But Centrino—a three-part bundle of processor, chipset, and wireless module—isn't impervious to competition. Reportedly based on the older Pentium 3 architecture, Intel's Pentium M doesn't sport the 64-bit extensions pervading its other processor families, and the chip still lacks SSE3 multimedia instruction support found on year-old Pentium 4 processors. There haven't been any notable frequency increases as of late, and Intel's mobile dual-core mobile plans are still months away. What, then, can you do as a reseller to rekindle excitement about mobile technology in the mean time? Check out Turion 64, AMD's thin-and-light answer to Pentium M with all of the architectural features that make Athlon 64 and Opteron such powerhouses.

Defining The Processor

Would it surprise you to learn that, despite all of the attention showered on those high-performance AMD chips, the company only controls 16.9 percent of the x86 processor market according to a Q1 '05 report by Mercury Research? And while there's no breakdown delineating individual segments, a separate report from research firm Gartner indicates that notebook shipments will increase 17 percent over the year while PC growth slows to six percent. Obviously, there's a lot at stake in the mobile market and AMD is anxious to get in on the success in which Centrino basks. Up until now, though, all of AMD's best mobile efforts have been power-hungry and thus limited in mobile utility.

Tried and True Turion 64 employs a Socket 754 interface with a nice, big install base. Pentium M, on the other hand, requires a specialty Socket 479 platform.

As it stands, all bets are riding on Turion 64. AMD does have other mobile offerings that fit a certain niche but there's no way you'll ever shoehorn an Athlon 64 into a five-pound chassis and hope for four hours of battery life. Generally, those are reserved for DTR (desktop replacement) systems replete with high-end graphics and fast hard drives. More often than not, DTR notebooks are kept near a power outlet, so battery life isn't a top priority.

Going up against Pentium M requires a more delicate balance of performance and longevity, though. AMD sells two versions of the Turion 64 to better address power concerns. One is a 25W model and the other tops out at 35W. In comparison, the Pentium M ranges from 21W to 27W, though that doesn't include the memory controller component already built into AMD's Turion 64 processor. The Intel chip is known for encouraging extended battery life, and since AMD's power specs are very similar, we have high hopes for Turion's alacrity in that regard, too.

An Athlon 64 at Heart If it looks like an Athlon 64 and barks like an Athlon 64, it must be a re-branded Athlon 64.

Naming differs slightly for each of the two Turion lineups. The higher-powered 35W models bear an ML prefix and run at speeds of up to 2.0 GHz for the ML-37. The 25W variants are distinguished by an MT prefix, operating at up to 1.8 GHz. Both the ML and MT lines span down to the 30 series operating at 1.6 GHz and equipped with 1MB of L2 cache. Representatives at AMD confirm that faster speeds will be available on flagship models in June but are unable to divulge full details. For what it's worth, all signs point to an ML-40 clocked at 2.2 GHz—eager competition for the 2.13 GHz Pentium M.

All Turion 64 models, regardless of their class designator, are the product of AMD's 90nm manufacturing node and feature improvements inherent to the recent E-revision, including SSE3 instruction support and vital power-saving functionality.

"Turion 64 achieves reduced power consumption due to optimizations in the latest revision core and a new C3 deeper-sleep power state," says Bahr Mahoney, divisional marketing manager for AMD's mobile products. "Such improvements allow us to offer higher clock speeds and 1MB caches without breaking the 35W barrier."

If you were wondering about AMD's low-power Athlon 64 processors, which are also rated for a 35W TDP (Thermal Design Power), those models no longer exist. Instead, the mobile Athlon 64 line picks up at 65W, leaving both low-power boundaries the exclusive domain of Turion 64. DTR white box notebooks will continue to accommodate the more power-hungry model. However, it's important that you don't try to use a 60 or 80W Athlon 64 in a chassis intended for Turion. The cooling solutions are different and not always interchangeable.

The Infamous Rev E Equipped with SSE3 support, lower operating voltages and some important power management features, the Rev E Turion represents AMD’s latest manufacturing advances.

Despite much lower consumption than AMD's previous products, it looks like Turion is at a slight disadvantage to Intel's Pentium M in the power department. On the other hand, it's also arguably a more complex CPU. Turion 64 processors boast 128KB of L1 cache and either 512KB or 1MB of L2. They feature an integrated memory controller that support DDR400 modules as well. But because AMD employs its Socket 754 interface for mobile processors only one 64-bit channel is available. Resulting bandwidth is still an acceptable 3.2 GBps and the imposed performance loss is minor.

