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AMD to retire ATI brand

AMD is shedding the ATI Technologies name from the remaining graphics products that it picked up after it bought the company in 2006.

The chip company grabbed ATI four years ago for $5.4 billion as a way to gain traction in the graphics card and chipset market. Although AMD renamed its new acquisition AMD Graphics Product Group, the ATI name stuck as one popular among gamers and video aficionados.

But based on market research and an eye toward promoting upcoming new products, AMD felt that consumers would be familiar enough with the AMD name on its own. The company … Read more

AMD tops Nvidia in graphics chip shipments

Advanced Micro Devices passed Nvidia in graphics chip shipments in the second quarter, according to a report from a marketing research firm on Wednesday, adding to Nvidia's woes.

AMD's ATI graphics unit took 51 percent of the standalone, or "discrete," graphics chip market compared to Nvidia's share that was just shy of 49 percent, according to Mercury Research, a Cave Creek, Arizona firm that tracks graphics chip shipments. This is a sharp reversal from the same period a year ago when Nvidia had about 59 percent of the market and AMD had just under 41 … Read more

The new muscle inside the new iMac, Mac Pro

Apple is tapping Intel chips for its desktop lineup in a way it never has before.

Unveiled Tuesday, updated the iMacs have, for the first time, adopted Intel's Core i3 processor, with some distinct differences between the i3, i5, and i7 models, while the refreshed the Mac Pros tap Intel's most advanced six-core processor, also a first.

So, what should consumers zero in on inside the box? Here's a quick rundown.

Core i3/Core i5 Turbo Boost and Hyper-Threading--most have both, but a of couple processors don't: Apple has gone with Core i3 processors for the first time. The Core i3, as the number suffix indicates, is Intel's low-end core i series desktop processor. In addition to the most salient differences--clock (gigahertz) speed and processor core counts--the biggest variation among the various Core i3 and Core i5 models is that a couple of the iMacs don't have both Turbo Boost and Hyper-Threading. The size of the cache memory is also a distinction.

A primer, first.

Hyper-Threading: This can double the number of tasks--or threads--a processor can execute. So, a two-core processor can handle four threads. This technology is not offered on prior-generation Core 2 chips. Apple describes it as follows: "When you're running multiple applications at once,… Read more

Hands-on with Gateway's LT32 premium Netbook

Netbooks have settled into a comfortable set of stock components, offering basic PC functionality for prices unheard of even a few years ago. The typical setup of a 10-inch display, Intel Atom N450 CPU, 1GB of RAM, and Windows 7 Starter is easy to find for as little as $299, and more than adequate for many tasks, from e-mail to Web surfing.

But those low, low prices mean PC makers are eager to upsell, and a handful of Netbook-plus systems have turned up, with larger HD displays, more RAM, and even better CPUs and graphics capabilities, such as the Asus Eee PC 1201, which pairs a bigger screen with Nvidia's ION GPU for what some call a "Premium Netbook" experience.

The latest system to offer a little more Netbook for a little more money is the Gateway LT32. This 11.6-inch laptop skips the typical Intel Atom for an AMD Athlon Neo II K125 processor. While still a single core chip, AMD has always positioned the Neo as a better performer than the Atom, and during initial anecdotal hands-on use, that certainly seems to be the case. The LT32 also includes ATI Mobility Radeon HD 4225 graphics--still not a discrete GPU, but a small step up from the integrated Intel graphics found in most Netbooks.

Almost as important to the end user experience is the 2GB of RAM (double what's in a typical Netbook) and Windows 7 Home Premium operating system instead of the more common Windows 7 Starter Edition.

The design of the LT32 is reminiscent of the Acer Ferrari One, an excellent 11-inch Premium Netbook from earlier in 2010. That system was even better, with a dual-core AMD CPU and 4GB of RAM, but it also cost nearly $600, putting it in solid mainstream laptop territory. … Read more

Dell Inspiron Rs, reviewed

Right in time for back-to-school shopping considerations, Dell has updated its popular Inspiron series of laptops with a new design, and new configurations to boot. Covering a wide variety of CPU levels (Pentium up to Core i5) and prices (mid-$400 up to nearly $1000), the Inspiron R can be either a budget or higher-end laptop depending on what's put into it. To split the difference, we reviewed two of the more midrange offerings, one 14-inch, the other 15-inch.

Both Inspiron Rs we reviewed feature Intel Core i3 CPUs, but with slightly different price configurations. At $779, our Dell … Read more

Gaming performance to improve soon on the Mac?

Apple's hardware is by no means inferior to the offerings from other manufacturers, and the OS capabilities are definitely there for high throughput calculations. Despite this, gaming on the Mac has had relatively lackluster performance, as was exemplified in the release of Steam for the Mac. While titles are increasingly being developed for the platform, the performance of various games can sometimes be half that of the same title running on similar hardware in Windows.… Read more

Sony Vaio E series expands, adds Intel Wireless Display

Remember the Sony Vaio E? When we reviewed it earlier this year, we were quite excited about Sony's more budget-priced multimedia Vaio, both because it had a Core i3 processor and optional Blu-ray. We'll admit it. We were also a little intrigued by the Vaio E's optional neon colors and funky neon keyboard skins.

The only problem? The E was limited to a 15-inch screen size. That's been remedied with new Vaio EA and EC models, in 14 and 17.3 inches, respectively.

The Vaio EA starts at $769 with a Core i3-350M CPU and built-in … Read more

Gateway updates NV budget laptop series

While current parent company Acer seems to play down the Gateway brand these days, we still think it happens to make a few very nice laptops. We always loved the 17-inch FX series of budget gaming laptops (now mysteriously discontinued, for reasons Gateway reps claim they don't themselves understand), and we recently awarded a rare Editors' Choice nod to the 17-inch NV7915u--a $600 desktop replacement.

Gateway is now updating that NV series with new versions of the 15.6-inch NV5 and the 17.3-inch NV7. One configuration of the 15-inch models includes a Blu-ray drive and an Intel Core i3 processor for $799, but prices start at $529. Some 17-inch models will include ATI Radeon discrete graphics.

Gateway says "models in the line will be available at retailers nationwide over the coming weeks," but we're not sure exactly which configurations will be available from which retailers (Best Buy currently carries some of the current NV laptops).

After the jump, more details on Gateway's flagship new 15-inch Blu-ray NV model. … Read more