Posts tagged with gaming
Test Driving AMD’s 2nd Generation Ultrathin Notebook Platform
Posted by Patrick Moorhead in 10:47 PM
(22 votes, average: 4.14 out of 5)
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Back in April of this year, HP introduced the world’s first value ultrathin notebook, the HP Pavilion dv2. It was chock full of AMD technologies like the new AMD AthlonTM Neo processor and even had an ATI RadeonTM discrete graphics card, all in a slim and affordable package. The press noticed. Could it get better? Let me give you my first impressions on the AMD 2nd generation ultrathin platform, introduced today along with our new “Vision Technology from AMD” campaign designed to de-mystify the PC buying experience. This time, I got to test out an MSI X-Series notebook and it impressed.
Notebook based on AMD’s Second Generation Ultrathin Platform
It’s real easy to describe the 2nd generation ultrathin design: Take the 1st generation, give it a second CPU core and take nearly the performance of the first generation’s discrete card, shrink it and place it into the chipset decreasing energy consumption. Oh yeah, and add sprinkles of VISION Technology. Easy, right? Don’t tell the engineers I said that.
Specs for MSI notebook based on AMD’s 2nd Generation Ultrathin Platform
- CPU: AMD Athlon Neo X2 Dual Core Processor L335 at 1.6 GHz.
- GPU: ATI Radeon HD 3200 Graphics
- Display: 12″ at 1366×768 resolution with HDMI for 1080P bliss and VGA port out
- RAM/HDD/Optical: 2GB (dual channel)/160GB/None
- Memory Slot: SD/SDHC/MMC
- Networking: Bluetooth, Gig-E, and BGN wireless
- 3 USB ports
- 1.3 MP Webcam
Size Matters
The best way to do a size comparison is to compare it to something someone may be familiar with. Below are comparisons to a BlackBerry Bold and an MSI U100 Netbook.
MSI notebook based on AMD’s 2nd Generation Ultrathin platform next to a BlackBerry Bold
MSI U100 Netbook next to MSI notebook based on AMD’s 2nd Generation Ultrathin platform
MSI U100 Netbook on top of an MSI notebook based on AMD’s 2nd Generation Ultrathin platform
HD Video Playback-Bring It On
The MSI ripped through HD video off of the web from YouTube HD as well as Hulu HD (to my surprise). I also played HD files from my Sony Webbie (1080P/30FPS) and Kodak ZI6 (720P/60FPS) inexpensive HD palmcorders and it didn’t even break a sweat. I plugged an external Blu-Ray drive and two movies with Cyberlink 8, “I Am Legend” and “Speed Racer”, and I never saw CPU utilization go above 25%. Add this to the ability to project externally at 1080P video to my HDTV along with high-fidelity audio over the HDMI port and cable and I was real happy.
Games- Not Sweating the Small Stuff
Like the AMD 1st generation ultrathin platform, the 2nd generation ultrathin platform can (of course) play mainstream games well like the Sims and Spore, but even the more hard-core games (albeit at low settings) like Left 4 Dead. I must caveat by saying that if you consider yourself a gamer, go for a system that has a higher end GPU like the higher end ATI Radeon HD 3000 or HD 4000 series. But if you play games but don’t consider yourself a gamer, no need to worry, you get a real ATI-branded graphics capability, not a generic brand in many systems.
Web Browsing- Flash Eater
I already described how this MSI notebook tore through YouTube HD and Hulu HD so why bring up anything else? Well, it’s called Flash and it’s the basis for a ton of web sites and it chews up inordinate amounts of power. Try this test- open up task manager to see how much CPU is being used then go to americanidol.com and then disney.com. If you have one of those underpowered machines, you know what happens. If you have a notebook based on the 2nd generation ultrathin platform, you get a good experience where the CPU isn’t pegging at 100%.
Conclusion
The 2nd generation ultrathin platform turned out exactly as I would have hoped: lighter, cooler, and more powerful to enable consumers to have an even better experience than they did with the first generation. No-compromise computing in a thin package at a good value. As “Active” and “Resting” battery life benchies go, the lab is working on those and I will update my blog when I get them. Until then, let me know if you have any questions.
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.
Codename Tigris, Surprises Found Test Driving the New AMD Mainstream Notebook Platform
Posted by Patrick Moorhead in 10:45 PM
Ultrathin laptops have been the talk of the press for about 6 months now, but the reality is that many laptops that will ship in 2009 will likely have 14″ or larger displays and not be ultrathin. Why? Many consumers prefer the full-featured nature of those notebooks with their larger displays, integrated optical drives, larger keyboards, expandability and for the most part, the ability to crank more quickly through software. That’s where AMD’s newest full-featured platform comes in with all its entertainment goodies with VISION. I got the chance to take a drive in a new MSI C-Series notebook based on the 2009 AMD Mainstream Notebook Platform (codename “Tigris”), and it had a few tricks in store I MUST share.
Tigris-based MSI Notebook Specs
- CPU: AMD TurionTM II X2 Dual Core Mobile Processor M640 at 2.6 Ghz.
- GPU: ATI RadeonTM HD 4200 Graphics
- Display: 16″ 16:9 at 1366×768 resolution
- Video out: HDMI and VGA port
- Keyboard: Full-size with full number pad
- RAM/HDD/Optical: 4GB/300GB/DVD-RW
- Memory Slot: SD/MMC/MS/MS Pro
- Networking: Bluetooth, Gig-E, and B/G/N wireless
- 1 E-SATA port/USB combo port
- 2 USB ports (3 if you count combo)
- ExpressCard 34 slot
- Webcam (1.3 MP) and microphone
Video Encoding- A Giant Leap
The most amazing and new feature of this Tigris-based notebook for me was the GPU-assisted video transcoding. Quite simply, video transcoding is changing the format of a video to be played on another device. One example is taking a family video on an HD camera and encoding it to play on an iPod or iPhone.
