Lenovo Announces New AMD-Powered Ideapad Notebooks, Desktops
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.