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Hardware AMD Launches Turion X2 Mobile
Anh Tuan Huynh (Blog) - May 17, 2006 2:35 AM
Print E-mail del.icio.us 30 comment(s) - last by DallasTexas.. on May 18 at 6:36 AM

AMD's newest Turion 64 pricing
64-bits of mobile dual-core goodness

AMD has just announced the long awaited dual-core mobile processor—the Turion 64 X2 Mobile. The Turion 64 X2 Mobile is the first and only x86-64 compatible processor designed for mobile use. With notable features such as Multi-core Power Management, Digital Media Xpress, and Virtualization technologies the Turion 64 X2 Mobile was designed with thin and light notebooks in mind.

Multi-core power management builds upon the existing PowerNow! technology and allows dynamic clocking of both processor cores for reduced power consumption at idle while Digital Media Xpress accelerates multimedia tasks such as image processing, audio/video encoding/decoding, and 3D graphics performance. AMD’s Virtualization technology brings improved performance for virtual computing environments — similar to Intel’s Vanderpool technology.

Reference platforms built for the Turion 64 X2 Mobile have been developed by ATI and NVIDIA using an open platform with retail notebooks available this quarter. Manufacturers expected to deliver notebooks featuring the Turion 64 X2 Mobile include Acer, ASUS, BenQ, Flocity, FSC, Fujitsu, Gateway, HP, MSI, NEC, ECS, Packard Bell, Sotec and TongFang.

With the Turion 64 X2 Mobile, AMD has migrated from Socket 754 to the new mobile specific S1 socket. This leaves existing owners of Turion 64 based notebooks with no dual-core upgrade path. Nonetheless, AMD’s Turion 64 X2 Mobile arrives ready to take on Intel’s Core Duo mobile processors at a lower price point. The new Turion 64 X2 processors are also AMD's first to feature DDR2 memory.

Pricing for the Turion 64 X2 Mobile starts at $184 for the TL-50 which is a 1.6 GHz/256KB L2 cache variant and tops out with the $354 512KB L2 cache equipped TL-60 clocked at 2GHz.

DailyTech recently published a long forecast roadmap of AMD Turion processor cores a few weeks ago.

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amd
By rqle on 5/17/2006 4:01:51 AM , Rating: 2
amd processor are great for both desktop and laptop, but i think when consumer buys laptop, $50 processor different in a $1000 laptop isnt very much to switch many core duo guys over.




RE: amd
By NoNoBadDog on 5/17/2006 4:15:14 AM , Rating: 2
Ummm...Core Duo is 32 bit...Turion X2 is 64 bit.
What part of that do you not understand?

Intel 32 bit...AMD 64 bit...Which would you buy?



RE: amd
By The Cheeba on 5/17/2006 4:23:21 AM , Rating: 2
AMD is technically 48-bit. But whatever.

I would buy Core Duo unless I had to put more than 4GB of memory into a laptop for some reason. Merom comes out in a few weeks anyway so I probably would get that instead of Turion or Core Duo anyway.


RE: amd
By psychobriggsy on 5/17/2006 7:30:35 AM , Rating: 3
The bit-ness of a CPU is determined by the size of its integer registers, in this case 64-bits.

It used to be determined by the width of the data bus, but that became irrelevant when FSBs started appearing - otherwise even a P60 would be 64-bit.

It has very rarely been determined by its addressing capability - the 68000 wasn't 24-bit, the early ARM processors weren't 26-bit.


RE: amd
By fliguy84 on 5/17/2006 5:05:25 AM , Rating: 2
Yup, until Merom comes out turion X2 looks better in specs. But I don't know how they would perform in real benchmark


RE: amd
By tigurius on 5/17/2006 5:28:44 AM , Rating: 2
64 bit doesn't mean better performance. A 64 bit OS can address more than 4 GB RAM - but how many notebooks support so much RAM? I need to see some benchmarks, before I make a conclusion...


RE: amd
By psychobriggsy on 5/17/2006 7:33:37 AM , Rating: 2
In the case of AMD64, there are an extra 8 registers available for 64-bit programs to use, which does benefit performance to varying amounts.

I'm sure that Merom will have a decent 64-bit implementation however, so the whole 64-bit vs 32-bit discussion will be redundant within a few months.


RE: amd
By Zanfib on 5/17/2006 10:23:39 AM , Rating: 2
But you need a compiler that actually takes advantage of the additional registers so the vast majority of code will likely never even know they are there.


RE: amd
By Missing Ghost on 5/17/2006 6:12:37 PM , Rating: 2
Yes is does. 64bit cpus&os&applications are faster then on 32bit, 64bit cpus is not only for bigger memory.


