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About AMD E-350 processor and HP PAVILION dm1-3100er netbook based on it

AMD has entered the netbook market!


Whenever it comes to choosing a mobile computer, attention is primarily paid to laptops and netbooks built on the Intel platform. It is natural. There are a majority of such offers, they differ in considerable variety, and there are no special complaints regarding the combination of consumer qualities for Intel's mobile platforms. However, Intel’s position in the mobile market may well falter. The threat comes from the processors with which AMD is going to flood the market in the near future - Ontario, Zacate and Llano.



These are fundamentally new products belonging to the AMD Fusion family. Wanting to emphasize their originality, the company even came up with a special abbreviation for their designation - not the CPU, but the APU (Accelerated Processing Unit). The novelty is not only in the name. The essence of the APU is that in a single processor semiconductor chip are not only x86 computing cores, but also graphic cores. The idea is that part of the daily work can be performed not only by traditional x86-cores, but also by the graphics accelerator, whose shader processors are perfectly adapted to stream computing.

In theory, the use of APU in mobile computers looks very attractive prospect. AMD promises a good level of performance combined with low power consumption, that is exactly what is required for good laptops and netbooks. But so far no signs of revolutionary changes in the market have been observed. The fact is that AMD still does not supply Llano processors in series, offering manufacturers only samples of these promising APUs. Therefore, the main events in the mobile market are expected in the second half of the year.
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At the same time, Ontario and Zacate processors are already available. However, they are somewhat, um ... peculiar. Some laptop manufacturers are trying to put these processors in their 15-inch models, however, to be honest, this does not end well. The resulting products when compared with the ultra-mobile "classmates" are clearly losing in performance. In other words, no matter how much AMD wants it, Ontario and Zacate look alien in full-size laptops.

At the same time, putting an end to Ontario and Zacate and completely surrendering to the expectation of Llano should not be either Such processors can be quite suitable not only for full-fledged laptops, but for netbooks. This is quite logical, based on their relatively low productivity combined with low power consumption.



That is, the Ontario and Zacate processors are more likely an alternative to the Intel Atom, rather than a competitor for the LV and ULV models of full-fledged Intel mobile processors. Fortunately, some manufacturers have an understanding of this fact. It is therefore not surprising that the stores already have netbooks built on the basis of Ontario and Zacate processors. There are not many such netbooks, but in order to talk in detail about the pros and cons of the new AMD platform, this is quite enough. This is how this review was born - the HP PAVILION dm1-3100er netbook (dm1z outside Russia), based on the AMD E-350 processor, which belongs to the Zacate family, came into my hands.



A netbook made on AMD components is an interesting thing, but the Zacate processor itself is no less curious. The fact is that it is not built on the familiar K10 micro-architecture, which is widely used in the Phenom II and Athlon II processors, but on the special Bobcat micro-architecture. Like Intel, AMD has realized that for rapidly gaining popularity of compact devices, you need to make a special processor, in which energy consumption and heat dissipation will be at the forefront. True, Intel's Atom processors have been around for three years, and AMD has been honored for something like that just now. But AMD got the opportunity to look at Atom from the side and analyze its pros and cons.

Therefore, the Bobcat microarchitecture is not an Atom equivalent. Unlike its competitor, AMD engineers made an economical x86 core with a change in the sequence of commands executed. Atom does not know how to reorder instructions for more efficient loading of executive devices. Therefore, in the general case, processors with the Bobcat microarchitecture are faster than the Atom by about 15-20% (when running at the same clock frequency). On the other hand, the Bobcat microarchitecture is completely different from K10. It has both optimizations aimed specifically at energy savings, as well as significant simplifications. Therefore, Bobcat looks more like a memorable K6-2 than any of the modern AMD products.



Zacate and Ontario processors contain not only one or two x86-core Bobcat. Since they belong to the Fusion family, they also have integrated graphics. Moreover, no matter what, like in Atom, but rather powerful and compatible with DirectX 11, comparable in power to graphics cards of the Radeon HD 5450 level. The result is something comparable with the ION platform: an economical atom-like processor and good graphics. But in a single semiconductor crystal, faster and fresher.



