Introduction
AMD is the only major rival of Intel, in terms of producing computer processors and coupling them with graphics. AMD has been coming out with newer processors that have competitive prices and are just as good as their Intel counterparts. An AMD laptop from almost any laptop brand can be found in the market, so choosing which one is of the best quality can be a little tricky. AMD is known to incorporate Nvidia graphics with their systems for better performance and media and gaming experience, and their new APU fusion processor’s demand is increasing as well. However, gaming and desktop replacement laptops are often a bit more bulky. A flat AMD laptop is more suited to the general user in need of a quality portable system.
History
AMD was created in 1969, and served as a second-source manufacturer for certain processors in 1982. They created reverse engineered items of many Intel products. The Am386 release by AMD in 1991 quickly sold a million units and was quite successful, and AMD’s processors were seen as low-price alternatives to the domination of Intel processors. In 1996, AMD launched its first own in-house processor for x86 called K5 and kept growing from there, releasing its K7 seventh-generation x86 processor in 1999 under the name of Athlon, which has become a very popular processor. With more rapid advances in computer technology, AMD worked on dual core and 64-bit extensions, and often fell behind Intel in the race of processor production. However, it is still a formidable opponent and has staged many comebacks in the market, and there are many popular AMD laptop models available containing their processors.
Features
The newest AMD processors that are highlighted in all geek news circles since the past year are the APU fusion-style processors that appear to offer serious competition to Intel’s second generation processors. The A-series fusion processors (combining CPU and graphics) are a component of net books such as HP Pavilion dm1z and Lenovo ThinkPad X120e, for those in need of an alternative laptop solution. The Toshiba Satellite L755D-12L has gotten great reviews for having the new AMD Llano A-series APU but has apparently been discontinued from sale. However, the good news is that HP has released a series of sleek laptops incorporating the new APU – including the less expensive g-series such as the Pavilion g7 and the entertainment notebooks Pavilion dv4, dv6 and dv7, all great quality AMD laptops. The ProBook series are good for business and boast a longer battery life. The g- and d-series laptops range from $500 to $700 and are at the higher end in terms of performance and quality! A-series is also available in laptops of Acer, Gateway and Samsung.
Tips and comments
For older laptops, AMD Turion and Athlon are good processors with quality and usability being much similar to Intel. Less fussy users can do well with an AMD laptop, and heavy gamer types can settle for the Dell Alienware M18x that incorporates dual AMD GPUs (graphics) and is a current favorite. HP Pavilion notebooks having an AMD Turion II processor are both affordable and high quality. However, it is possible to buy an AMD laptop from any of your favorite notebook companies, with specifications of your choice, and one that caters to your individual preferences.