Of the 15 videos I tested, when I was using the GPU, I got nearly twice the performance or the time was nearly cut in HALF! Your mileage will vary with video type of course and I have seen published numbers of even higher scores converting to a PSP. You can see a video of this in action here.
This is accomplished through the graphics card’s ATI Stream Technology and using the ATI Stream-enabled Cyberlink Espresso software application.
Video Playback- Reality is King
The “Tigris” platform has taken the video playback capabilities of its predecessor and placed it on steroids. Not only do you get the HD video offload capabilities, which means lower CPU utilization and heat, but now the visual quality is greatly enhanced. The features are described in super-geek terms like “dynamic contrast”, “flesh tone enhancement”, “HD color vibrance”, but it basically means that whites are brighter, blacks are richer, skin tones look more realistic, and the colors look better. I noticed the differences when I connected the Tigris-based MSI notebook to my 1080P flat screen TV.
A couple of other cool video features that I thought were useful were video upscaling and Blu-ray PIP acceleration. Video upscaling takes lower resolution videos like 400×240 and converts them to look better when shown on a larger screen (e.g. 1920×1080). Here is a nice example here. Blu-ray PIP acceleration allows you to watch a Blu-ray enabled movie (with PIP) with much lower CPU utilization, which results in less heat and noise.
AMD’s Ian McNaughton has done a fine job in his blog drilling down on key video features.
Games- Plow through Mainstream
Like video, the “Tigris” platform has taken the gaming capabilities of its predecessor to the next level. While we would recommend to those who would consider themselves “gamers” a full discrete card, the ATI Radeon HD 4200 graphics didn’t disappoint. In fact it impressed me more than I thought it would.
I started off with a simple 3DMark 06 test and was surprised at the 1,800 base score I achieved, particularly with last year’s 2008 AMD Mainstream Notebook Platform (codename “Puma”) coming in at around 1,500. Why? The ATI Radeon HD 4200graphics are based on the RV620 core, a step ahead of the ATI Radeon HD 3200 graphics based on the RV610 core.
Forget benchies a second, I wanted to try out a few games that a user would probably play on this system. So I was forced 
to try some mainstream games: Harry Potter and the Half Blood Prince, Sim City Societies, Ghostbusters, Sims 3, and X-Men Origins Wolverine. I had a good experience on all of them with decent frame rates and resolutions. For fun I loaded Left 4 Dead, Call of Duty World at War, and Tom Clancy’s Hawx. Sure, take down the res and some of the eye candy; just the fact that they were playable on integrated graphics is a feat in itself.
One final feature I must point out is the “Tigris” platform’s support of Direct X 10.1 from Microsoft, currently the latest graphics technology available until DirectX 11 arrives sometime next month. It allows either better looking games or better performance. While I didn’t personally run these FPS scores the lab did, and on higher end games with some eye candy on the ATI Radeon HD 4200 drove HAWX at 1024×768 at 25FPS, Battleforge at 1280×1024 at 24FPS, and Stalker: Clear Sky at 30 FPS, while the competition either crashed or had worse than a third the performance and experience.
Why would any consumer buy a system with generic or dated graphics? Beats me.
Thin Is In: Tigris-based MSI Notebook next to the MSI notebook based on AMD’s Second Generation Ultrathin Platform
Conclusion
For that full-sized, full-featured mobile experience, I was impressed with the MSI system based on the “Tigris” platform. Like I said above, the video encoding quantum leap was amazing and just shows how powerful the combination of the GPU and CPU working together can be. Increasing the stakes on the video playback side was a treat and fun to try out and see all those features. Finally, with support for Direct X 10.1 technology from Microsoft and the ability to play real games and of course mainstream games, the system should keep all the mainstreamers happy and surprise even some gamers. Now that’s VISION. Let me know if you have any questions or comments.
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.
Does only AMD love the HP Pavilion dv2?
Posted by Patrick Moorhead in 8:43 AM
AMD is excited about the HP Pavilion dv2 powered by AMD “Yukon” platform, as evidenced by many of our communications. Obviously HP is excited, as it’s their baby. On the blog front, Nigel, Casey, and I have written accounts of our personal HP dv2 experiences. But, is this just an AMD love affair with its own stuff, or do others share the enthusiasm?
I kindly asked the PR team to provide me with some of the reviews and headlines, and it appears that many agree with our assessments.
Here are the highlights, and I recommend visiting the sites to get the full download. I have separated the reviews into the following segments: Blu-ray experience, HD video capabilities, gaming experience, content creation capabilities, and AMD and HP’s new category creation:
Blu-ray Experience
ComputerShopper: HP Pavilion dv2-1030us, John Delaney
- “We were also impressed with the system’s video-handling prowess; the ATI graphics did a good job of delivering smooth playback of Pirates of the Caribbean: Dead Man’s Chest on Blu-ray.”
SlashGear: HP dv2 and Blu-ray preview, Steven Grady
- “The dv2 is running Vista Home Premium, and plays Blu-ray movies beautifully on the display. The dv2 has an HDMI port for making it easy to use the dv2 as your home Blu-ray player with your HDMI television…”
CrunchGear: HP’s new external Blu-ray driver is sleek as hell, Devin Coldeway
- “The Blu-ray drive that will be coming with the HP dv2 “ultra-slim” notebook is looking really nice. It’s shiny, gorgeous, and incredibly thin. I thought I better get some pictures of this sexy accessory up so you guys know how HP rolls with this new stylish line of not-netbooks-but-not-notebooks.”
HD Video Capabilities
Notebookreview.com: HP Pavilion dv2 Review, Jerry Jackson
- “If you want to connect your laptop to your HDTV and watch 1080p video, the dv2 can handle it.”
JKOntherun.com: HP dv2 on a Road Trip: First Impressions, Kevin Tofel
- “I mentioned HD video playback before. I decided to download and view some 720p content before closing out this post. Hitting up the Microsoft WMV HD Content Showcase, I downloaded the “Super Speedway” video; something I wouldn’t even bother doing with a netbook. I expected playback to be superb and the dv2 didn’t disappoint. It was a joy to watch: I couldn’t detect any stutter or dropped frames.”