So in theory, the AMD platform for compact mobile systems looks quite “on par”. However, in stores, not processors are sold, but finished products, so the success of AMD initiatives should be evaluated on specific netbooks. HP PAVILION dm1-3100er is a typical representative of the new generation - a stylish netbook based on the AMD E-350 processor with a 11.6-inch screen and a weight of 1.6 kg.

Hardware stuffing


Let's go briefly on the main hardware components of the netbook. The AMD E-350 processor, belonging to the Zacate family, is the fastest dual-core carrier of the Bobcat micro-architecture, operating at 1.6 GHz. In terms of speed, it is slightly better than the older Atom for computers of this class, the Atom D525.



The graphics core integrated into the AMD E-350 has 80 shader processors and is called the Radeon HD 6310. Its performance is slightly higher than that of the latest ION platform of the second generation, which can be found, for example, in ASUS Eee PC 1215N.



Above, I have already said that the strength of the Fusion platform is the ability to use the computational power of the graphics core to solve everyday tasks. This is not an empty sound - the technology really works, but only in specially optimized applications. Today there are not so many of them, but among them there are quite common and important ones. Internet Explorer 9, for example, can attract the power of a Radeon HD 6310 for rendering pages. Applications from Microsoft Office 2010 can use a graphics accelerator to speed up effects. A number of utilities for transcoding video can shift part of the work to streaming processors of the graphics core. And of course, the graphics core accelerates the playback of HD video. And not only that which is played through regular player programs, but also what is being broadcast via the Internet via Flash or Silverlight players.

This is perhaps worth emphasizing - any HD video on an HP dm1-3100er netbook can play without problems, despite the rather weak processor. Video playback is accelerated by the hardware of the AMD E-350 graphics core. Moreover, it does not matter that the 11.6-inch screen has only 720p resolution. The netbook is equipped with a HDMI output (version 1.3b) and you can connect an external TV or monitor with a 1080p resolution to it.

The standard HP dm1-3100er comes with 3 GB single-channel DDR3-1067 and a 320-GB hard disk with a spindle speed of 7200 RPM. That is, for the netbook the complete set turns out quite solid. And the fact that the manufacturer puts on its creation the 64-bit version of Windows 7 Home Premium is not surprising.



It eats the whole thing from a battery with a capacity of 55 W ∙ h. According to optimistic forecasts of the manufacturer, it may be enough for nine and a half hours of work, which does not seem fiction. The consumption of the AMD E-350 processor, which also contains the graphics core, is limited to 18 W, which is lower than, for example, the total CPU and graphics consumption in the second-generation ION platform built on Atom.

Exterior


Netbook HP dm1-3100er can not boast too spectacular appearance. Having chosen a new hardware platform for their product at HP, they apparently decided that additional design delights were no longer necessary. Therefore, the dm1-3100er looks quite casual, the stricter rigor doesn’t violate unless it’s a geometrical pattern applied to the upper surface of the case. The coating of the case material is not glossy (in the traditional sense of the word), but the grease stains remain on its surface.



However, the material chosen for the hull deserves praise. Although it is plastic, it is thick and hard, so that the netbook does not play, does not creak or bend during physical influences. Besides, it is not easy to scratch it. Therefore, HP dm1-3100er will not be afraid to wear even in a hiking backpack.

The side faces, exactly like the inner surfaces of the netbook, are painted in a non-marking metallic color.



On the right side of the case there are two USB ports, an SD / MMC card reader, a wired network connector, an analog D-Sub-output monitor and a headphone output.



On the left side there is another USB port, an HDMI output, a socket for connecting the power cable and the exhaust of the cooling system.



On the front and rear sides of the case there is absolutely nothing interesting. You can pay attention only to the grid on the front edge of the computer. Behind it are quite decent quality speakers Altec Lancing, and in addition, through it is the air intake for cooling the insides of the netbook.



