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AMD Releases Netbook Processor, Won't Admit it

by Terrence O'Brien on January 7, 2009 at 03:38 PM

AMD Releases Netbook Processor, Won't Admit it
With Intel's tiny, low powered Atom turning out to be a smash hit in bargain-priced, small-sized netbooks, and even upstart Via getting in on the netbook/low power with the Nano, it was a matter of when, not if, chip maker AMD would release its own competing part. And low-and-behold, the struggling processor manufacturer chose CES to unveil the Athlon Neo, a low power, low cost part aimed at cheap, but thin notebooks.

AMD is quick to argue that it is not targeting the netbook market cornered by Intel, but instead is looking to bridge the gap between small and thin notebooks, like the MacBook Air and Thinkpad X300, and the lower cost, mainstream systems. As evidence of this, AMD was showing off the HP dv2 an ultra portable "notebook," with a 12.1 inch wide-screen, discrete graphics processor (albeit an aging one), and an external Blu-ray player. The first machine to use AMD's 1.6GHz Neo MV-40 is priced above the netbook range at $899, but comes with many more features than your Eee.



The Neo is a single core part, like the Atom, but uses significantly more power, meaning you can expect a shorter battery life than on a netbook like the Eee. In exchange, however, you'll get vastly improved performance on media driven tasks like streaming video and HD playback, though don't expect to do any serious gaming on this thing.

Is there a market for what is essentially a super-charged netbook (if it walks like a duck...)? We're not quite sure. But we do know that the Atom is woefully underpowered for all but basic tasks, and a little competition is always good for the user. If AMD can bring the price point down to netbook levels, they'll have a winner on their hands.

Tags: amd, athlon neo, AthlonNeo, atom, ces-2009-top, nano, netbook, via nano, ViaNano

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