JKOntherun.com: HPdv2 Battery Tests Illustrate Compromise of Power vs. Performance, Kevin Tofel
- “Of course, the intent and design of this device is to do just that: you can’t effectively enjoy high quality video on a netbook. And while you can watch high-def media on other notebooks at this price, they’ll generally weigh more and/or have a bigger footprint.”
Gaming Experience
TGDaily: The netbook-killing HP dv2, Rob Enderle
- “The product feels high quality and the graphics performance exceeds anything else short of a gaming box that I’ve had in this year.”
Notebooks.com: HP Pavilion dv2 Unboxed, First Impressions, Xavier Lanier
- “the Pavilion dv2 is the first notebook that’s based on AMD’s Yukon platform, which combines an Athlon Neo processor with ATI Mobility Radeon HD3410 graphics. The result is a computer that can be used to watch high-definition video and handle some 3D games.”
SlashGear: HP dv2 and Blu-ray preview, Steven Grady
- “it has been promised to me that the dv2 will game with the best of them, thanks to the ATI graphics card. Fear 2, Call of Duty: World at War and others are said to run amazingly well on this tiny device, showing the capability of a good GPU paired with a less power-intensive processor.”
Notebooks.com: HP Pavilion dv2 Game Demo: Call of Duty World at War, Xavier Lanier
- “The HP Pavilion dv2 is an ultraportable notebook that’s affordable, but has enough graphics muscle that users can enjoy video games….”
Content Creation Capabilities
PC Magazine: HP Pavilion dv2 (1030us), Cisco Cheng
- “So how did the Neo processor fare against the Atom in actual testing? The dv2, with its Neo processor, showed its muscle in video encoding tests, outperforming the Atom-powered Asus 1000HE by 20 seconds and the Mini 12 by 1 minute, 18 seconds. It was the only one that completed Photoshop CS4 tests, finishing in 1 minute 49 seconds (the Dell 12 did not complete the test and the 1000HE’s resolution was too low to even run the test.”
- “In terms of raw horsepower, the Neo clearly has an advantage over Atom.”
Notebookreview.com: HP Pavilion dv2 Review, Jerry Jackson
- “If you want to edit high-resolution images in Photoshop while you’re on vacation, the dv2 can handle it.”
ComputerShopper: HP Pavilion dv2-1030us, John Delaney
- “Compared with other netbooks, the dv2 performed brilliantly, scoring a class-leading 1,261 on our Cinebench 10 benchmark, while the Atom-based Dell Inspiron Mini 12 and Asus N10Jc came in at 718 and 774, respectively.”
Creating the New Affordable Ultrathin Category
PC World: Netbook or Ultraportable: Which is Best for the Job?, James Martin
- “DV2 blurs the lines between netbook and ultraportable more than most portable computers. That’s just $120 more than a high-end HP Mini 2140 netbook, which can’t compare to the dv2’s more robust specs.”
TechNewsWorld: The Death and Rebirth of Silicon Valley, Rob Enderle
- “By creating a hybrid between a netbook and a notebook, the DV2 falls into an interesting product gap. It isn’t as small as a netbook, it is vastly less expensive than a small notebook, it has more performance than many notebooks have (let alone netbooks) and it still costs under US$750.”
JKOntherun.com: HP dv2 Runs the CrystalMark Benchmark Gauntlet, Kevin Tofel
- “The AMD Neo platform is squarely targeted between the netbook market and traditional notebooks. You can get traditional notebook performance in a near-netbook sized package: call it a more portable package than a standard notebook, but not as anemic as a netbook.”
ZDNet: HP Pavilion dv2: Netbook or Notebook?, Jennifer Bergen
- “If Goldilocks was in the market for a laptop, she might pick the new HP Pavilion dv2. It’s not too big, and not too small. It sits between the large and expensive notebooks, and the small-screened netbooks – it’s just right.”
TGDaily: The netbook-killing HP dv2, Rob Enderle
- “As it was designed to be, this is a product that falls within the price range of netbooks and provides capabilities that exceed many $2000 products.”
Notebookreview.com: HP Pavilion dv2 Review, Jerry Jackson
- “The HP Pavilion dv2 satisfies an important need that low-cost netbooks never could.”
Tom’s Hardware: HP Launches Pavilion dv2 Notebook for $749, Jane McEntergart
- “At $749 it’s more expensive than a netbook and more in the range of an ultra portable; a great option for those who’ve realized that a netbook won’t cut it when it comes to anything more than classes, business trips, Facebook or browsing.”
The feedback wasn’t perfect, and that’s expected, as some raised points of question about the dv2’s battery life and fan.
So, all in all, a very good showing for the HP dv2 in regards to the Blu-ray experience, HD video capability, gaming experience, and content creation capabilities; all in a new category created by AMD and HP. The affordable ultrathin. And it’s nice to know that we weren’t the only ones extolling the virtues of the dv2. The best part about it is that AMD’s ultrathin platform roadmap only begins here, and it even gets better, in the form of the “Congo” platform planned for release in 2H09. I will see you then!
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.
HP dv2: Can you Really Combine Sophistication, Simplicity and Value in an Ultrathin?
Posted by Patrick Moorhead in 1:15 PM
Can an ultrathin notebook be sophisticated, simple, and not cost an arm and a leg? After using the new HP Pavilion dv2 for a few months, I would say, “yes”. Since I did my first blog on it back in January I even found some new tricks with the HP dv2. I was also amazed at how many ways the dv2 exceeded some of the specifications outlined in my “My Perfect Mini-Notebook”. Finally, I was surprised how much more I could do with the dv2 when compared to some of the pricey $2,000 ultraportables.
HP dv2 (.9" thin) next to BlackBerry Bold
For The Record
I have a mixed family of systems from many manufacturers. I use these to help with my day job. (No, I don’t blog or tweet for a living. J ) I also want to say that I have been immensely impressed with many of those $2,000 ultraportables on certain usage models like basic couch web surfing, writing emails, and social media sites. Finally, I am not a mainstream user; I am a media geek and a mid-range gamer. I do many things most non-geeks won’t do.