Unusually looks the bottom surface of the netbook. It is pristine, it does not even have vents. Therefore, a netbook without any fear can be put on soft surfaces, and even on bare ground. Pump through the bottom of any dirt or remain without cooling due to blocked air intake holes, he can not.



The bottom cover, by the way, rests on simple latches - just like in most cell phones. It is removed quite easily and immediately exposes the entire hardware stuffing. This netbook is extremely liked. Upgrading HP dm1-3100er will be very simple - memory slots, hard disk, Mini PCIe slot - all at your fingertips.



Leaves a very favorable impression of himself and the keyboard. Despite the 11.6-inch form factor, HP managed to cram into a dz1m keyboard with very large and comfortable island buttons.


This is a photograph of a pre-sale sample, without Russian letters on the buttons. In serial laptops, the keyboard is bilingual.

Typing on such is a pleasure. True, no trick has not done. Due to the fact that the buttons are large, their full set on the keyboard 11.6-inch netbook does not fit. Therefore, on it you will not find neither PgUp / PgDn, nor Home / End. Their pressing has to be emulated through combinations involving the Fn key. In addition, the up arrow and down arrow keys are made in one block, which requires some skill to use.



But the touchpad deserves praise without any reservations. It is large in size (85x50 mm), supports multitouch, and in addition, it is divided into the area of ​​buttons and sensitive surface only conditionally. Keystrokes, as well as moving the cursor and multi-touch commands, are detected over the entire surface, which further increases its usable area. Another plus is the possibility of simple (double-clicking on the point in the upper left corner) turning off and turning on the touchpad, which is very useful for blocking parasitic keystrokes during intensive work with the keyboard.

The 11.6-inch screen of the netbook has a standard resolution of 1366x768 for such computers and, unfortunately, a glossy finish. In this regard, HP's solution is no worse and no better than most of the same class Eee PC.



However, I want to mention one detail. It immediately seemed to me that the frame at the screen is too wide, especially at the bottom. Comparison of the size of the doubts confirmed: HP dm1-3100er even a little more than the ASUS Eee PC 1215 series, which use a 12.1-inch screen. In other words, the matrix in the model under consideration could obviously be bigger, but, alas, instead we have a massive frame.

Impressions of work


Above, I have already said that a netbook based on AMD E-350 is better than a netbook based on Atom and ION. And I do not intend to refuse my words. In all tests, HP dm1-3100er shows better results than the most popular netbook based on the second-generation ION, ASUS Eee PC 1215N. For example, Windows 7 gives it a rating of 3.8, while the Asus competitor gets only 3.3 points.



Moreover, superiority is observed on all fronts: the processor, memory, and the HP dm1-3100er graphics subsystem receive higher scores.

Approximately the same picture is observed in other tests:

By the way, the AMD platform is better than the second-generation ION in terms of its technological simplicity. NVIDIA graphics netbooks use Optimus ’bulky technology to efficiently use energy, enabling interactive switching between a simple Atom graphics core and a powerful external graphics card. Some users are unhappy with this approach, as it does not always work properly. Particularly affected supporters of Linux. At AMD, the graphics core is one, it always works and is supplied with drivers for all common operating systems.

As for the feelings from working with HP PAVILION dm1-3100er, he received such high (for a netbook) test scores in vain. Surfing, Internet applications, viewing HD video, office applications - they work without any problems at all. Photoshop, of course, slows down a little, but it is also possible to work within the limits of the permissible.

With games, the situation is more complicated. The graphic part of the AMD E-350 has ample power to pull out the resolution of 1366x768 at “low” settings, even in the most modern games. But x86-cores, sometimes, "choked." Therefore, a comfortable speed in most modern shooters like Mass Effect 2, Battlefield 2: Bad Company, Crysis 2, Far Cry 2, and so on. will have to forget. At the same time, casual games, and many online RPGs and strategies like World of Warcraft, Civilization V or StarCraft 2 work on the HP dm1-3100er quite acceptable.

In the process of testing the netbook, it was curious to follow how a graphics core is used for everyday activity in applications that do not use 3D graphics. AMD offers a special utility for this purpose, showing the download of x86 and the graphics core.

