AMD Launches New Low Power Yukon Platform

AMD today announced the availability of the AMD platform for ultrathin notebooks, enabling exceedingly thin and light OEM designs with rich entertainment capabilities at an affordable price. Previously codenamed "Yukon," the platform is based on the new AMD Athlon Neo processor, ATI Radeon X1250 integrated graphics and optional ATI Mobility Radeon HD 3410 discrete graphics and brings true HD entertainment1 to a new category of stylish notebook PCs.

The Athlon Neo is AMD's equivalent of the Intel Atom processor, only it's larger with a 27x27 mm footprint compared to the Atom's 22x22 mm footprint. The Neo also comsumes more power with a higher thermal envelope, 15 watts versus the Atom at 2.5W. That contributes to the reason the company is targeting laptops that are bigger but are still considered ultraportables.

Since the Neo is a slightly larger package than the Atom, we can expect performance scores to be better than those of Atom based netbooks. Early reports suggest the Yukon platform is 2.5 times faster than a 1.6-GHz Atom and GMA 950 platform, although 30 percent slower than a 1.6-GHz Core 2 Duo, which would be considerably more expensive.

The new AMD platform debuts within the HP Pavilion dv2 Entertainment Notebook PC ultrathin notebook, which measures less than one-inch thick and weighs less than four pounds. The HP Pavilion dv2 also comes equipped with a 12.1-inch diagonal LED BrightView display, nearly full-size keyboard, and optional external optical disc drive with Blu-ray capability.

"Before today, there was a compromise associated with selecting a highly portable notebook, forcing consumers to choose either the full PC experience of an ultraportable at a high price or the limited PC experience of a mininotebook at a low price," said Chris Cloran, corporate vice president, client division, AMD. "In introducing the AMD ultrathin notebook platform, AMD enables balanced PC performance, including the option of advanced graphics and video for true HD entertainment, all in an affordable, ultrathin notebook, bringing consumers uncompromised mobility."

Meeting Consumers' Needs and Pioneering New Markets
With the dominance and rapid growth of notebooks in the PC market, many consumers have grown accustomed to being productive on the go, but now desire ever-increasingly lighter, sleeker and more stylish designs that suit their mobile lifestyle. Additionally, consumers want a notebook that provides entertainment options, such as enjoying and manipulating photos, watching videos and listening to music. Designed with consumers in mind, the AMD ultrathin notebook platform presents consumers with a new choice in a highly portable notebook with rich media features.

"We believe there is a significant market opportunity that lies between the less-capable mininotebook and higher-priced ultraportable notebook segments," said Bob O'Donnell, program vice president, Clients and Displays, IDC. "Integrating the right kind of technologies will enable companies to pioneer a new category of ultrathin notebook PCs, offering consumers the value they seek in a challenging global economy."

The AMD platform for ultrathin notebooks allows consumers to enjoy true HD entertainment with available smooth 1080p HD playback, sharp images and vibrant colors. The platform also delivers a robust casual gaming experience with realistic 3D graphics, enabled by the optional ATI Mobility Radeon HD 3410 Premium graphics.2 Likewise, with advanced digital outputs including HDMI and DVI, consumers can connect to their favorite devices such as an HDTV for an immersive home theater experience.

A Stylishly Entertaining Notebook
Notebooks have moved from being a PC shared by the family, to each member of the family having their own individual notebook. As a result, consumers want their notebook to be a reflection of their personality and style.

"Together HP and AMD identified an opportunity and designed a platform to bring consumers an affordable notebook that is a perfect balance of performance and style," said Kevin Frost, vice president, Notebook Global Business Unit, Personal Systems Group, HP. "With an exceptional visual experience, rich features, and robust graphics and processing capabilities, consumers will be thrilled by the sleek design and reasonable price of the HP Pavilion dv2 Entertainment Notebook PC based upon the AMD ultrathin notebook platform."

Source: AMD Press Release