HD Video
- Blu-ray: My dv2 came with the optional Blu-ray drive. It’s simple; plug the drive into one of the 3 USB ports, pop in a movie, the HP player pops up, and watch it. Some of the pricey ultraportables don’t even support Blu-ray or come at an immense price adder.
Blu-ray drive next to a Blu-ray case
- HD video off hard drive: I wrote earlier on the fun and implications of the new breed of inexpensive HD palmcorders. Whether it’s the Kodak Zi6 or the Flip Mino HD, which capture video at 720P, or the Sony Webbie, which captures video at 1080, I can play these files back flawlessly on my dv2.* I use Cyberlink 8 playback these files and my CPU utilization is around 35%. In my personal experience at home with one of my ultraportables, CPU utilization sometimes ran as high as 75%.
Inexpensive HD Palmcorders at 720P or 1080P under $200
TV Connection
- Single HDMI cable: I connected my dv2 to my TV and got digital video and digital audio. Why? My family and I like to watch Blu-ray movies and Hulu together on a 60″ display, not 12″. Many advanced users are doing this today and our research says more and more people are doing this. Why? It’s one cable and they can get content on their PC they can’t get on their TV. Many of the current HDTV models even feature an HDMI port on the side panel to facilitate this usage model.
HP dv2's HDMI port for one cable digital video and audio
To accomplish this on some of the pricey ultraportables, a user could be required to buy additional cables and adapters, increasing cost and difficulty to setup. Would your wife prefer one cable or five cables in the living room?
Real Games
- ATI Radeon TM HD 3410 graphics: It’s generally understood that typical netbooks cannot play “real” J games well, and some say they aren’t intended to. The dv2 can because it has discrete graphics that you might expect to find in a larger, more expensive notebook. Not only could I play mainstream games well like WOW and Spore, but I could also play first-person-shooter PC games like Left 4 Dead and Call of Duty 4, albeit at lower settings than I could on an ATI RadeonTM HD 4000 Series card. The fact that I can even play these games is impressive. Some of the pricey ultraportables have Intel integrated graphics that may struggle to effectively play real games at a level I prefer to play. Ian McNaughton will be covering gaming and the dv2 in depth in a later blog.
3G Connectivity
- Integrated 3G: My HP dv2 came with 3G support capabilities, built-in! All I needed to do was remove the battery, plug in my AT&T SIM card, run HP connection manager to authorize my card (one click) with AT&T, and I was surfing in my car (while my wife was driving, of course). Alternatively, with some of these pricey ultraportables, I needed to plug in a relatively large external dongle into the side USB port.
HP dv2's Built-in 3G
The alternative 3 G dongle, NOT Built-In
Memory Card Connectivity
- SD card: The dv2 has a built-in memory card slot for devices like digital cameras and video cameras. It supports SD, MMC, MS/Pro, and xD. I take my pictures and videos, pull out the SD card from my digital still camera or video camera, and transfer it to the dv2. With some of the pricey ultraportables, you might need to buy an external SD card reader. By providing a built-in card reader at no extra cost, the dv2 may be able to save you time and money.
HP dv2's built-in memory reader
I like my expensive ultraportable for basic couch web surfing, writing emails, and social media sites. For more sophisticated tasks, I prefer my HP dv2 ultrathin notebook over my expensive ultraportable. It’s sophisticated in that it I can play HD videos and Blu-ray movies, play “real” games, and connect with 3G, yet it is simple enough to quickly connect what I want, when I want it, helping me save me time, hassle and even money. Oh yeah, and did I mention that you may even be able to buy two HP dv2’s and some Blu-ray movies for the price of one of those expensive ultraportables?
* Standard HP dv2 screen resolution is 1280 x 800; 1080p playback is possible when connected to an external 1080p display.
Why Spore May Look So Poor on Your New Notebook
Posted by Patrick Moorhead in 2:26 AM
(Originally published at Notebooks.com)
Spore, the popular “casual” game from EA, has received as much sales and fanfare as it has controversy from its DRM policies. Spore sold 1M copies and 25M creations were created in its first 2 weeks so no one questions its popularity. But, does anyone question the quality of the visual experience between different notebook technologies? They should, as there are big differences that could really impact their enjoyment. One would expect that today on modern notebooks these differences wouldn’t exist but they definitely do.
Brian Henry, a software engineer in our Performance and Experience Lab, provided me with some data that I thought was interesting. He showed me a visual comparative analysis of Spore on two HP Pavilion dv5 notebooks, both with integrated graphics. One system was an AMD-based (“Puma”) and the other an Intel-based (Montevina). Interestingly, the Intel-based system demonstrated significant difference in Spore quality.
Here are the comparative screen-shots on “high” settings. You don’t need to have 20/20 vision to see there is a huge disparity.
Here is the Intel Centrino 2 (Montevina) system with Core 2 Duo CPU and GMA 4500MHD graphics (1):
Here is the AMD (“Puma”) system with a Turion™ X2 Ultra CPU and ATI Radeon™ 3200 graphics (2) :
Compare the water quality, shadows off the creatures, the grassy field dimensionality and the background fog elements (or lack thereof) between the two images.
The Intel game graphics performance and visual experience shown here on Spore is very consistent with what AMD, Nvidia and others in the tech press have been confirming for a years. And, just to list a few:
- Business Week: “Is Your PC a Graphics Wimp?”
