notebook – and I can only speak for my own tastes and needs here – but hopefully, you can gleam something out of it.

So, simply asked, can or does your 2^nd generation notebook do the following:

• Play high definition video like Blu-ray or rich web video downloads smoothly, efficiently, and with high quality? If not, check out notebooks that have ATI Avivo™ HD Technology. The notebooks provide up to 5X the HD image quality (as compared to a competing product) for a sharper picture.¹ Additionally, the ATI UVD technology actually offloads much of this high definition processing from the processor to the graphics chipset, allowing for superior power efficiency, long battery life, and a cool and quiet experience.
• Include wireless technology from the same brands that have their silicon in consumer routers and switches? If not, check out AMD-based system employing technologies from leading companies like Broadcom, Atheros, and Ralink for Wi-Fi certified solution that can transfer videos, photos, and music in under 2/3^rd of the time of competing solutions.²
• Provide the 3D graphical horsepower for today’s graphically-oriented operating systems and applications? If not, check out the ATI Radeon™ HD 3200 Graphics technology in our new “Puma” notebooks, which delivers up to 3X the 3D capability of competing products.³
• Automatically switch between discrete and integrated graphics to alternately provide maximum graphics capability or extra battery life? If not, then look for systems with ATI PowerXpress™ Technology. ATI PowerXpress™ dynamically switches (no reboot required) in real time between an ATI Mobility Radeon™ HD 3400 series graphics processor and an integrated graphics processor. Experience superior discrete graphics performance while plugged in, or switch to energy efficient integrated graphics when on-the-go to help extend battery life.
• Provide a great casual or even mainstream gaming experience with the base, integrated graphics? If not, then check out the new AMD Turion Ultra 64 X2 notebooks with ATI Radeon™ HD 3200 graphics. These are ATI “branded” graphics, not generic IGP, and you can even dive into action-packed games like the Sims 2 ;>. OK, they also let you play games that are a lot more intense than that! Although I personally love (and recommend) a rig powered with a “kick ass” discrete card (like the new ATI Radeon™ HD 4870), I even played Call of Duty 4 last night with my HP tx2000 AMD-based system with ATI Radeon HD 3200 integrated graphics – and enjoyed it too! And with the U.S. Retail market consisting almost 90% integrated graphics⁴, this is very important, because you likely aren’t going to be able to upgrade your notebook if you buy an under-powered graphical system.

So, when you are out there considering those 2^nd generation notebooks, ask yourself these questions to make a more informed decision. And, of course, tell me what you think below….

 

(1) Preliminary test results performed by AMD performance lab using HD HQV with AMD Turion™ X2 Ultra Dual-Core processor based reference design as compared to an HP Compaq 6510b notebook PC with Intel Core 2 Duo processor.

(2) Tests performed between Atheros AR9280 versus Intel 4965AGN utilizing 5 home videos, 200 pictures, and 80 songs.

(3) 3DMark 06 scores comparing AMD Turion X2 Ultra ZM-80 with ATI Radeon HD 3200 integrated graghics versus Intel Core 2 Duo T8100 with Intel GMA X3100 integrated graphics.

(4) NPD U.S. Retail Notebook market , May, 2008, 89.7% integrated graphics.

Pat Moorhead is Vice President of Advanced Marketing at AMD. His postings are his own opinions and may not represent AMD’s positions, strategies or opinions. Links to third party sites are provided for convenience and unless explicitly stated, AMD is not responsible for the contents of such linked sites and no endorsement is implied.