We tested the new Turion 64 X2 on an MSI S271 and an HP Compaq nx6325, two laptops with entirely different characteristics. With a diagonal screen width of 12.1", a size of 12.13 x 1.38 x 8.74", and a fighting weight of 5 lbs, the S271 is categorized as an ultra-portable laptop.

S271 from MSI with Turion 64 X2 TL-60

The 65 Wh high-performance battery, which protrudes more than half an inch at the back of the case, accounts for almost 0.9 lbs of the weight. The ultra-bright display provides WXGA resolution. All in all, the machine, offers everything you would expect from a modern laptop: a 54 Mbit/s mini PCIe WLAN and Bluetooth module, a 3-in-1 card reader, an ExpressCard/54 slot, and a FireWire port.

The quality of the S271 case is good and sufficiently warp-resistant. Unfortunately, the keyboard flexes while typing, and the two buttons under the touchpad look rather cheap. The S271 is powered by a Turion 64 X2 TL-60. The machine is equipped with an ATI Radeon Xpress 1100 chipset with integrated graphics.

The Compaq nx6325 from HP is also equipped with the Turion 64 X2 TL-60 ...

The Compaq nx6325 is also powered by a Turion 64 X2 TL-60. HP, however, employs the Mobility Radeon X1150 chipset, which has a higher clock rate. This chipset is based on the X300 graphics core, just like the Mobility Radeon X1100 and the slightly older Mobility Radeon X200M.