AMD's Dual Core Laptops Have Arrived: Introducing the Turion 64 X2

Test Systems From MSI And HP

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.