RE: amd
By DallasTexas on 5/18/2006 6:36:31 AM , Rating: 3
"Ummm...Core Duo is 32 bit...Turion X2 is 64 bit.
What part of that do you not understand? Intel 32 bit...AMD 64 bit...Which would you buy?..."

Ummm, I would buy the faster, lower power consuming one - Intel Core Duo.

Core Duo is a generation ahead over Turion, Merom is 2 generations ahead. However, if 64bit solitaire combs your hair back, I'd go for the better AMD Athlon for the notebook (although she's a heavy girl)


so what?
By Burning Bridges on 5/17/2006 7:57:40 AM , Rating: 2
quote:
This leaves existing owners of Turion 64 based notebooks with no dual-core upgrade path.

How many people expect to be able to upgrade the CPU in their notebook?

Not many!

It voids the warranty, is incredebly fiddly to do, is complicated, the cooling solution might not be able to handle a faster chip etc etc etc...




RE: so what?
By Hokum on 5/17/2006 8:17:53 AM , Rating: 2
Would of been nice though (mine can).

Also notebooks are becomming far more modular so its becomming more common


RE: so what?
By White Widow on 5/17/2006 9:06:16 AM , Rating: 2
I have to disagree. While "most" people certainly do not upgrade their notebook CPU, the same could be said of "most" desktop users. Even so, many notebook designs (many Asus and MSI models come to mind) make it incredible easy to change out the CPU - not a great deal harder than doing the same on a desktop (assuming you have nimble fingers!). You just need to take out some screws. While doing so might void the warranty, is this not true of a retail desktop system as well (and getting some of THOSE


RE: so what?
By White Widow on 5/17/2006 9:06:37 AM , Rating: 1
I have to disagree. While "most" people certainly do not upgrade their notebook CPU, the same could be said of "most" desktop users. Even so, many notebook designs (many Asus and MSI models come to mind) make it incredible easy to change out the CPU - not a great deal harder than doing the same on a desktop (assuming you have nimble fingers!). You just need to take out some screws. While doing so might void the warranty, is this not true of a retail desktop system as well (and getting some of THOSE CPU coolers on can be a huge PITA).


RE: so what?
By Viditor on 5/17/2006 9:23:09 AM , Rating: 2
Considering the much shorter lifespan of notebooks and the inability to swap out for new style motherboards, upgrading really is pretty much non-existent for most everybody...of course I'm sure there's always an exception.


RE: so what?
By TomZ on 5/17/2006 10:22:06 AM , Rating: 2
While most notebook internals are not designed to have the user upgrade the CPU, most notebook CPUs are socketed. So someone who is pretty handy with a screwdriver can effectively upgrade the processor for most notebooks. But it is obviously more work and more risk than upgrading a desktop machine.


RE: so what?
By timmiser on 5/17/2006 2:51:54 PM , Rating: 2
Actually, upgrading the cpu on a notebook is farily simple. When most people purchase a laptop, they go through a config screen that has multiple processor upgrades to choose from. This list usually doubles as a listing of compatible processors so you could purchase the smaller/cheaper processor initially, then after a year or so, upgrade to the higher end processor that your laptop motherboard will accept and voila! You have an upgraded laptop.

Kind of works the same way with a desktop motherboard. There will be a range of processors that that motherboard supports and if you purchase a lower end CPU initially, an upgrade a year later or so is as simple as replacing the cpu.


but what about the overclocking?
By plimogs on 5/17/2006 9:41:50 AM , Rating: 2
Would anyone care to make an educated guess as to how well these chips would clock? (assuming a competent O'Cing motherboard, for argument's sake) I mean, the low-power 3800+ X2 mentioned <A HREF="http://www.dailytech.com/article.aspx?newsid=2368">here</A>




RE: but what about the overclocking?
By plimogs on 5/17/2006 9:46:14 AM , Rating: 2
--damn. second post and already I understand the cries for an edit function. My bad though, so totaly.--

anyway, anyone care to speculate as to the best clockers on average between both 2GHz/512KB, ddr2, 90nm parts?





RE: but what about the overclocking?
By Master Kenobi (blog) on 5/17/2006 9:52:15 AM , Rating: 1
http://www.tomshardware.com/2006/05/10/dual_41_ghz...

There. While not 512kb and 2GHz, its a 2.66GHz and 1mb. However they got it cooking at 4.1GHz, and BTW it owns the Pentium EE's and the Athlon FX's :)


RE: but what about the overclocking?
By bob661 on 5/17/2006 11:34:39 AM , Rating: 2
quote:
it owns the Pentium EE's and the Athlon FX's
I heard these were pretty quick but was waiting for some benchies. I'll check these out. Thanks.


RE: but what about the overclocking?
By bob661 on 5/17/2006 11:35:54 AM , Rating: 2
Dude, I thought you were talking about Turion's. You know, the topic?