Acer has told TechRadar that it does not feel AMD's XGP external graphics project offers a good enough user experience, although it remains interested in the product.
Somewhat strangely, Acer was expected to release a branded ATI Radeon external graphics card to take advantage of XGP this year, but that appears to have been put on the backburner.
XGP was AMD's attempts to offer laptops users with an external discrete graphics cards, meaning that users could offer a massive graphical boost to their laptops when power was less of an issue.
AMD VP Leslie Sobon told TechRadar a few weeks ago: "Acer will be coming out with an external Radeon graphics card and when you plug that in you get discrete capability, we're really excited about it.
"I don't know If Acer has announced when it's coming out, I don't know myself, but it's coming out this year where they will have this XGP solution..."
Not the best
However, in response to TechRadar's probings about a release date Acer responded with a less than flattering description of XGP, even though it has already used the port part of the technology in its Ferrari laptop.
"Acer is interested in this solution, but at the moment it doesn't offer the best user experience," said a spokesman for the company.
Now obviously, TechRadar contacted AMD to get to the bottom of this, and the company responded by saying: "AMD has been working closely with Acer to bring XGP to market.
"The Acer Ferrari One, now available for purchase, does include the XGP port. AMD demonstrated a prototype solution with this notebook at International CES 2010 in Las Vegas at the beginning of this year.
"A shipping date for the XGP unit has not been announced."
Curiouser, and curiouser.
Showing posts with label AMD. Show all posts
Showing posts with label AMD. Show all posts
Thursday, May 6, 2010
Acer Aspire 5551G, 5553G and 7551G keep the Phenom II X3 and X4 leaks flowing
Ah, now we get it. Clearly AMD has a few mobile chips in the backroom that it has yet to inform us about, and unfortunately for the fine folks in Sunnyvale, it seems as if their partner firms aren't being quite so hush-hush. Just hours after discovering a quad-core Phenom II X4 within Dell's new Inspiron M501R, along comes a spate of Acer Aspire machines with -- you guessed it -- Phenom II X4 and X3 chips within. The 15.6-inch 5551G / 5553G and 17.3-inch 7551G are all listed now at Amazon's German portal, with the X3 N830 clocked at 2.1GHz and the X4 N930 chip humming along at an even 2GHz. The cheapest of the bunch is listed at right around €668 ($870), though you'll have to dig into that source link for specifics. Fret not -- we get the impression that each of these will be headed stateside just as soon as AMD sees fit to officially unveil its not-so-secret stash of new silicon.
Acer leaks AMD mobile tri-core
Earlier today we stumbled upon Acer's Aspire 5553G, a 15.6-inch laptop based on AMD's quad-core Phenom II X4 N930. A few more listings of upcoming Acer models with the new Phenom were brought to our attention by one of our colleagues and it turns out the new quad will also be featured in the 17-inch Aspire 7551G.
However, it also appears that Acer will also introduce a three-core part on new Aspire models, both in the 17-inch and 15.6-inch flavor. The Phenom X3 N830 is clocked at 2.1GHz and it should end up a bit cheaper than the quad. It will be featured alongside HD 5470 graphics in both the Aspire 7551G and 5551G, but on the upside tri-core models will end up around €100 cheaper. You can check out the listings here.
Although AMD's mobile quads and tri-cores are unlikely to match the performance delivered by Intel's Core-series quads, it's worth noting that the price difference is staggering. Judging by these early listings, laptops based on AMD quads will end up around €150 cheaper than similar models powered by Intel's entry level Core i7 parts. As for the tri-cores, they sound like an equally good deal, as they will probably be available in the €600 to €700 price range.
It's an interesting proposition. For example, consumers will be able to choose between Intel's 2.13GHz Core i3 with integrated graphics and a similarly clocked Phenom II X3 with an extra core. Intel will offer superior power efficiency due to the 32nm process, while AMD will offer superior graphics and potentially better performance in threaded applications.
However, it also appears that Acer will also introduce a three-core part on new Aspire models, both in the 17-inch and 15.6-inch flavor. The Phenom X3 N830 is clocked at 2.1GHz and it should end up a bit cheaper than the quad. It will be featured alongside HD 5470 graphics in both the Aspire 7551G and 5551G, but on the upside tri-core models will end up around €100 cheaper. You can check out the listings here.
Although AMD's mobile quads and tri-cores are unlikely to match the performance delivered by Intel's Core-series quads, it's worth noting that the price difference is staggering. Judging by these early listings, laptops based on AMD quads will end up around €150 cheaper than similar models powered by Intel's entry level Core i7 parts. As for the tri-cores, they sound like an equally good deal, as they will probably be available in the €600 to €700 price range.
It's an interesting proposition. For example, consumers will be able to choose between Intel's 2.13GHz Core i3 with integrated graphics and a similarly clocked Phenom II X3 with an extra core. Intel will offer superior power efficiency due to the 32nm process, while AMD will offer superior graphics and potentially better performance in threaded applications.
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