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  • pattycake0147 - Monday, October 25, 2010 - link

    FYI

    There is a pricing row on the first page table, but the price isn't listed.
  • OneArmedScissorB - Monday, October 25, 2010 - link

    "There's still a major stumbling block for AMD in terms of power consumption, though: an AMD-based notebook has to power both a northbridge and a southbridge, while most of this functionality is either handled by integrated hardware in Intel's mobile processors or by the single power friendly HM55/PM55 chip."

    Considering that there is a separate, 45nm chip fitting the exact definition of the traditional laptop northbridge chip in the dual-core Core iX CPU package, and that the Core 2 platform, with its multiple "inefficient" and "obsolete" chips still seems to be untouchable in battery life, that statement is riding a fine line between silliness and misinformation.

    It doesn't surprise me one bit that AMD's laptops tend to use a bit more power. That's just what happens with a more complex GPU and more CPU cores. Why that would be more dependent on nearly identical northbridge and southbridge functionality is beyond me.
  • mino - Monday, October 25, 2010 - link

    Seconded.
  • JarredWalton - Wednesday, October 27, 2010 - link

    I've updated the text to make it clear that it's not just having an extra chip, but having three AMD chips (which have traditionally not been as power optimized) vs. two Intel chips is a real concern. The AMD CPUs have always used more power (at least post Pentium M), and I don't think either the NB or SB is particularly power friendly. They're not horrible either, but having two chips doesn't do AMD any favors. Finally, toss in process tech and the result is less than ideal battery life.
  • SteelCity1981 - Monday, October 25, 2010 - link

    I really don't know why AMD calls these Phenom II's when they lack an L3 cache which puts it a lot closer to the Athlon II chips. It can get confusing and hard to tell each mobile cpu apart that AMD markets for advance users to tell apart let alone the avg pc user lol. Unlike their desktop chips line which is pretty cut and dry, their mobile chips on the other had are all over the place. You have the mobile Phenom II x4/x3/x2, the Athlon II X2/ Neo X2, the Turion II X2/ Neo X2 (which are basicly lower clocked Phenom II mobile cpu's now.) and the AMD single core V series that are all based on the same Champlain 45nm architecture.
  • mino - Monday, October 25, 2010 - link

    Same reason why Intel calls Lynnfield i7. Marketing BS.
  • SteelCity1981 - Monday, October 25, 2010 - link

    Yeah but in the mobile sector Intel's chips are a lot more clearer then AMD's to understand. Core i7 highend, Core i5 mainstream, Core i3 budget,
  • vol7ron - Monday, October 25, 2010 - link

    It's sort of like Back-to-the-Future III, it's really less like B2F II and more like Feival Goes West.
  • GullLars - Monday, October 25, 2010 - link

    Since this is a laptop offering SATA 6Gbps, i strongly suggest you run a bench round with C300 128/256GB in it.
    It would also be nice to see the PCmark scores of that compared to the original configuration and the competition.
    Storage performance can be a real problem in laptops, so this could be a key selling point, at least for the version K72DR that does not include the mostly pointless price addition of a BD player.
  • ssj4Gogeta - Monday, October 25, 2010 - link

    "Processor AMD Phenom II N830
    (3x2.1GHz, 45nm, 1.5MB L2, 35W)"

    Why do you state it as 3 times 2.1GHz? The frequencies of the cores don't add up. 3 cores don't even mean linear scaling vs. 1 core. So technically it's incorrect.
  • e36Jeff - Monday, October 25, 2010 - link

    you are supposed to read that as 3 cores running at 2.1Ghz, not 6.3 Ghz(e.g. 3x2.1). Its not a literal math statement. They probably just assumed people would be able to work that one out themselves.
  • Meaker10 - Monday, October 25, 2010 - link

    Plus if he meant 3 times 2.1 he would have put 3*2.1 which is the accepted maths notation on a computer.
  • jlazzaro - Monday, October 25, 2010 - link

    I guess some things elude even the greatest super saiyans...
  • snouter - Monday, October 25, 2010 - link

    Yeah bro, you straight outran the coverage on that one. lol
  • SimKill - Monday, October 25, 2010 - link

    Yes what e36Jeff said.
    And for multiple processors you put the N x in front of the processor name
    eg. 4x AMD Phenom II N830 would be read as 4 processors.
  • AstroGuardian - Monday, October 25, 2010 - link

