Three Sub-$500 AMD Brazos-Based Notebooks Rounded Up

[acku]

We have a particular affinity for buying retail hardware and putting it through its paces. A recent trip to Best Buy saw us go home with three new Brazos-based notebooks. Do these sub-$500 setups have what it takes to unseat Atom's value leadership?

Three Sub-$500 AMD Brazos-Based Notebooks Rounded Up : Read more

 

[tacoslave]

they should have put a larger battery on these!

 

[matthewspencershell]

I got my acer E-350 for $399 w/ 3gb ram, and 320G hd from hhgreg

 

[one-shot]

I ordered a Lenovo X120e E350 4GB RAM Win 7 Pro for $529. Lenovo's build quality and matte screen made the deal for me. Personally, I think the DM1Z is hideous.

 

[hp79]

Yeah, I also had a lenovo x120e. Build quality is excellent on those. I wasn't impressed with the performance too much though. It's was little bit slower than my thinkpad x61t core2duo L7500 which was from 4 years ago. But video playback was really smooth. It played 1080p mkv videos with only 30% cpu usage.

Since I got my x120e with e-350 for $305, I eventually sold mine for a small profit.

---unrelated to the article---
Toms, please fix the navigation menu!!!
Everyone that is annoyed at the navigation menu, please vote this suggestion.

http://feedbacks.tomshardware.com/forums/14581-site-forum-ideas/suggestions/1297969-page-navigation-really-sucks?ref=title

 

[bobdozer]

The D525 can only go toe-to-toe with the 3-350 if you only look at the results of multi-threaded benchmarks.

Use the D525 then use the E-350 and you will not go back to the D525 and it will be obvious why.

 

[juliom]

Impressive how much bias Tom's has these days... E-350 performs quite a bit better than Atom in pure CPU power and don't even get me started on the GPU performance. All in just ONE chip! As much as it hurts you Tom's, Brazos is a much, much better platform than Atom is.

 

[Guest]

Strange how the first picture(from AMD) in the conclusion puts i7 higher than BULLDOZER!

 

[Guest]

They wont put a large battery nor will they price it lower.Know why ,bcos the blue monster has found a new and novel way to continue its monopoly.

 

[acku]

Impressive how much bias Tom's has these days... E-350 performs quite a bit better than Atom in pure CPU power and don't even get me started on the GPU performance. All in just ONE chip! As much as it hurts you Tom's, Brazos is a much, much better platform than Atom is.

The D525 can only go toe-to-toe with the 3-350 if you only look at the results of multi-threaded benchmarks.

Use the D525 then use the E-350 and you will not go back to the D525 and it will be obvious why.

I'll admit that is a bit of stinging indictment. Can't we play nice? But I understand the sentiment. I really was after the point that the E-350 isn't all that different from the D525/Ion2 combo. It is better in graphics but in terms of CPU it is probably the closest to SU3700. And to be fair, many applications and tasks we preform on a daily basis continue to be multi-threaded.

I completely agree that Brazos is much better than Atom, but I don't think it's one of those automatic game changers, unless you're talking about a netbook. Now if AMD wants to completely and utterly destroy Intel in the the low-end market, I say drop the price another $50 bucks. Price per performance is where AMD historically has had an advantage. Remember X2? But right now, the company is benefiting from Intel having not released a successor to Pine Trail. For the netbook market, Brazos is great, but that isn't what is going to help AMD dominate the market. The lack of products in the mainstream mobile space is why AMD fired Dirk Meyer.

On a side note, I'm a hardware agnostic. That's the way it should always be. I believe in competition and Brazos is delivering it. I just want AMD to bring a bigger fight to the table. They talked so much about Fusion, it's time to deliver. At the moment, I tend to cringe every time Gartner or IDC talks to me about market share.

I think part of the disappointment is that AMD promised me an epic gunfight and I'm watching two people duke it out with peashooters. Ooo so Ion2 does 9 fps Brazos does 12 fps.

