AMD Narrows Dual-Core Turion Ship Date, Releases 'Live' Specs

Advanced Micro Devices said Monday it plans to ship the first dual-core Turion processor for notebooks in the second quarter. AMD also made public the specifications it will require for entertainment PCs using the AMD Live branding.

Sunnyvale, Calif.-based AMD narrowed down the delivery time frame for the dual-core Turion after pegging it for sometime in the second half in previous road maps. David Rooney, a product manager in the mobile division of AMD's Microprocessor Solutions Sector, said AMD's 64-bit dual-core part will support DDR2 memory and include virtualization and multicore power management when it ships.

The new processor will be accompanied by two mobile reference platforms that AMD developed with chipset makers Nvidia and ATI Technologies. The reference platform was developed to help original design manufacturers (ODMs) and OEMs bring new AMD-based notebooks to market faster.

At its annual partner conference starting March 12, Intel plans to announce a new whitebook initiative for system builders that includes interchangeable battery, power supplies and drives. Rooney said AMD is investigating whitebook initiatives, but he declined to give details. "We've had a lot of conversations about the whitebook market and are very passionate about it," he said.

The first AMD Live entertainment PCs are slated to show up in mid-2006, according to Teresa de Onis, desktop product and brand manager for AMD’s Microprocessors Solutions Sector. AMD touts its entertainment platform as offering choices for system builders vs. Intel's closed Viiv platform.