- InformationWeek: “Intel Cites Graphics Problems In Centrino 2 Delay”
- Notebooks.com: “AMD vs. Intel Integrated Graphics Video”
- The Inquirer: “Intel’s G965 embedded graphics stink – official”
- NVIDIA video: “GeForce 7 series Motherboard GPU”
- AMD video: “AMD Phenom X3 + AMD 780 Gaming Demo”
Ironically, this is a phenomenon that has everything to do with the balance of the total platform (CPU-GPU-Chipset) versus the performance of one specific component. Let me explain in a little more detail. The Puma platform combined the new code-name “Griffin” CPU with the new integrated AMD M780G chipset that included the integrated ATI Radeon 3200 graphics. The M780G chipset’s graphics is a 55nm shrink of a full desktop Radeon 2000 Series graphics, which to me explains the awesome performance and quality. It also provides DX10, native DVI, HDMI and HDCP. The chipset and CPU and graphics are married together and provide sophisticated power management capabilities with ATI PowerPlay, TM, AMD Cool ‘n ‘ Quiet TM Technology, and Display Cache. In my opinion, the combined performance, quality, display, and power management capabilities are a requirement for a good mobile casual gaming experience.
Net-net, even when it comes to casual games like Spore, The Sims, or even Sim City, buyer beware: there can be major differences in the experience with these games on a notebook–differences not changed by a cutesy TV jingle. The industry (of which I am a part) has thus far failed to develop, deliver, and educate end-users on these differences. To me, playing Spore at high-quality would be the low bar game experience for a notebook you just plowed $699 to $1,599 into.
If you play casual games on notebooks, I recommend looking for notebooks with ATI Radeon TM branded graphics numbered 3200 and above and with AMD Turion ™ processors.
If you “beg to differ” or have your own casual game nightmare I would like to hear from you.
Note: This blog was originally published on notebooks.com here.
1) AMD notebook specs: HP Pavilion dv5z, BIOS F.05 – 6/18/2008, AMD Turion Ultra ZM-82, DDR2-800 2GB (2 X 1GB) RAM, ATI Radeon HD 3200 Graphics , 7.1.1.747 VBIOS, Seagate ST9100824AS hard drive, high Spore settings.
2) Intel notebook spec: HP Pavilion dv5z (CORR:dv5t), BIOS F.05 – 6/8/2008, Intel Core 2 Duo CPU P8400, DDR2-800 2GB (2 X 1GB) RAM, Mobile Intel(R) Graphics Media Accelerator 4500MHD, 7.15.10.1502 VBIOS, Seagate- ST9100824AS hard drive, high Spore settings..
Note: No sponsorship with EA is implied in this blog.
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.
The Magical AMD Yukon-based HP Pavilion dv2 Ultrathin Notebook
Posted by Patrick Moorhead in 3:49 AM
There has been a considerable amount of interest and debate surrounding mini-notebooks (aka “netbooks”), ultraportable notebooks and standard, full-size notebooks. Netbooks sure have come a long way since I first blogged on my experiences back in May. My first configuration had a 7” display at 840×480, 8GB storage, a tiny keyboard, Linux and was priced at $499. Netbooks have changed considerably since then and I think it is safe to say that “more” is what consumers demanded. It is commonplace now to find 10” display at 1024×600, 160GB storage, larger keyboard, Windows XP and priced from $389 to a whopping $789. I have tested now 9 netbooks and clearly see their plusses and minuses, and yes there are plusses. :>
In the background of all the netbook debate, AMD quietly announced the “Yukon” platform for ultrathin notebooks. We wanted to provide something different, something more. We wanted to provide a rich entertainment experience at an affordable price.
So when I got the chance to play with a real, live Yukon-based, HP Pavilion dv2 Entertainment ultrathin notebook, of course I jumped on it, and wanted to share those experiences with you. Because the unit is a prototype sample and isn’t expected to be released until March, I won’t be able to share everything with you, but I will share as much as I can.
The Basic Specs
- AMD Athlon TM Neo processor
- ATI Mobility Radeon TM HD 3410 discrete graphics with 1080P HD video capability and HDMI-out
- 12.1” LED BrightView display
- Optional external Blu-ray drive
- Integrated webcam
- Nearly full-size keyboard
- 0 .93in thin and 3.8lb, varies by confuguration
- Hard drives up to 500GB
Beauty Shots
The HP dv2 looks great and feels like a real notebook. The attention to detail was obvious, in opposition to me who couldn’t get his head out of the way of the picture above.
Front
Back
Left
Right
I cannot share the exact size or weight specifications at this time, but I can show you proportionally how it compares size-wise to objects I am sure you are familiar with.
HP dv2 and U.S. dime
HP dv2 and a BlackBerry Bold
HP dv2 and 10" Notebook
HP dv2 and Mac Air
I had a very enjoyable web experience with the HP dv2 due to many reasons, but three really stand out: the 12.1 display at a nice resolution, a large trackpad with large buttons, and the large keyboard.
On displays, the higher the resolution, the more information you can fit on a screen. The larger the screen, the better you can actually see it. The dv2 combines a large 12.1 screen with 1280×800 resolution. When compared to netbooks, the viewable image area is 45% larger (versus 10”) or 80% larger (versus 8.9”).1 Not only is the viewable image area larger, you can pack 67% more information on the screen.2 That’s a big difference. The best way to describe it is to show the difference. I did a Google search on “AMD Turion”, went into “Shopping” and then into “Show grid view”.
12.1" HP dv2
10" Netbook
8.9" Netbook ; 10" Netbook ; 12.1" HB dv2
HD Movies and Video
High definition video is where the HP dv2 absolutely shines, as I not only did I play 1080P Blu-Ray movies with ease and quality, but also played HD video files from the new generation of pocket HD camcorders.
You can get an external Blu-ray drive as an option that’s about the same size as a Blu-ray case. I really liked the drive as it was very compact, matched the design and size of the notebook, and was powered by only one USB connector, unlike many others you can get in the after-market.
I also successfully played HD video files at full speed from three of the latest pocket HD camcorders. You can buy these cameras from multiple sources for as little as $119 and I see them slowly taking shelf space at retail. This usually is a proxy for real sales and popularity. I tested video files from the Kodak Zi6 (720/60), the Aiptek HD (1080/30), and the Flip MinoHD (720/30) using Cyberlink PowerDVD 8. The dv2 played 720 and 1080 video without a hitch, AND with low CPU utilization. As a comparison, the netbooks played the Zi6 720 HD video at approximately 7 frames per second, according to QuickTime’s Movie Inspector.