The main advantage AMD's Turion 64 processor has over Intel's Pentium M is that it boasts a number of value-added features in addition to the on-die memory controller. It has taken Intel two years to catch up with AMD's 64-bit support on the desktop and the mobile Pentium M is still unequipped for 64-bit operation. Not that we're expecting to see notebooks with more than 4GB of memory any time soon, but there are additional processor registers available on AMD's design that may improve performance to a degree. Turion 64 also benefits from SSE3 recognition, a more likely source of performance gain in a mobile environment. Off-die communication takes place over a 1 GHz HyperTransport bus with plenty of throughput to scale. Intel is still consigned to its 533 MHz bus, which is brand new to the Centrino lineup but an ancient Pentium 4 relic. And the Turion 64 boasts EVP (Enhanced Virus Protection) when used with Windows XP SP2, as well. Overall, Turion 64 appears to be a more elegant and scalable architecture.

Platform Considerations

Building a Turion 64 notebook is pretty much impossible without the complementary puzzle pieces. Perhaps the most important is a suitable whitebook chassis with its corresponding motherboard and LCD. Although AMD's Mahoney rattled off a handful of manufacturers who have announced product, only Arima is actively promoting a family of unbranded notebooks. Fortunately, there are a handful of different configurations, all with ATI Radeon Xpress chipsets. They fall into Arima's performance lineup and support the 25W and 35W Turion 64 processors. All accept up to 2GB of memory in SO-DIMM form, can be had with either discrete or integrated graphics, weigh less than six pounds, and target 4.5 hours of battery life.

Record Breaker ATI is first out of the gate with a Turion-optimized mobile platform, wielding PCI Express support and a capable integrated graphics processor.

It isn't horribly surprising that Turion 64 platform availability currently lacks. After all, the chipsets are still rolling out. VIA recently announced the K8N800A, a Turion-optimized platform with an 800 MHz HyperTransport bus, integrated 3D acceleration, SATA hard drive support, and Gigabit Ethernet. It's not a gaming or workstation solution by any means but it does enable the latest relevant technologies in a highly mobile package.

ATI's solution, which of course is currently available, goes a step further by exposing PCI Express connectivity, making it the only chipset to offer an add-in graphics option. The Radeon Xpress 200M also incorporates an integrated core that accelerates DirectX 9 and OpenGL-based titles. It's a derivative of the X300 core and therefore not very fast, but it is certified with Microsoft Windows XP Media Center Edition 2005 and equipped with special technology to dynamically adjust LCD brightness.

Usually a leader when it comes to developing new core logic, NVIDIA isn't yet in on the action. Although the nForce3 Go is technically capable of accommodating the Socket 754 processor, it's an AGP chipset and the continuing trend toward PCI Express promises to surely antiquate that platform. Representatives at NVIDIA quietly confirm the existence of another chipset design with PCI Express support, which will emerge later this year. Don't expect to see NVIDIA chipsets anywhere near the Turion 64 until then.

AMD's Channel Message

Turion 64 doesn't yet enjoy Centrino's momentum. The infrastructure still seems somewhat shaky, and it sounds like the components are still falling into place. That doesn't mean there isn't a plan of attack, though. AMD's message is clear: When you build or buy a Turion 64 platform, you aren't limited to just one chipset or a pair of network cards all bundled together. "We've worked closely with ODMs and OEMs to get their feedback on how best to handle platform support," says AMD's Bahr Mahoney. "The overwhelming response was to leave as much choice as possible, so now channel partners are able to choose a Broadcom or Atheros wireless solution, NVIDIA or ATI graphics, and VIA, SiS, or ATI chipset."

Stretch it Out Designed for maximum battery life, the VIA K8N800A leverages integrated graphics and the VT8237 chipset to uncover Turion’s best power characteristics.

Of course, the argument can be made that AMD has no other option but to allow choice. It doesn't manufacture chipsets, wireless modules, graphics, or any other mobile component for that matter and it wouldn't be in the position to bundle components unless it partnered with other manufacturers. Nevertheless, choice is good for the reseller. It enables greater flexibility in configuration, an important ingredient in hitting multiple price points with a whitebook chassis.

Obviously, selling Turion 64 hardware will be tough until the surrounding infrastructure ramps up. AMD is targeting the back-to-school timeframe of July/August/September for top-tier availability and there's a good chance five or six other manufacturers will be offering various whitebook designs at the same time, as well. Acer is already selling a Turion notebook at retail, providing evidence that the pieces are out there.

In Retrospect

Until now, Intel has enjoyed a relatively uncontested run in the mobile market. Almost any system with Centrino branding will sell, if only because Centrino is now synonymous with portability, long battery life, and great performance. AMD is aspiring to the same three strengths with a processor that may wind up being more reseller-friendly than Intel's expensive Centrino bundle. It has the performance needed to compete, the power management features to remain mobile, and it looks to have significant backing from influential platform and peripheral manufacturers. AMD is gunning for the back to school season for ramping up Turion 64 sales, and there's no better time to develop a well-rounded mobile solution priced well below competing Centrino offerings.