    I don't know what's the point in Asus trying to compete in notebook market. They just fall to the bottom. Why not just make better motherboards and VGA cards where they are actually good?
  • SteelCity1981 - Monday, October 25, 2010 - link

    Um...I don't see how you can compare this notbook and make an assumption towards Asus's entire line of notebooks. Asus has some really good gaming notebooks out on the market.
  • Powerlurker - Monday, October 25, 2010 - link

    Asus regularly tops reliability ratings for laptops. If you're willing to give up configurability, they have some spectacular deals out there.
  • DMisner - Monday, October 25, 2010 - link

    bah, please dont bother reviewing anything portable with an AMD cpu till bobcat is released
  • mino - Monday, October 25, 2010 - link

    Why ? Their current budget platform is actually usefull.

    On a side note, boating about SB "GPU" while bashing 5470 AND not even mentioning Ontario/Llano was pretty silly on Dustin's part ...
  • debacol - Tuesday, October 26, 2010 - link

    Except it isn't useful. The i3 compares to it in performance yet destroys it in battery life. Plus you can get a similar laptop with an i3 in it for cheaper than this. I'm really hoping bobcat competes, because Intel has completely mopped the floor with AMD in the mobile sector.
  • Malih - Tuesday, October 26, 2010 - link

    +1

    this cries for Zacate, I'm on the market for 12"/13" new notebook right now, but until Zacate is released and reviewed here on AT i'm not gonna make any decision, my 3 years old 12" acer 2920z will still be around.
  • xxtypersxx - Monday, October 25, 2010 - link

    Holy thermals, that is high for even an intel chip and all the guidance I have ever seen with AMD's 45nm chips reccomends 60-70C as the top end.
  • blackshard - Tuesday, October 26, 2010 - link

    60-70°C are reccomendations for desktop chips.
    mobile chips have far higher tolerances (up to 100°C and more).
  • mino - Monday, October 25, 2010 - link

    Reasons for 5470 to exist:
    1) Crappy/incompatible Intel IGP drivers (counts for Intel platform)
    2) 3x the performance of IGP's (RS880/Arrandale)

    3) Hybrid Crossfire anyone ??? You mention the uselessness of IGP and yet you not even bother mentioning whether Hybrid crossfire id available ...

    Sorry Dustin, but your bashing of HD5470 is just a spoiled kid's talk not worth of this site.

    This issue aside, thanks for an interesting revue.
  • JarredWalton - Monday, October 25, 2010 - link

    Take your comments in light of the laptop being reviewed and you'll see the problem. Intel IGP is a different platform, 3x slow is still slow, and ASUS didn't use Hybrid CrossFire--or switchable graphics. The bigger problem is that there's just not much utility in these low-end parts anymore.

    If you were talking about the old Core 2 GMA 4500MHD IGP, I'd give you point one, but the Intel HD Graphics has had very few problems, particularly with the latest drivers. It is, as far as I'm concerned, essentially equal to the HD 4200 IGP. Yes, there are a few areas where I'd give the 4200 the edge, but for casual users it just doesn't matter. It can handle HD video (including YouTube HD), and even if you wanted to argue about audio bitstreaming capabilities Intel can do DTS-HD and DD TrueHD if I'm not mistaken (though it may require getting a setup with proper BIOS support).

    Anyway, I'll give you the existence of the HD 5470 as something the market wants, but when we say "the market" I think we all understand that it really means "big OEMs like Dell and HP". Any consumer that knows their stuff understands that entry-level discrete graphics chips are a joke. The "midrange" stuff only costs a bit more, typically doubles performance and allows improved quality, and it doesn't even use that much more power. If you have switchable graphics thrown in, then there's really no reason to bother with 5470.

    NVIDIA's GT 415M looks to be more like a low-end 5650 competitor based on the specs, so hopefully the next-gen AMD mobile parts will finally move beyond the pathetic 80 Stream Processor mark. That's our real complaint: IGP = 40 SP, entry dGPU = 80 SP, midrange GPU = 400 SP. That's a major jump in shader capabilities.
  • Dustin Sklavos - Monday, October 25, 2010 - link

    Jarred covered me but I'd like to point out...we haven't had Hybrid Crossfire since the 3400 series.
  • BaronMatrix - Monday, October 25, 2010 - link

    If you notice the Asus i7 has an 84Wh battery where the AMD has a 48Wh battery.
  • JarredWalton - Tuesday, October 26, 2010 - link

    Which is why we have the "relative battery life" chart.
  • orionmgomg - Tuesday, October 26, 2010 - link

    http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N8...

    about 1,000$

    I would say a little too high for this computer.