The final video clincher for me is the external HDMI port. Forget about 12.1”……. try 52” or 120”, just connect on HDMI cable and you have HD video and audio pumping into your compatible TV or receiver.
Gaming Experience
You would expect the dv2 with the ATI Radeon Mobility 3410 discrete graphics to chew through all the “casual” games like Sims 2, Lego Indiana Jones, and Spore at high settings…. and it did. Also, I tested higher end games like Fallout 3 and even Left 4 Dead. While I would recommend to a hard core gamer an ATI Radeon™ 4000 Series graphics and even multiple ATI Radeon graphics cards using ATI CrossFireXTM technology for these intense games, I could play them relatively well at 1200×800 resolution at lower quality settings. I was really surprised how playable Left 4 Dead’s first scene was.3 Oh and watch out for the exploding bile man, he is a killer.
Summary
I cannot wait for the HP dv2 to be available in March of this year. It adds most of my personal must-have features in my “ideal ultrathin entertainment notebook”. Features like the 12.1” display, HD video playback, ability to play real games, HDMI out, and a larger keyboard. This supports all my ultrathin notebook needs for casual games, Blu-ray movies, HD video and of course, the web. Is this what you want to see in a Yukon-based ultrathin notebook? I would like to know.
Notes:
1) Resolution: 1280×800 pixels= 1,024,000 pixels; 1024×600 pixels= 614,400
2) Viewable image area: 16:9 (1.78:1) native mode. 12.1”= 61.95 sq in; 10”= 42.63 sq in.; 8.9”= 34.32 sq in.
3) Left 4 Dead at “low” settings.
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.
Notebooks.com: “Poor Spore Performance on Your New Notebook”
Posted by Patrick Moorhead in 6:23 AM
I have been doing more guest-blogging over at Notebooks.com, this time on the quality differences users can get playing the popular game Spore on different-brand notebook platforms.
Here is a preview:
“Spore, the popular “casual” game from EA, has received as much sales and fanfare as it has controversy from its DRM policies. Spore sold 1M copies and 25M creations were created in its first 2 weeks so no one questions its popularity. But, does anyone question the quality of the visual experience between different notebook technologies? They should, as there are big differences that could really impact their enjoyment. One would expect that today on modern notebooks these differences wouldn’t exist but they definitely do.”
You can find the entire blog over at Notebooks.com by clicking here.
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.
My Perfect Mini-Notebook
Posted by Patrick Moorhead in 9:02 AM
One great thing about blogs is that it is anyone and everyone’s chance to express their opinions, and I definitely have opinions. :> However, attacking one’s personal experiences is a bit like questioning free speech or democracy, but that’s exactly what makes Web 2.0 so exciting, everyone does it. So even when I get misquoted (never called it “useless”) in news stories based on what I said in a video concerning netbooks (should be hard to get wrong, I know), it generates discussion on the pros, cons, and on-the-road experiences of various netbook and mini-notebook designs. And after talking with various sources, it has already impacted future thinking, which is ultimately good for consumers, channels, OEMs, and ODM’s.
After testing seven netbooks (1) over the last five months, I now know what I want to see in future designs. This may not be the same for all 6,699,999,999 people on earth, but perhaps for a handful or two of likeminded people.
One caveat: I don’t expect a single mini-notebook design to be able to meet both my usage models:
- One inside the home focused on entertainment
- One outside the home focused on portability
My ideal at-home mini-notebook
I would like to carry my mini-notebook from room-to-room, plugging it in via HDMI to the next best available flat panel TV in the home. It would also be great to wirelessly stream 1080i video content off the web or my home server, which would benefit from HD graphics decode capability, wireless-N, and the capability to externally project at 1920×1080i resolutions. A simple, Gyration-style wireless remote should come standard to easily navigate content from 10’.
For web surfing, I would like the peace of mind that my system could support the next-generation of Adobe Flash and Microsoft Silverlight technology, so it doesn’t become a paperweight in 6 months. This means the processor and native panel screen size must be up to par. Kids’ sites like Webkinz, the “World of Warcraft for kids,” today requires at least 1024×768 (tomorrow, maybe 1280×1024) internal panel sizes, and I need at least enough CPU performance to prevent pauses in the action. Try running Hulu HD, an Apple HD trailer, or iTunes HD TV shows on a netbook and you will know what I am talking about. A 13” panel would really optimize the viewing experience when not connected to an external display.
Battery life isn’t that important at home, but a couple hours would be reasonable, along with a retractable power cord. Weight isn’t as important unless you have difficulty carrying a few pounds room to room. If that’s the case, I would recommend a lifetime membership to Gold’s Gym. Hard drive size isn’t as important because I can leverage the hard drive space on my home server, but I still want at least 160GB for applications or DRM-based content loads in case I need to take it on a family trip.
On games, While I don’t expect to play Crysis on highest quality settings, I would expect to be able to play a game like Spore and the Sims 2 at 30 fps (frames per second) and decent quality settings.
My ideal away-from-home mini-notebook
Outside the home is all about portability features and much less about entertainment. Battery life, size and weight become absolutely paramount in defining an “acceptable” bar level of performance.
Like the “at home” netbook, I still want my version to be able to effectively run today’s and at least one future generation of web applications at resolutions no less than 1024×768. I don’t think that is asking too much, is it? Also, I could live with less than a 10” display.
Eight to nine hours battery life (which we know really means five to six browsing hours) would be optimal, as I probably wouldn’t even need to bring a power cord for the day. If I don’t need to bring my power cord with me every time I go outside the house, then having a larger, possibly less expensive and faster charging power brick would be OK. This only makes sense if it saves money on the BOM cost because those tiny power adapters are cool.
As I said, if I’m going to need to lug this everywhere, weight is a huge factor and at 1.5 to 2 lbs, this seems plenty light enough. Also, the closed height cannot exceed ¾”, which would make it thicker than a Mac Air, but thinner than the Asus Eee PC Surf 4G, allowing for easy storage in a glove box or even in my bedroom drawer.
