Has AMD given up on mobile users?

[wolverinero79]

So someone correct me if I'm wrong here, but here's basically what we're seeing...

Intel is currently destroying AMD in the laptop sector. If you're looking for performance, battery life, or both, you want Intel.

AMD doesn't have a new laptop platform coming out anytime soon.

Intel will release a new laptop platform next year - they will lauch the Penryn based laptop mobile chip with a new mobile platform (Motevina) in Q2 2008

AMD will launch a new platform called Griffin in Q2 2008. There aren't too many hard details on what this will include, except that the chip will still be K8 based (not Barcy!) and it will supposidly include some power enhancements.

So at the same time, Intel will be going from 65nm to 45nm with a more energy efficient chip with assumeably better performance while AMD makes a tweak to an architecture that AMD has already passed in the server world (and by then the desktop world too...or so we hope). All this while currently Intel is way ahead.

In 2009, Intel will release the Mobile based Nehalem platform and AMD will launch Fusion (and if Fusion does the same pattern as Barcy, then we won't see Fusion at least until Q3).

So the question becomes - as the world becomes more mobile and less desktopish, has AMD really signed up to not have a competitive product for the next 2 years? I'm just trying to understand the roadmaps and AMD's strategy...

 

[yomamafor1]

Actually, on the contrary, AMD is steadily taking Intel's mobile sector, with one word: "value".

The cheapest Intel you could find is usually about 100~200USD more expensive than AMD. The key is that AMD uses 3rd party chipset, which in some cases cheaper than Intel's own chipset.

As a result, although AMD is losing to Intel on almost all front: performance, battery life, heat dissipation...., but AMD is standing its ground based on its inexpensiveness.

 

[BaronMatrix]

So someone correct me if I'm wrong here, but here's basically what we're seeing...

Intel is currently destroying AMD in the laptop sector. If you're looking for performance, battery life, or both, you want Intel.

AMD doesn't have a new laptop platform coming out anytime soon.

Intel will release a new laptop platform next year - they will lauch the Penryn based laptop mobile chip with a new mobile platform (Motevina) in Q2 2008

AMD will launch a new platform called Griffin in Q2 2008. There aren't too many hard details on what this will include, except that the chip will still be K8 based (not Barcy!) and it will supposidly include some power enhancements.

So at the same time, Intel will be going from 65nm to 45nm with a more energy efficient chip with assumeably better performance while AMD makes a tweak to an architecture that AMD has already passed in the server world (and by then the desktop world too...or so we hope). All this while currently Intel is way ahead.

In 2009, Intel will release the Mobile based Nehalem platform and AMD will launch Fusion (and if Fusion does the same pattern as Barcy, then we won't see Fusion at least until Q3).

So the question becomes - as the world becomes more mobile and less desktopish, has AMD really signed up to not have a competitive product for the next 2 years? I'm just trying to understand the roadmaps and AMD's strategy...

Well, first AMD does now have Turion running at 2.3GHz HP is selling TL66 as we speak. And Griffin is set to ship early next year. It is an updated 65nm X2 core with a specialized chipset and split power planes like K10. with a careful design they can get it running up to 2.7GHz.

The biggest issue with using K8 as the base is that K8 was designed for 130nm, not 65nm. I haven't seen battery life specs for the 65nm Turions but I would guess it's a little better.

Also, AMD uses their own chipsets but they allow HP, Dell, etc to choose either ATi or nVidia.