AMD Llano laptops have been disappointing so far

[frozentundra123456]

My work issued notebook is a Dell something or other with an Intel i5 2520M (2.5GHz dual core) with integrated graphics. I absolutely loathe it.

I end up doing my work on the desktop I built in my siginature because as far as actual usability, it's so much better in every way.

I wish I had an A8 powered notebook. This i5 can't multitask worth a damn. I don't really care what the benchmarks say. It's slow and struggles with basic tasks. No, nothing is "wrong" with it.

If I were to buy a laptop right now I would get an A8 or A6 because of the GPU. But I doubt the CPU in either of those would be that much faster the the considerably faster clocked and higher IPC i5.

 

[Vesku]

So far there has been no OEM willing to cannibalize their ~$1000 notebook sales by producing 13 or 14 inch ~$400-600 quad core Llano notebooks. Perhaps we will see a company take the plunge with Trinity.

 

[cebalrai]

I love my Gateway NV75S02u. Llano A8-3500M on a 17" screen for $600? No way would I trade that for a Pentium and Intel IGP.

http://us.gateway.com/gw/en/US/content/model/LX.WXW02.001

 

[cotak13]

My work issued notebook is a Dell something or other with an Intel i5 2520M (2.5GHz dual core) with integrated graphics. I absolutely loathe it.

I end up doing my work on the desktop I built in my siginature because as far as actual usability, it's so much better in every way.

I wish I had an A8 powered notebook. This i5 can't multitask worth a damn. I don't really care what the benchmarks say. It's slow and struggles with basic tasks. No, nothing is "wrong" with it.

You have a lot of ram in your desktop. There is more to usability than just CPU. It's likely your work laptop has less ram and a lot slower hard disk. In reality an i5 even the mobile chips can be bloody fast. Especially if one ditches windows and it tendency to slow over time.

For example I have a 8 core Xeon workstation at work with 24 gigs of ram. And we really do need such heavy iron. But it feels no faster than my 27 inch i5 iMac with 12 gigs of ram.

 

[LSANTHRAX]

The biggest problem I think is finding any available. I looked in Oct or so @ Office Depot where they had lots of lappys and only 1 Llano based lappy. Maybe things are getting better now though.

As some one who works for Office Depot I can say that as of now our desktops are almost all llano based that we carry in the stores. Our laptop selection is pretty evenly split between llano, core, and pentium based machines though. Sadly for some reason our best sellers during black friday were the c-50 based toshibas that were almost all returned when people realized how weak of a cpu they paid 300 for. The budget llano laptops that we do carry hover around 349-399, The exact same asking price as our entry level core i3s.

 

[IonusX]

I love my Gateway NV75S02u. Llano A8-3500M on a 17" screen for $600? No way would I trade that for a Pentium and Intel IGP.

http://us.gateway.com/gw/en/US/content/model/LX.WXW02.001

indeed heck my turion II hd 4330 laptop beats the hd 2000 in some games.. id never trade it for the intel cpu.. not on ur life!
folks need to become more pc aware... not jsut buying for useless trivialities and knicknacks, its all about balance son!
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=r_beum3_P3Q

 

[Vic Vega]

You have a lot of ram in your desktop. There is more to usability than just CPU. It's likely your work laptop has less ram and a lot slower hard disk. In reality an i5 even the mobile chips can be bloody fast. Especially if one ditches windows and it tendency to slow over time.

For example I have a 8 core Xeon workstation at work with 24 gigs of ram. And we really do need such heavy iron. But it feels no faster than my 27 inch i5 iMac with 12 gigs of ram.

The notebook has 8GB of ram. Desktop has more, but it's never actually realized in actual day to day work - the most I ever hit day to day (without running VMs) is 2GB on either machine. The notebook has a modern 7,200 RPM 500GB drive - the desktop has an old Raptor, which is outpaced by most modern 7,200 RPM drives.

My specific desktop is faster than my specific notebook for what I use it for. Like I said, I don't really care what the benches say or theoretical performance. I use these things every day.