It turns out that the graphics core of the AMD E-350 processor is very active in practice. For example, in the screenshot below, you can see how much of the work lies on the graph when surfing in Internet Explorer 9.



Well, the playback of HD-video, in general, lies on the processor’s built-in graphics by more than half.



It turns out that HP dm1-3100er is a smart netbook. The new AMD platform and AMD E-350 processor make it guaranteed faster than any Atom-based solutions. But for netbooks, not only performance is important, autonomy matters.

Fortunately, HP dm1-3100er does not fail here. It works from a standard battery for a long time. To get nine and a half hours declared by the manufacturer, it seems that you need to set an inconvenient minimum display brightness. But even with an acceptable average brightness and with the WiFi module turned on, the netbook “keeps” on the battery for a little longer than eight hours (with the display turned on, but without any work). With internet surfing, battery life is reduced to seven hours. And when watching 720p video in H.264 format, a netbook can not be connected to the power supply for more than four and a half hours, which is obviously enough for more than one movie.

Based on the Atom + ION bundle, the ASUS Eee PC 1215N netbook, judging by the reviews, runs on a battery about 30% less, although there is a similar 6-cell battery. Only netbooks that are based on Atom N-series processors and use the Intel GMA3150 graphics embedded in them can boast a long battery life. However, such solutions are much lower speed, and they can not even play HD video.

Everything speaks about the decent economy of the AMD E-350 and the mobile platform based on it. It is very likely that this processor heats up in practical work even less than the hard disk installed in the HP dm1-3100er. At least, the netbook case warms up more precisely in the place where the hard drive is located. However, it is “warming up” - this is loudly said. In fact, during work, it is made only slightly warm, which is not able to deliver at least some discomfort.

However, unfortunately, the noise of the cooling system, which is equipped with a small and mournful impeller, becomes a payment for this. This impeller starts to make a noisy noise at any significant load, including when playing a video. But there is salvation. Among the programs that HP supplies with its netbook is CoolSense, a utility that allows you to adjust the behavior of this fan. And if you are ready to put up with the heating of the netbook case, the noise from the cooling system can be minimized.

Formal specifications




findings


HP PAVILION dm1-3100er is a very worthy newcomer to the netbook market. Of course, praise should not be so much HP as AMD. She was able to create a competitor to the Atom processor, which turned out to be much better. First of all, a good graphics core, but at the same time, the x86-cores did not fail as well. As a result, the AMD E-350 turned out faster than Atom in terms of computing and graphics performance, which made it possible to significantly expand the range of tasks that modern netbooks can handle. For example, AMD E-350 can show HD-video, Atom - can not. The performance of the E-350 is enough in many games, for Atom the same path to the entry-level gaming systems is ordered. Etc.

As you know, the main shortcomings of Atom can be partially compensated by the ION platform, which adds NVIDIA graphics to netbooks with Intel stuff. But the AMD E-350 overtakes, even though not so significantly, even the combination of Atom and ION2. In addition, against this bundle, he can oppose his significantly better energy efficiency. A single AMD E-350 chip with an integrated graphics core is more economical than two chips - the Atom + ION. As a result, the netbook based on the E-350 battery lasts much longer.

The price factor is also important. Based on the latest generation ION ASUS Eee PC 1215N costs about 18,500 rubles. HP PAVILION dm1-3100er with AMD stuff that is not inferior in capabilities can be bought a little cheaper - the average price on the Yandex market is 15,500 rubles.

In all it turns out that AMD has released a very good productive platform for netbooks. While the use of the AMD E-350 in full-size laptops is a controversial version, netbooks based on this processor overwhelm in any way any similar systems with Intel and NVIDIA stuffing. Therefore, if you are looking for a fast and functional netbook, look to the new systems on the AMD E-350 is clearly worth it.

For example, you can pay attention to the considered HP PAVILION dm1-3100er. This is a good example of a netbook on the AMD platform, with its own advantages and disadvantages.

Pros:

Minuses:

Source: https://habr.com/ru/post/118346/

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