    For 1000 you can get a better set up, or better hardware (better GPU) and performance

    I dont understand why you did not have a price chart necx to overall performance chart - that way you could clearly see what you get for your money, system to system,

    but oh well - hooray for AMD and their ability to get any traction in the laptop marketshare catagory
  • lammers42 - Tuesday, October 26, 2010 - link

    Would you guys at Anandtech stop screwing around with 6-cell 48Whr battery laptops that have larger than 14 inch screens. No matter what CPU and GPU combination are used, these laptops are crap and typically don't have over 2.5 hrs of battery life. I think the 6 cell 48Whr batteries have there place in <15.6 in laptops. In 15.6-16 inch laptops a minimum 6-cell 60Whr battery should be used and the jump to 17.3 inch should grant the use of a 9-cell battery.

    Batteries have battery curves and have different runtimes depending on the load put on the battery. Batteries from different manufactures with the same spec aren't the same, period. Maybe it would help to use a general purpose battery with special connector to connect to the laptops for the battery test life. I don't feel I can trust the relative battery life performance table as it is in its present state. Or just show the power consumed from the wall for the different idle, internet and multimedia testing. I think I would much rather see that and then I would know what battery to order when I purchase the laptop.

    I wish the manufacturers wouldn't put the crappy 48Whr batteries in these > 15.6 inch laptops, but you can request them to only send those sizes to you.
  • lammers42 - Tuesday, October 26, 2010 - link

    Sorry, I meant to say that you can request the manufacturers to not send you those laptops that exceed 14 inch screens but still have a a 6-cell 48Whr battery or equivalent.
  • JarredWalton - Tuesday, October 26, 2010 - link

    Many of the laptops we receive don't even have an option for a larger battery. Personally, I'm with you: 6-cell batteries should all be "extended capacity" 63Wh or so models. But we do check wear levels with HWmonitor and our "relative battery life" is at least something more to consider. The fact is, even if you have two laptops with the same specs and the same battery, BIOS tweaks and other power saving utilities can enable one manufacturer to offer superior battery life. ASUS' Power4Gear actually does quite well in that regards, but obviously pairing it up with a discrete-only GPU and a tri-core AMD CPU is far more than a 48Wh battery can handle.
  • lammers42 - Tuesday, October 26, 2010 - link

    Seriously! I only know of one option out there to buy an AMD laptop with a decent battery (I'm not talking the extended runtime batteries that look like the laptop has a tumor growing out the back). Certain configurations of the DV7 comes with the 9-cell 93Whr battery that supposedly gives 5-7 hours of battery life but details are sketchy at best for the configuration tested. If you guys have a chance request the DV7-4060US and/or DV7-4170US. I'm sure there are a few of us here that would love to see the relative battery life of those laptops!
  • JarredWalton - Tuesday, October 26, 2010 - link

    The HP Envy has been on request for months, so don't hold your breath for a DV7 to come our way! LOL. Funny thing is, we can get HP to send us their business laptops, but getting consumer laptops from them is like pulling teeth from a grizzly bear.
  • Dustin Sklavos - Tuesday, October 26, 2010 - link

    That's not true. At least the grizzly bear responds. ;)
  • shady28 - Monday, November 8, 2010 - link

    I have a hard time seeing why this laptop is being used to represent the AMD price / performance line.

    The K72DR is indeed an $850 laptop at NewEgg.

    However, for $679 you can get an Acer with a phenom II x3 850 that's slightly faster, and with a Radeon 5650 GPU: http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N8...

    And, for $750, you can get an Acer 17.3" laptop with a quad core Phenom II 2.1Ghz with a Radeon 5650 : http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N8...

    Clearly the K72DR is just not up to snuff compared to competition within Acer's own line.

    I'd say either of the 2 laptops I listed above are a much better representative of what you can get for 650-750 $ using AMD, especially the Quad core AS7552G-6061,

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