Most Popular
| Top Stories | Commented | Featured |
ATI Radeon HD 5570 Review featured
AMD's six-core Thuban to have feature like Turbo Boost?
Google to launch Twitter-like service for Gmail
Intel unveils Itanium 9300 series enterprise processors
Netflix to roll out 1080p streaming later this year
China closes major hacker ring, arrests three members
Intel Core i5-based MacBook Pros coming soon?
Sharp and Samsung end LCD patent suits with cross-licensing agreement
TS Community
| User Gallery | Recent Discussion |
 cool linux by mk_once |  iPhone 3G S sample #2 by Rick |
 5970. by Tehoste |  My 2 PC by filimarcus |
TechSpot RSSHardware
AMD readies low-cost, low-power "ultra value" CPUs
On top of prepping some very interesting hardware for ultra-portable laptops, AMD is also bringing some very low-cost CPUs to the market looking to capture more low-cost desktop PCs. AMD has released two new processors, both under 2Ghz, which will attempt to compete with the Atom and other processors the like lower-end Celerons.
The Athlon 2650e will be a 1.6GHz part with 512KB of L2 cache, and the Athlon X2 3250e will be a 1.5GHz part with 1MB of L2 cache. They will have TDPs of 15W and 22W, respectively, quite a bit more than the Atom which uses anywhere from a third to a fourth of that much power. The platform as a whole won't be more power-hungry than Intel's offerings, as the CPU + Chipset together will still have a TDP of 27W, the same as a 945G Atom-based offering. The CPUs will be sold at a fairly low price point, as low as $40, aimed at the “Ultra-Value Clients.”
The Atom is doing well right now, though there is clearly room for improvement in the low-power market. Via’s Nano has a lot of changes planned, some vendors (like Asus) are preferring the Celeron over the Atom and the performance of the CPU still leaves a lot to be desired. If AMD's low-cost, low-power CPUs can give the Atom a run for its money in both price and performance, they have a good shot at stealing away some of its market.
The Athlon 2650e will be a 1.6GHz part with 512KB of L2 cache, and the Athlon X2 3250e will be a 1.5GHz part with 1MB of L2 cache. They will have TDPs of 15W and 22W, respectively, quite a bit more than the Atom which uses anywhere from a third to a fourth of that much power. The platform as a whole won't be more power-hungry than Intel's offerings, as the CPU + Chipset together will still have a TDP of 27W, the same as a 945G Atom-based offering. The CPUs will be sold at a fairly low price point, as low as $40, aimed at the “Ultra-Value Clients.”
The Atom is doing well right now, though there is clearly room for improvement in the low-power market. Via’s Nano has a lot of changes planned, some vendors (like Asus) are preferring the Celeron over the Atom and the performance of the CPU still leaves a lot to be desired. If AMD's low-cost, low-power CPUs can give the Atom a run for its money in both price and performance, they have a good shot at stealing away some of its market.
Related Stories
