Lenovo Announces New AMD-Powered Ideapad Notebooks, Desktops
When we covered AMD's earnings and plans for 2010 a few weeks back, we noted that AMD CEO Dirk Meyer was bullishly predicting continued growth for AMD in desktop, mobile, and server, even as Intel ramps up pressure in all three segments. AMD's mobile offerings have become more competitive over the past few months thanks to the introduction of its 45nm mobile chips, and Lenovo has definitely noticed. The OEM announced two new Ideapad notebooks based on AMD CPUs today, both of which should be available by March.
We don't have the full specs on the G455 and G555, but the two systems are likely to resemble the G455A Lenovo launched in China a few weeks ago. That system features a 14.1" display (16:9 widescreen, 1366x768 resolution), a 2.1GHz Athlon II M320 processor, an ATI Mobility 4550 and a 250GB HDD. There are bound to be some differences—Lenovo's PR refers to the Turion II, not the Athlon II—but with a base price of $449, the two new designs could boost AMD's visibility in a market segment where it desperately needs exposure. As of Q4 2009, AMD held roughly 27 percent of the desktop segment, compared to just 11 percent of mobile. Given the netbook/notebook market's size and growth rate, it's imperative that AMD gain share—even if that share is mostly at the lower end.
Meanwhile, if you're interested in the touch-sensitive desktop systems that've been popular with some vendors of late, Lenovo's new IdeaCentre C315 may be worth a look. Unlike previous iterations in the "C" series, which have been built around the Intel Atom 330 and included 18" displays, the C315 uses an unspecified Athlon dual-core processor, includes 4GB of RAM, and an ATI Mobility GPU with a 20" panel. Again, exact details aren't known, but the C315 is almost certainly a snappier performer than the Atom-powered systems it displaces.
We don't have the full specs on the G455 and G555, but the two systems are likely to resemble the G455A Lenovo launched in China a few weeks ago. That system features a 14.1" display (16:9 widescreen, 1366x768 resolution), a 2.1GHz Athlon II M320 processor, an ATI Mobility 4550 and a 250GB HDD. There are bound to be some differences—Lenovo's PR refers to the Turion II, not the Athlon II—but with a base price of $449, the two new designs could boost AMD's visibility in a market segment where it desperately needs exposure. As of Q4 2009, AMD held roughly 27 percent of the desktop segment, compared to just 11 percent of mobile. Given the netbook/notebook market's size and growth rate, it's imperative that AMD gain share—even if that share is mostly at the lower end.
Meanwhile, if you're interested in the touch-sensitive desktop systems that've been popular with some vendors of late, Lenovo's new IdeaCentre C315 may be worth a look. Unlike previous iterations in the "C" series, which have been built around the Intel Atom 330 and included 18" displays, the C315 uses an unspecified Athlon dual-core processor, includes 4GB of RAM, and an ATI Mobility GPU with a 20" panel. Again, exact details aren't known, but the C315 is almost certainly a snappier performer than the Atom-powered systems it displaces.