On the WAN communications side, I want to insert my SIM chip into my mini-notebook from my BlackBerry and get the same speedy, instant-on communications features I have had for years. Sure, I could tether, but if you are redesigning something, why settle for “good enough?” I don’t want to wait for 4G to do something useful or fun and could live with 3G or even, gasp, EDGE. Why should I have to pay for service twice? I know Pat, grow up, this is business… :>
Hard drive storage is a bit more important with this design because I wouldn’t have speedy access to large amounts of quick storage on my home server. Sure, I could use one of those “in-the-cloud” services, but until someone invents a more reliable synchronization tool, I will keep my documents and iTunes and Movielink content on my system, snugly fit on a 320GB hard drive. I have been keeping my “life” on MyYahoo for years, including my contacts, notes, calendar, and email, but documents and content are different.
As I would want to use this in my car, GPS and high bandwidth Bluetooth must be standard. The GPS is obvious, as I could use it as a mapping tool. I would like to use the higher bandwidth Bluetooth to gain access to my car speaker system and also pump audible navigational signals as well. Of course, if this thing serves as the nerve center for my car, I need some type of standard docking mechanism that delivers power with ease of attachment so I can take it in the house when I am home from work. I know, I am asking a lot.
So that is what I want in my mini-notebook. A bit different I know, but did you expect anything less? And if you are wondering why I didn’t call it a “netbook”, well I want to more than just the “net.”
With that, I would like to hear your thoughts on what your dream mini-notebook would look like.
1) Asus Eee PC 4G, Asus Eee PC 900, MSI U100, Dell Inspiron 910, HP 2133, Geode reference design, Asus Eee PC 1000H.
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.
First Weekend with the Fusion for Gaming Utility
Posted by Patrick Moorhead in 3:36 PM
In Nigel’s latest blog, he gives the big picture of what the new AMD Fusion campaign means to our customers and business partners. Being the new tech lover that I am, I decided to explore the new AMD Fusion for Gaming utility. I‘ll start broad, then get to the juicy details, but first a teaser from my personal numbers: I saw a best-case gaming experience frames-per-second improvement of over 100% using the new utility.
First, as I have covered in previous blogs here and here, for PCs, AMD innovates around usage models. Whether it’s productivity, home media, or playing games, we work with customers, channels, and end users to better understand their pain and pleasure points, apply the right integrated technologies to meet those needs, and then help deliver the complete experience through our customers and channels.
Console and PC Gaming are very important usage models to AMD, and we apply many hardware and software innovations for both “hard-core gamers” and “consumers who like to play games.” Hardware innovations include our ATI Radeon™ HD graphics, AMD Phenom™ and AMD Turion™ processors, and the chipset platforms. On the software side, we deliver drivers and the award-winning ATI Catalyst™ Control Center that lets you tweak almost every aspect of your graphics card with respect to 3D, video, color, power management, multi-GPUs, and display connectivity. Also, AMD Overdrive™ allows you to tune the performance of your CPU, memory, and chipset.
When the AMD Fusion for Gaming development team asked me to try out their newest software creation last weekend, I jumped ALL over it and wanted to share my experiences.
Hard core gamers know that to have the best experience possible, they need a bad-ass graphics card like the ATI Radeon™ HD 4870, a beefy CPU like the Phenom™ 9850 processor, a great performance chipset like the AMD 790GX, software tools like AMD Overdrive and ATI Overdrive™, and as few applications and tasks as possible running in the foreground and background. Historically, even for knowledgeable enthusiasts, this would be a time-consuming process. For the mainstream user who likes to play games, this type of performance optimization was completely out of reach. To solve these pain points, we created the AMD Fusion for Gaming utility.
The AMD Fusion for Gaming utility was designed to optimize your AMD-based PC for smoother, more responsive game play in the latest PC games with the touch of a button; the utility helps achieve the performance previously only available to highly technical enthusiasts. It works by temporarily shutting down background processes and intensifying processor performance with AMD Boost. That means you can keep all the features, tasks, and applications running on your Microsoft® Windows Vista® PC ready when you need them, but turn them off when you are ready to get down to serious gaming.¹
”Simplicity” was the design principle for the utility, but we still let you peek behind the curtains into the advanced interface to change how the utility works. You can customize with user selectable profiles to individually optimize your PC for gaming. Also, you can easily build your own profile and choose exactly what you want disabled for a leaner footprint. If you want to squeeze every bit of performance from your system, engage our most advanced acceleration technologies such as AMD Overdrive, Auto-Tuning and Hard Drive Acceleration.²
So with that long-winded intro, let me tell you what I personally experienced…
Desktop Gaming
I saw a big improvement in my desktop gaming experience using Fusion for Gaming. This was not surprising given I used Expert Profile that initiates AMD Boost, Hard Drive Acceleration, AMD OverDrive and ATI Overdrive in addition to shutting down unneeded services and third-party applications. Playing games just felt “better”. I know that doesn’t sound like science, but real gamers know what I mean. On Call of Duty 4 and Crysis, my system felt more responsive and snappier. I did a few rudimentary benchmarks on these two games using FRAPS, and saw about a 23-29% improvement in frame rates. Using some canned benchmarks, I saw the following:
- 3D Mark: 15% overall score improvement in 3DMark
- World In Conflict: Based on the setting, improvements in frame rates were 55% for the “average” setting, 157% for the “minimum” setting and 116% for the “maximum” setting
- Lost Planet: 5.8% “Snow” and 24% “Cave” scene frame rate improvement
Very impressive, but again, not surprising, given I was overclocking the CPU, GPU, hard drive, and shutting many Windows services, foreground and background apps. I am not a professional benchmarker like Kyle Bennett or Marco Chiappetta, but these numbers make sense given the “feel” of the game. And remember – these are my results achieved on the platforms indicated below – your experience may differ.