 

[juliom]

Yes, I also think that Brazos belongs to notebooks and not normal laptops.

 

[pelov]

[citation][nom]juliom[/nom]Yes, I also think that Brazos belongs to notebooks and not normal laptops.[/citation]

It does. My understanding is that brazos is their attempt at making at an APU that can compete with the atom in the netbook or low-powered-notebook market. The future llano APUs will be desktop/laptop APUs and bulldozers are server/high end desktop CPUs.

Good writeup. I was leaning towards the ASUS e-350 but it didn't make it into the test

 

[acku]

It does. My understanding is that brazos is their attempt at making at an APU that can compete with the atom in the netbook or low-powered-notebook market. The future llano APUs will be desktop/laptop APUs and bulldozers are server/high end desktop CPUs.

Good writeup. I was leaning towards the ASUS e-350 but it didn't make it into the test

So everyone is in agreement? Brazos does better in a netbook. To clarify, AMD's management was a bit too ambitious. It envisioned this as a revolution in computing for thin and light notebooks, budget notebooks, and All-in-One desktops. That's how they initially positioned the product. The fact that we have a 15.6" C-50 system is an example of how crazy it's gotten. That's the agenda they're pushing. I just feel that is a bit too optimistic. Almost every week, Best Buy has a doorbuster 15.6" Phenom that's priced the same as the larger Brazos systems.

 

[acku]

It does. My understanding is that brazos is their attempt at making at an APU that can compete with the atom in the netbook or low-powered-notebook market. The future llano APUs will be desktop/laptop APUs and bulldozers are server/high end desktop CPUs.

Good writeup. I was leaning towards the ASUS e-350 but it didn't make it into the test

OOO... You mean the 1215B? I would recommend that one over the dm1z. I just didn't have the time to put it through the paces.

 

[lradunovic77]

These CPU as far as Gaming goes completely useless cause it is unplayable. Only good side is low power usage otherwise Intel ATOM and AMD solution -> not sure why even make it.

 

[silverblue]

AMD didn't really position Brazos as a low-cost gaming platform. Therefore, I shouldn't be too surprised when it doesn't compete well in newer titles. Older titles should be its natural stomping ground.

Essentially, I see Brazos more as a general productivity platform with good HD video capability and the ability to play older gaming titles at 720p. If it fulfils this role, then it's serving its purpose, but it should never do so for more than $500.

 

[acku]

AMD didn't really position Brazos as a low-cost gaming platform. Therefore, I shouldn't be too surprised when it doesn't compete well in newer titles. Older titles should be its natural stomping ground.

Essentially, I see Brazos more as a general productivity platform with good HD video capability and the ability to play older gaming titles at 720p. If it fulfils this role, then it's serving its purpose, but it should never do so for more than $500.

Tell that to AMD. The marketing folks cite Wow and Flash/1080p video as what the Brazos should do on a day to day basis. Had they been realistic, I wouldn't be so pessimistic. The fact that there is a 15.6" E-240 proves my point. That's just nuts.

 

[burnley14]

Awfully disappointing results. I was really hoping these chips would usher in an age where all new CPU/GPU/APU systems could handle multitasking well and at least make games playable. Not so I guess.

 

[pelov]

[citation][nom]acku[/nom]OOO... You mean the 1215B? I would recommend that one over the dm1z. I just didn't have the time to put it through the paces.[/citation]

Yep! looks great. $450 on newegg so it's a bit steep but looks fantastic. I am probably picking it up within the next month or so just to see what other companies have to offer.

