AMD Product Updates
Date posted: March 17, 2010 10:44:20 am

Topic : IT Updates

Manufacturer : AMD

Reviewed By : Glowing Technologies

AMD had its Reseller Updates held at Marco Polo Hotel, February last month with its current products and new architecture such as CPU, Chipsets, GPU, Mobility and Eyefinity. Almost everybody Knows that AMD is one existing company that manufactures processors and chipsets like Intel and Nvidia does as one of their competitors. 

Some might say that AMD is just second place with Intel when it comes to processors or CPU. Others might say AMD is for gaming and Intel is for multi tasking, or maybe some might say ATI Video cards "which AMD acquired" is incompatible with some other games and Nvidia runs smoothly on games and compatible with all the games you play?

Yep, this words are just common reactions and opinions from customers and consumers who passes by or goes by into a computer shop and purchase parts or build a desktop computer.

But this time, AMD will show you and even convince you that what you think and see from AMD is a far more than a misinterpreted image and sometimes judged by wrong and lack of knowledge, opinions, and words from different users and consumers, that is spreading in the computer industry today. "Maybe we should put this one locally, for instance Davao City". 

Vision Computing

AMD Starts with Visual Computing, where the market has already evolved rapidly and starts to shift the focus to the Entertainment Users "That means Us Folks". Entertainment such us music, movies, games and even in the socio entertainment such us photos, shared videos "Youtube", and HD Home Video.

According to the source of AMD, the global findings were divided into segments which would clearly illustrate where purchase and usage behaviors belong.

AMD Focuses more on this evolution and the visual computing that we have today. That is what the new logo "Vision" stands for which AMD puts in every box of processors and even in some products  that they have.

AMD : The complete Balance PC Platform

In Order to Achieve this so called "Vision", AMD must have an edge over Intel and Nvdia. AMD pointed out that they are only the one who has the CPU, GPU, and the Chipsets that could complete and fully support a PC out of AMD’s products only. Intel does not have a GPU and Nvdia does not have a CPU or a processor, but AMD has the major three.

Although Intel has a big leap over the AMD processors such us Athlon II X2,X3,X4 and Phenom II X2,X3,X4  with their New i3,i5,i7 processors and even with their existing Core2, Core2 Quad processors they still have a bad chipsets or maybe "Not so Bad chipsets" which were dominated by AMD’s 7 series chipsets months ago and currently now, the 8 series chipsets that will soon be release this third Quarter.

Nvidia? No CPU but They have chipsets which competes with the AMD’s 740g, 770g, 780, 785, 790gx etc. 7 series chipsets such us, Nvidia's 8100,8200,8300,9300 etc. chipsets, but they stopped from there to the so called Hybrid graphics technology. There is a rumor which the Channel sales Manager of AMD mentioned that Nvdia will stop producing motherboard chipsets. Also when Nvidia Released their high end GTX series graphics card, AMD’s 4000series almost buried their GTX high end Lineup.   

When I ask the Channel Sales Manager of AMD, If a customer wants to build a PC for the purpose of using it into video editing, ”more on rendering” which would the customer invest more? Is it on the processor? Or is it on the Video Card?.

Certainly he answered, it has to be balance, the user should build a PC which is more on a balance performance. You can not rely on the CPU or the processor itself. Take a 512mb ddr2 memory with a Quad Core processor, a 48XX series video card and a high end motherboard for instance or a  4gb ddr2 memory with a Quad Core CPU, a 48XX series video card and a high end motherboard but has a slow hard disk. The system would not perform into its highest level because there is a bottleneck with the memory nor the slow hard disk drive. If one part inside the PC is slow, everything would be affected. If you build a PC you should consider every part inside the PC. Everything has to perform well, it should be a well mixed computer parts to perform well. An analogy of this is a Basketball team, wherein your starting five has to do a teamwork and the five should be all good to win. Now that’s what they called “Stop Talking about Processors, Start talking about performance”.

Also AMD is trying to point out that if you compare an Intel and AMD based platform, compare it fairly with its cost. If you combine the CPU,GPU and the chipset which AMD has you could achieve a high performance with a low cost compared to an expensive Intel core i7 platform. Take the AMD’s Dragon Platform for instance, if you compare it into an Intel core i7 platform cost, you could possibly purchase an extra monitor, an extra home theater couch? an extra PCTV? what else? another dragon platform?.

Another thing which supports the low cost of building a pc with AMD platform are units from Internet Café’s. If we base these Internet Cafes here in Davao City, almost every unit of it runs by an AMD Processor. It is because users would not care about the processors they care more about the performance which would show in the games that they will play, and as for the Internet Café owners they would care more about the low budget cost of their units.

So, If I would like to make graph to explain everything from above it would certainly look like this.

Compatibility, Positioning and Existing Products

Another thing that we like about AMD is compatibility from their own products. With there new chipsets, you could run either a ddr2 or a ddr3 memory and also you can still run your single core processors such as AMD sempron and LE and Dual core AM2 processors to their latest AM3 socket motherboards. No problem at all, Upgrade anytime you like!

Here you have the products that AMD is offering right now.

For the Processors they have shifted the focus more on their Athlon II X2 dual core processors to their Phenom II X4 processors. Later on they have announced they will release their newest 6 core Processor soon on the 3rd or 4th quarter of 2010. A HEXA CORE my GOSH!

Currently they Still have the 7 series chipsets which later will be replaced by the 8 series chipsets.

Right now AMD already released the higher chipset with the 890gx and everybody should wait and look at the upcoming 880g, 860g, 870 chipsets which will run with the 4200 graphics in an AM3 Socket Motherboard.

AMD anticipated well on Direct x 11 which will run with their latest GPU and will fully support the Windows 7 capabilities.

Right now Everybody is still waiting for the upcoming graphics from Nvdia which will compete with AMD’s new 5000 series video cards from the image above.

Mobility

Currently, AMD does’nt have anything to compete with Intel Atom Processors but instead they will Start and Focus more on the new Segment of mobility, called the “Ultrathin”. it is between the size of a netbook and the size and power performance of a Mainstream notebook.

Acer Ferrari One Running with AMD Athlon™ Neo X2 Dual-Core processor

Eyefinity : The future of Multi Display Technology has begun

Have you ever considered buying an extra monitor for an extra large or wide viewing on your desktop before? Right now you could, and even buy an extra 3, 6, or maybe 8 in the near future with the latest Eyefinity ATI/AMD Technology had released last few months.

Seen This Before?

LCD Monitors are getting cheap, why not add an extra like this one

Or Why not play your games with this one?

Pretty Idea Isn't it?

Recommended AMD Platform

Here are some recommended AMD Platforms which will give you a better idea on what you should pair up with the CPU and GPU or the CPU and Chipset when you build a PC.

All are available now in the market. You can also purchase these AMD Products if on stock and via order basis for other items upon request only from Authorized AMD Resellers like Glowing Technologies www.glowingtechnologies.com.ph