Notebook Gaming
One of the things I love to do with my 6 year old son is play PC games. We place a notebook on the coffee table in the living room, plug in two controllers, and go to town. We play games like Lego Star Wars II, Lego Indiana Jones, and IronMan… age appropriate stuff.I would consider this usage model to be about “people who like to play games”, NOT the “hard core gamer”. Surprisingly, I saw some of the largest boosts here. I didn’t expect it because I didn’t initiate AMD OverDrive or ATI Overdrive, just AMD Boost, Hard Drive Acceleration, and turned off unneeded tasks and applications. My hunch is that because it was a 2GB integrated graphics system where graphics shares memory and I run a lot of background tasks, shutting those down really helped. Again, the experience of Lego Star Wars II just “felt better.”
Like the desktop system, I ran some rudimentary benchmarks on the notebook:
- 3D Mark:8.9% improvement in 3DMark
- World In Conflict: Based on the setting, improvements in frame rates were 140% for the “average” setting, 600% for the “minimum” setting and 53% for the “maximum” setting
- Lost Planet: No improvement in frame rates
I didn’t expect to see any improvement, honestly, so I was surprised to see the World in Conflict numbers. Again, my hunch is that it is the memory impact and all the tasks and the applications that were shut down plus the fact that I used a 2GB integrated graphics system. And again – these are my results, yours may differ.
All in all, I was impressed at the simplicity AMD Fusion for Gaming utility brought to my desktop and the improvement to the gameplay. And on the notebook side, I was very surprised at how much it improved my gaming experience and framerates. While not perfect without some glitches as the utility is in beta, I think the AMD for Fusion for Gaming utility pulls together the strength of AMD’s CPU, GPU and chipset franchises better than ever, and pays off on the promises AMD has made to its customers, channels, and end users on the “fused” value of the three components.
You can download the Fusion utility here and AMD Overdrive 2.14 here, and I would love to hear about your experiences.
¹ THIS UTILITY MAY DISABLE SECURITY / ANTIVIRUS SOFTWARE, OR ADVERSELY AFFECT YOUR SYSTEM. REVIEW ACCOMPANYING DOCUMENTATION CAREFULLY BEFORE INSTALLING.
² AMD’S PRODUCT WARRANTY DOES NOT COVER DAMAGES CAUSED BY OVERCLOCKING, EVEN WHEN ENABLED VIA AMD SOFTWARE.
Desktop configuration: AMD Phenom X4 9850 processor, ATI Radeon HD 4870 graphics, Foxconn A7DA-S motherboard (BIOS 81BF1P03) with 790GX chipset and SB 750, 1GB Seagate hard drive (7200 RPM), 2GB Corsair XMS2 RAM, ATI Catalyst Control Center 8.8, AMD OverDrive 2.1.4.
Notebook configuration: Toshiba L305D-S5873, AMD Turion X2 RM-70 processor, ATI Radeon 3100 graphics, 2GB RAM, 160GB (5400RPM) hard drive, ATI Catalyst Control Center 8.8.
Applications: GooglePack, Digsby, Tweetdeck, Picasa 2 media detector, Windows Defender, Orb, Internet Explorer 8.0, Windows Home Server Connect, AT&T Communications Manager, CD/DVD Acoustic Silencer and Config Free (On Toshiba)
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.
“How on Earth Did You Guys Deliver the World’s Fastest Graphics Card?”
Posted by Patrick Moorhead in 6:58 AM
I had the pleasure of watching the graphics team as they were developing it. What I saw was an incredible desire and passion to do what was right for the end user as it related to games and video and to do what was right for the customer, the OEMs and the AIB (Add-In-Board) partners. The intensity, drive and sheer will was amazing to watch. And, at the same time, a humble nature…… You just knew that something amazing was going to come out.
The other factor in “how” is history….. a long history of incredible feats in 3D graphics and video technologies. While you never want to rest on history, it is a factor or variable in repeating future success. I had worked with ATI Technologies since 1995 when I ran a consumer desktop product line at Compaq Computer during the “glory days.” I worked with guys like Phil Eisler and K.Y. Ho, ATI’s founder. I picked what I considered the “top 10” (O.K. 13, no discipline) feats I am talking about:
1987 – First graphics accelerator cards released (EGA Wonder & VGA Wonder)
1991 – First Windows accelerator released (Mach8)
1996 – First 3D graphics accelerator chip released (3D Rage)
1997 – First AGP products released and first graphics chip with motion compensation acceleration for DVD playback released (Rage Pro, Rage II+ DVD)
1999 – First AGP 4X products released from ATI
1999 – World’s first dual GPU card (Rage Fury Maxx)
2001 – First GPU supporting DirectX 8.1 programmable shader technology released (Radeon 8500)
2002 – First DirectX 9 GPU with 2x the performance of any existing product released (Radeon 9700 Pro)
2003 – First integrated graphics chipset with programmable shader support released (Radeon 9100 IGP)
2004 – First gaming GPU optimized for HD resolutions released (Radeon X800)
2005- ATI GPU is featured in Microsoft Xbox 360 with first unified shader
2006 – World’s first GPU accelerated physics demo with effects and particle physics
2007 – AMD breaks the teraFLOP performance barrier and first with DX 10.1 and 55nm (ATI Radeon HD 3870 X2)
Again, historical accomplishments are a factor of future success, but as we all know in high-tech, you better not rest on it or you will get your “lunch eaten.” This attitude was best exemplified by an answer to my question to one of the graphics executives, “what’s it like to be on top?” The answer was basically, “we only won one round in a 15 round fight and we aren’t even looking back for a second. It’s off to the next product.” Man, I love that….. anyone who has ever seen the movie “Rudy” has to love that……anyone who has an ounce of passion has to love that.
So there we have it….. having the “world’s fastest graphics card” means something for a day then it’s off to the next product. Maybe history does matter though, and in my opinion, when you hear a large CPU manufacturer talk about incredible claims in graphics and video technologies sometime in 2009 or 2010, you may want to ask them for their “Top 10” graphics and video list as well.
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.