X-bit labs

Retailers Sell AMD Turion 64 ML-40 Ahead of Launch.

Category: Mobile

by Anton Shilov

[ 05/09/2005 | 05:03 AM ]

AMD Turion 64 model ML-40 microprocessors from Advanced Micro Devices are now sold in Tokyo, Japan, despite of not being launched officially. The chips are currently ranked as the fastest AMD Turion 64 offering.

AMD Turion 64 ML-40 processor operates at 2.20GHz and has built-in 1MB L2 cache as well as single-channel PC3200 memory controller. The ML-series of AMD Turion 64 products has thermal envelope of 35W. Additionally, the chip features PowerNow! energy saving technology with C3 Deeper Sleep state that reduces power consumption during idle moments as well as 3DNow!, SSE, SSE2 and SSE3 instructions. Like all AMD Athlon 64 processors, the Turion 64 supports 64-bit capability in addition to Enhanced Virus Protection technology.

Currently the Turion 64 ML-40 is the world’s highest performing processor for notebooks with 64-bit capability. So far AMD has not announced the model, though, the actual sales may mean that AMD is about to reveal the product officially.

Retailers in Tokyo, Japan, sell AMD Turion 64 ML-40 for $610 - $635, reports Akiba PC Hotline.

The chip sold today might be targeted at the upgrade market, but given that the Turion 64 was announced back in early March, there is hardly any installed base for it. It could make sense for Mobile AMD Athlon 64-based notebook owners to swap their processors for the Turion 64: the performance is likely to remain the same or even get higher with the ML-family of Turion 64, but the battery life could improve; still, the size of a notebook will remain the same – pretty large in the case of AMD Mobile Athlon 64. It is also unclear whether AMD Turion 64 is drop-in compatible with all AMD64-based notebooks.

AMD Turion 64 targets the same space as Intel’s Centrino mobile platform – thin, light, but yet powerful notebooks. However, there is a significant difference between the Turion and the Centrino: the Turion 64 is a standalone processor, whereas the Centrino is a platform. AMD Turion 64 may be paired with any validated system logic from companies like ATI Technologies, NVIDIA Corp., Silicon Integrated Systems, ULi Electronics or VIA Technologies and any wired or wireless network adapters preferred by notebook makers. In case of Intel Centrino notebook manufacturers have to choose Intel Pentium M chip, Intel’s core-logic and Intel’s network controllers to be able to use the Centrino brand-name.

AMD did not comment on the news-story.