Some might say it's unfair comparison, but it's not - it's the hardware I have access to.

 

[OS]

i've mentioned elsewhere also, but i've both i3 and A8 laptops, even the basically the same models.

Dell vostro 3550, i3-2310M/HD3000 and Dell vostro 3555, A8-3500M/6620G. They are the same chassis otherwise.

No doubt they are both good products, in desktop only use, they both feel the same.
Where the A8 really shines is when you run newer 3d games. It will play crysis 2 at "high"/default at native res. The HD3000 has no hope there, and it would probably cost you another $100-$200 as a discrete video option otherwise.

I was a pretty big believer in the HD3000 as it plays even portal 2 at high no problem, but the A8 is that much faster.

Basically, if you EVER play 3d games, the llano is much better value.
If you NEVER play 3d games, i'd consider it a wash, then just buy whatever is cheaper or easier to find.

 

[Vesku]

Here's an example where an A4 or A6 option would make for a great notebook, but it comes with an E-450.

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produc...Tpk=34-152-287

 

[Qianglong]

Another area where LLano laptop shines is when you watch HD flash contents (Hulu, Netflix, Youtube) where the system generally remains responsive and smooth due to the powerful GPU decode.

For most mainstream users, they will feel no slower on a Llano based laptop vs Sandy Bridge and with the added benefit of playing the latest games at a decent setting.

 

[Vesku]

Yeah, I tried out my sister's C-50 netbook and it felt a lot more balanced than the atom (non-ion) ones I've tried.

 

[micrometers]

Well, yeah, CPU speed stopped mattering a long long time ago. SSD's have been the latest real improvement in performance.

There is not one llano ultra book that I know of. That says everything.

 

[OS]

i don't think any of the existing llano processors fit the thermal profile of an ultrabook, they are all 35W TDP or more;

http://www.anandtech.com/show/5212/amd-releases-new-llano-mobile-cpus


for contrast the highest MBA cpu is i7-2677M and 17W TDP

http://ark.intel.com/products/54617

 

[RPD]

I agree the dm1z is a very attractive package. But I also agree that the E350/E450 does not belong in a full size laptop, especially when Llano is available. Worse yet, they even put the E450 in desktops. Dont really see the point of a power sipping chip in a desktop.

As far as Llano availability, they have been quite often on sale at best buy in the last few weeks. I have been checking availability on line and they are usually available at the start of the week, but unavailable by the end of the week. So if you were quick to pull the trigger, you could probably get one. I just have been hesitating because I cant decide between the dm1z, a full size laptop, and a tablet.

I got my dm1z because of size factor, battery life, heat output (see damn near none) while still being able to play HD movies, play older games (2004-2005 and back) and for $349-$399 on sale. I mean you really can't beat what it does for the price. You can't always find it on sale, but it's pretty often.

People seem to want to crap on the little AMD chip by isolating just ONE aspect of it, but when you put all the pro's for it together it's just a slam dunk.

 

[frozentundra123456]

I got my dm1z because of size factor, battery life, heat output (see damn near none) while still being able to play HD movies, play older games (2004-2005 and back) and for $349-$399 on sale. I mean you really can't beat what it does for the price. You can't always find it on sale, but it's pretty often.

People seem to want to crap on the little AMD chip by isolating just ONE aspect of it, but when you put all the pro's for it together it's just a slam dunk.

Just to be clear, I was not criticizing the E350/450 in the smaller form factor. In fact, I really like the dm1z and would very seriously consider buying one if I could get it from Best Buy for less than 400.00. (I got a lot of BB gift cards for christmas). The dm1z to me, with its decent performance, and long battery life is even a competitor to the ultra books, admittedly with less performance, for 1/3 the price. I even wish there were netbooks with that processor instead of the anemic intel atom.

Where I think the E350 is not being used properly in when it is placed in a 15 inch notebook or larger or in a desktop. In a less portable device such as this, I would prefer more processing power such as Llano or an i3/i5 if you are not concerned with graphics as much.