[citation][nom]burnley14[/nom]Awfully disappointing results. I was really hoping these chips would usher in an age where all new CPU/GPU/APU systems could handle multitasking well and at least make games playable. Not so I guess.[/citation]

It is an attempt, but bear in mind they just released fusion last year and these new e-350's started being sold by OEMs as HTPC combo's or netbooks just earlier this year. 30 FPS for WoW is actually great... it's an MMORPG, you don't need to be tipping >60 so you can hit that headshot. The e-350 can bitstream -- something the atom quite simply stinks at --and play at decent FPS at low/medium settings that are far more playable than what atom alone can offer and better and cheaper than an atom/ion combination.

Forget bulldozer for a second. This fusion tech has way more potential and brings more to the table for a much larger base of consumers. If you're looking for enthusiast, 1 hour battery life 60FPS modern title games then you need look elsewhere. This product simply isn't made for nor ever advertised to do that. It's in mini-ITX format, and that alone should tell you everything you need to know.

 

[Wisecracker]

I don't really understand why Brazos gets 'bumped-up' in class from netbook to notebook --- and then 'panned' as insufficient. Especially when 'Llano-mobile' is being shipped to OEMs.

And when you have to 'explain' yourself in your conclusion --- that's pretty sad.

 

[stingstang]

What? AMD disappoints again in the note/netbook market? What....But...How...
"The NV51B-series employs two APUs: Zacate and Ontario."
Oh, Canada. No wonder.

 

[lradunovic77]

These cpu should be in netbook only.

 

[JPForums]

I thought from the beginning that comparing Zacate to Pentiums was being overly ambitious. The fault of which is probably equal parts underestimating the Pentium's performance and the marketing department sweeping under the rug what was thought to be a relatively small performance difference. Also consider that AMD has been pushing the idea that GPU performance is more important than CPU performance. When comparing tasks that fall into this category, their statements seem a little more reasonable.

One thing that surprised me with the industries heading is the use of these APUs in 15.6" notebooks. I saw these APUs as being netbook and ultraportable processors. Ideally they would be used in nothing over 13.3". At these sizes they have several benefits that they don't have at larger sizes. They are small, cool, and low power. This makes them much more flexible in smaller designs as you don't have to make space for more chips, larger cooling solutions, and larger batteries. These advantages should translate to thinner and cheaper designs.

Indeed AMD has them priced in such a way that this should be true. However, it seems that manufacturers are content to throw them into a larger chassis where they loose their advantage and/or charge a premium due to lack of real competition in the netbook space. It makes sense for manufacturers as they don't have to invest much to put these processors in systems with (relatively speaking) copious amounts of space. However, it doesn't really show off the platforms strengths.

I'm waiting for two things to happen before I'll heavily consider these APUs. First, I'd like to see the new Atom come to market to lower prices in the netbook space. I've never considered Atom to be good enough for any of my needs, but the E-350 meets my criteria for just good enough. Perhaps the upcoming Atom can put them on the map. Second, I'd like to see Zacate in a 13.3" form factor. To me this is the both the smallest form factor I can use while truly being productive, and the largest form factor that Zacate makes sense in. Something similar to Toshiba's T235D would be nice.

 

[pelov]

^^
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16834230005

And I agree with you 100%. The design was meant to take on the Atom, but because of the performance (mainly the video due to the APU design) it achieved with comparison to the atom it got thrown up a notch. The atom and E-350 aren't sufficient for a mid-high end laptop, but rather a low-end laptop that's essentially (and is) a netbook, hence the 15.6" format from manufacturers. If you want great battery life, good video performance for 1080i, bitstreaming and comparable CPU performance than the e-350 should be a no-brainer with comparison to any other current intel atom option.

The upcoming llano will fill the gap between the e-350 and the mid and upper end lappies with an APU design that consumes more battery but provides more than sufficient power on a 32nm scale. the mobile versions will be for lappies while the desktops will get the big boy chips.

 

[qwertymac93]

I'm willing to bet every single one of those games is cpu limited. I hope AMD comes out with a 2ghz or higher version in the coming months, even if the tdp were higher.Llano is still a quad core and most of these budget $500< notebooks are definitely not gonna spring for a quad.