AMD readies answer to Intel's Ultrabook
'Ultrathin' PC, anyone?
How powerful is the Ultrabook brand? AMD is betting it is less important to punters - and laptop vendors - than price. The chip maker is to launch a platform for skinny machines in Q2.
According to moles, AMD's "Ultrathin" platform will debut in June with a view to costing computer makers 10-20 per cent less than Intel's upcoming 'Ivy Bridge' platform is expected to, DigiTimes reports.
Ivy Bridge will power Intel's Ultrabook promotion during the latter part of 2012 and is expected to debut in the March/April timeframe.
Laptops based on Intel's second-gen Ultrabook platform are still expected to retail for around $999, but AMD hopes to undercut its arch-rival. But don't expect Ultrathin to deliver the performance and battery life advantages provided by Ivy Bridge, pundits warn.
Ultrathin is based on AMD's Trinity chips which integrate graphics into the CPU die. Unlike Intel, AMD doesn't push its own Wi-Fi chips too, so Ultrathin sellers will be able to add in whichever wireless chip they prefer.
Still, getting $100-200 off the price of an Ultrabook-type PC may be enough to get consumers buying into the platform, especially in these straitened economic times. ®
COMMENTS
Have you seen any tests on Llano , similar battery life to Sandybridge on general useage stuff and double battery life compared to Sandybridge in gaming ( Anandtech - "Considering graphics performance is a healthy step up from what Intel’s HD 3000 offers and that AMD manages double the battery life under gaming situations compared to the K53E, mobile gaming is clearly a win."). So they are competitive in the real world. Just a shame the Bulldozer core is a bit weak for the watts used n not really an improvement to K10, hopefully Piledriver/Trinity will get a tweak n better process from GloFo.
Intel...better graphics?
Let me check my Work laptop..W7
Processor 5.8
memory 5.5
HDD 5.9
Graphics 3.9 !
Intel have NEVER made decent graphics.
If it were cheaper with a better integrated gfx chip (think Brazos) then it'd be a win.
$100-$200 cheaper and AAA game capable would certainly sell.
AMD Trinity is the performance leader
I don't know about untrathins but I'm waiting on an AMD Trinity powered ultraportable. If the ultrathin deal is what people want, AMD's version is better and cheaper than Intel's Ultra-FAIL over-priced book..
