HP Pavilion dv2 laptop: AMD Yukon done right

by Tarinder Sandhu on 8 January 2009, 03:24

Tags: HP Pavilion dv2 (battery), AMD (NYSE:AMD), Hewlett Packard (NYSE:HPQ)

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Looking further into '09

The svelte lines make the dv2 a good-looking machine. It needs to be, too, as the starting price of $699 is reasonably steep for a notebook with integrated graphics (X1250) and, obviously, no optical drive. The standard screen resolution is 1,280x800 on a 12.1in panel.



HP will also retail a model with a super-slim Blu-ray drive in situ, rather than the USB-powered, proof-of-concept you see above. The top-of-the-line dv2, comprising of 1.6GHz Neo CPU, Radeon HD 3410 graphics, and Blu-ray player will cost close to $1,000.

Whilst undeniably attractive, we'd be inclined to wait for the next generation based on the present 780G chipset, codenamed Congo. It should provide switchable graphics for better battery life, XGP port for external graphics. NVIDIA's ION platform also shows promise, so 2009 will be especially interesting from a mobile point of view.

AMD alluded to a low-power Neo processor operating at 1GHz and drawing around 8W under load. Knowing this, we reckon that Q2 2009 should see AMD-based 'netbooks' appear on the scene, backed up by a 690G-class chipset with built-in high-def. decode support. That should ruffle some feathers.

What do you think? Does AMD/HP have it right with the dv2? What would you like to see from an AMD 'netbook'?

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HEXUS Forums :: 3 Comments

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Posted by Biscuit - Thu 08 Jan 2009 04:20
I think its to late to really make a hit in the market. Completely forgetting the high price tag and the fact that the entire world is skint for a minute, so many people have gone out and bought much cheaper and less functional netbooks which clearly shows where the niche in the market is. I cant see people wanting to upgrade them so soon after when all they do is basic activities on them.

Im not slating the product i think its real nice looking and definately takes things up a notch but i just cant see there being a huge mob of people buying them.
Posted by this_is_gav - Thu 08 Jan 2009 09:30
This is another niche altogether though. It should provide performance akin to a lower-end laptop with what should prove excellent battery life. It is expensive, but there aren't many 12“ laptops for this sort of money. It's more of an alternative take on your traditional laptop than a direct rival to the underclocked Celerons and Atoms.

Obviously at the moment the price is going to be inflated - it's the only one out there. If it heads down to the main Atom area of the market (£230-300) it should walk all over it for those in the know, unless your requirement is the sub-12” size in most netbooks (and I'd imagine there'll be sub-12" Neo netbooks too), but I'll guess it will command a small premium over Atom equivalents - it is better than them.

Only real shame is that it's only got the 690G at the moment.

I'm hoping for some of this in MicroATX (and MiniITX) format. A 780G version would be perfect for an HTPC, where the Atom is just a bit too slow (and consumes far more power at the moment too).
Posted by scaryjim - Thu 08 Jan 2009 10:54
Personally, once more than one model comes to market I'll be convincing my boss to replace our aging but effective sony ultramobiles (which cost upwards of £1000) with Yukon / Congo based alternatives. If anyone does bring out a 12“ netwbook based on a 8w chipset + 8w processor, I'll be buying one - I've pondered netbooks since their incpetion but I've never felt they provided enough oomph at the £250 price point to compete with full-size laptops at the £300 price point. If cheaper Yukon-based ”netbooks“ can come in at ~£350 with a 12” screen I'll be convinced ;^)